Kigali days
quick activity log:
- went to Mille Collines (the actual Hotel Rwanda - watch the movie if you haven’t!) for a pool day. it started to downpour so naturally made a British friend named Daniel and got day drunk off pina coladas
- trivia night with delish pizza at Sole Luna. was a BIT much. ordered our orange juice 3 times. got 2nd place in trivia though, who knew?- got caught in the rain on Christine’s scooter and drove home to the most majestic double rainbow. back at home the skies were sunny and raining to the right, and brooding storm clouds to the left. Rwanda is magic.
- suntanned on the driveway, schoolboys all gathered across the street giggling and trying to get a peep through the gate. this is what zoo animals feel like. Tommy goes “Kellie how many times do i have to tell ya, they got nothin else to do”. promptly moved inside.- went on a walk with Eric to Remera. Eric helps with random errands like grocery shopping and fixing their coffee machines. he is the sweetest soul. he lives in a room at the back of the house with his friend Claude. he always stops by the porch when i’m on the hammock (aka every morning) to shyly say hello and chat. couple things i learned about Eric on our walk to Remera: he is 23, he grew up in a village where there were only 4 houses nearby. he speaks Kinyarwanda but also English, French, Swahili, and Turkish (he lived with a Turkish family for 8 months). the first time he saw a white person he was 8 years old. he says the reason kids are so excited to see us because we’re good luck. Eric wants to become a truck driver - he showed me the driving school where he will get his trucking license. when we stopped at a grocery store and i told him to pick out something he wanted, he chose a bar of soap.
- scooted with Tommy to Tally Cafe for banana bread (best in Kigali), cappuccino/African iced tea. peed in a hole in the ground.
- then scooted to Kimironko market, v smelly and dirty but literally EVERYTHING you could ever need, organized by section. fruits + veg, seeds, electronics, soaps, hardware supplies, fabrics for custom clothing. i got a shirt made that is fitted and thick and NOTHING like the photo we agreed upon. 7,000 RWF which is about 10 bucks. gave it to Eric to give to his sister.
- Oktoberfest-themed house party at Tommys’ friends. they go ALL out here for parties, and their houses are gorgeous. these guys hosted a wedding in their backyard a few months ago. hired 6 DJs to play throughout the night, live band, beer, cocktail bar (with Mars bars-infused vods), chapati “Rolex” food vendor, tiki torches and couches on the lawn. just a casz Saturday in Kigali.
- boutique hotel + restaurant Heaven for some fish tacos and a cute view.
i’ve been busy booking stuff for the remainer of my time in Kigali and my next 2 stops. STAY TUNED!! :)