Come in the water is fine

Now you see why Lake Kivu is so welcoming on a 30 something degree day. This is taken in the dry season, a bit hazy but has to be one of the world's future tourist highlights.

Lake Kivu is a couple of hours drive from Kigali, has a nice hotel and some accommodation available in cabins and b & b style
The Congo is on the far side of Lake Kivu and it extends about half way up the Eastern border of Rwanda.
There are resort facilities on some of the islands in the Lake.
Yes Aussies, they are eucalypts one of the most common trees throughout the country, very useful for firewood as well as building.

cow recipients 2010

These are a selection of the cows and the recipients of our purchase in 2010.

This brings the number of cows bought to 91 along with two bulls.
This village has sufficient cows now and subsequent animals will go to nearby villages
The villagers report that there is no longer malnutrition or death through starvation.
Having a cow is richly symbolic for Tutsi people. After losing so many of family it is partial restoration.

This brings us to the reason for the trip. Rwandan Coffee Club raises funds by selling coffee to support survivors of genocide in Rwanda. We sell Rwandan coffee as well as other origins.

These are typical of the local cows which our recipients prefer to receive as they eat less grass.

The above photo was taken at Bugasera, en route was the memorial at Nyamata Church where these remains were on display.

Here is the altar in that church, the cloth is stained with blood, the level of which indicates the tide mark of blood as some 5000 people were slaughtered.

Experiencing the stark evidence of such horror is interspersed with beautiful peaceful scenery which hightens one's emotional level.
Being known as the land of one thousand hills, some dramatic waterfalls are bound to be found.

This is still in the south where the hills are small!
Not long now till Lake Kivu and a welcome swim!

First impressions of Rwanda

1The first impression one (Australian) gets upon arriving in Rwanda is the amazing greenness and abundant vegetation. Beautiful soil and abundant rainfall located just under the equator guarantees lushness galore!

The second impression as one enters the capital is the teeming mass of humanity. There are just more people out and about everywhere all the time. Friendly, happy people hugging and greeting, walking hand in hand and laughing. Underneath is a typical Kigali scene.

More green more intensive agriculture. Three harvest seasons a year. about 6 weeks of little rain. July is mid summer, a couple of moderate rain weeks either side of the dry and rain nearly every day for the rest of the year.

There is a constant arguement between Rwanda and Uganda as to the source of the Nile. Here it is, in the South east of Rwanda between Butare and Maraba.

There are memorials to the 1994 genocide of Tutsis all through the country. This one is at Murambi, the site of a boarding school where between 15-30,000 Tutsis were gathered for "safety" under French army supervision and were all killed. This photo shows the tender age of some of the victims.