6th August – Visiting Nzige

To visit Nzige together the only sensible way was to use a car and driver. We had asked at the hotel reception the previous afternoon, and whilst the hotel had not heard of Nzige, the driver they called up had. It happened to be where he originally came from and he came round to see us so we could see the car and negotiate a price ($100).

This morning he turned up a few minutes early and proved to be a careful, considerate and sensible driver. The first part of the trip is along the main road towards Rwamagana, a smoother road than many back home with one noticeable difference – periodically there are mega speed bumps – not always for obvious reasons. I suspect that occasionally check points are set up. Yesterday down near the market we had passed the car test centre and today we also passed a driving test centre. It may be that some of the standards are not necessarily quite as high, but Rwanda has all pretty much all the same mechanisms of a modern society as we have, and is a peaceful and law abiding country.

Reading the news headlines from the UK later with shootings and riots in London, I think we need to look more in the mirror. I certainly feel safer on the streets of Kigali than some parts of London.

Back to the trip. At Kibuge, we turn off the main road; now like most of the roads, they are the typical red dirt. Everyone seems to be going somewhere – vehicles are few and cries of “muzungus” follow us. People are on foot, or on bicycles, and a few on the moto taxis. Bicycles are the beasts of burden – piled up high with bananas, planks of wood, or as many as 7 or 8 five gallon jerry cans of water and being pushed by two small boys, often up long hills. The piped water here in the countryside is intermittent and the public water points are often the only reliable source. As we found when we got to Camilla’s house, the water was off. You would sometimes see the wife and children also sat on the back of bicycles. The Rwanda bicycle is a much sturdier construction than the ones we are used to, with the wheels and tyres one step up from the ones you see on mountain bikes. The roads are such that 30-40km per hour is the maximum speed that can be maintained, dodging the worst of the ruts.

And so to Nzige – a place I already felt familiar with from the incredible detail on Google Earth. Camilla’s house is actually tucked behind one of the shops that faces out across the market place.

Walking round the village we met smiling kids saying “Hello, how are you” – learning English here now starts young.