I wanted to visit somewhere a Rwandan family might go to for their annual holiday. We had the Toyota four wheel drive to get us there. And so we decided to complete the two hour trip to Lake Muhazi which is east of Kigali. On this lake there is the Muhazi Beach hotel. We would spend a pleasant afternoon at this resort.
Driving there itself was an unforgettable experience. There is a life of itself along the edges of the highway. Elegant ladies with bright hand crafted dresses sliding along with fruit and vegetables balanced up their heads. Bicycles loaded up with huge bunches of green cooking bananas called ma-toke. In one village dozens of children and teenagers surrounded a pedestal. On this pedestal was a laptop. I wasn't sure whether it was the laptop itself that attracted the crowd, or something running on the laptop itself.
Not far from the lake, the vehicle turned off the tarmac and onto a dusty red trail leading to the resort itself. Children playing their games, whether it be football or catch or hide and seek - these vibrant children would stop and gift us with their huge smiles and round eyes. They would wave and hop back into their world of rags, dust and make-play. My mind was was back to my younger years. A time without electronic gadgetry and predatory fear; and a place with wide open spaces, parks, rivers and sand banks. A time when children were able to play outside. These young Rwandan children would probably desire an Xbox console and a smart phone - but they seemed happy playing with their friends in the old fashioned way.
The resort itself, the Muhazi Beach Hotel, looked a little run down from the outside. But it was not without tourist appeal. I am told it is owned by Rwanda's president - Paul Kagame. And the service provided by staff was indeed presidential. Prompt and courteous.
Passing through the entrance and you are greeted with a stunning vista of lake, forest and farm land. The view would not be out of place in Switzerland. We climbed down to the lake's beach. My partner's brother, who had driven the vehicle, stripped down to his bathers and spent the afternoon in the water itself.
I was happy to sit at a table under the shade of an old acacia tree and read my book. The weather was hot and I gave some thought of a swim myself but decided against it for some reason. It was only recently I discovered that 10,000 victims of the genocide were dumped or drowned in this lake. At that time onlookers noted the water was a mixture of water and blood. Also, in 2014, a boat was attacked by a hippopotamus and four people were killed. I am sure it would have been quite safe to go for a swim on that afternoon: but there are no regrets for staying dry.
After our lunch and after the swimming we headed back to Kigali. I made a promise to myself - next time a hotel room would be booked and more time spent at the resort. There was not a lot of free time on this visit to Rwanda. There were many people to visit and there was preparation for the ceremony that is called The Introduction. The Introduction is a formal engagement ceremony: being the shy chap I am there was more than a little nervousness concerning this coming celebration.
Peace to All
Driving there itself was an unforgettable experience. There is a life of itself along the edges of the highway. Elegant ladies with bright hand crafted dresses sliding along with fruit and vegetables balanced up their heads. Bicycles loaded up with huge bunches of green cooking bananas called ma-toke. In one village dozens of children and teenagers surrounded a pedestal. On this pedestal was a laptop. I wasn't sure whether it was the laptop itself that attracted the crowd, or something running on the laptop itself.
Not far from the lake, the vehicle turned off the tarmac and onto a dusty red trail leading to the resort itself. Children playing their games, whether it be football or catch or hide and seek - these vibrant children would stop and gift us with their huge smiles and round eyes. They would wave and hop back into their world of rags, dust and make-play. My mind was was back to my younger years. A time without electronic gadgetry and predatory fear; and a place with wide open spaces, parks, rivers and sand banks. A time when children were able to play outside. These young Rwandan children would probably desire an Xbox console and a smart phone - but they seemed happy playing with their friends in the old fashioned way.
The resort itself, the Muhazi Beach Hotel, looked a little run down from the outside. But it was not without tourist appeal. I am told it is owned by Rwanda's president - Paul Kagame. And the service provided by staff was indeed presidential. Prompt and courteous.
Passing through the entrance and you are greeted with a stunning vista of lake, forest and farm land. The view would not be out of place in Switzerland. We climbed down to the lake's beach. My partner's brother, who had driven the vehicle, stripped down to his bathers and spent the afternoon in the water itself.
I was happy to sit at a table under the shade of an old acacia tree and read my book. The weather was hot and I gave some thought of a swim myself but decided against it for some reason. It was only recently I discovered that 10,000 victims of the genocide were dumped or drowned in this lake. At that time onlookers noted the water was a mixture of water and blood. Also, in 2014, a boat was attacked by a hippopotamus and four people were killed. I am sure it would have been quite safe to go for a swim on that afternoon: but there are no regrets for staying dry.
After our lunch and after the swimming we headed back to Kigali. I made a promise to myself - next time a hotel room would be booked and more time spent at the resort. There was not a lot of free time on this visit to Rwanda. There were many people to visit and there was preparation for the ceremony that is called The Introduction. The Introduction is a formal engagement ceremony: being the shy chap I am there was more than a little nervousness concerning this coming celebration.
Peace to All
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