Day 3 - South to Gisenyi on Lake Kivu (25/9)

Another day shoots by, though not as quickly as a kamikaze cyclist, bearing a huge sack of potatoes, flew down a hill past us today (and we were doing 30mph!). Sadly I missed the best action shot of him but you get the idea...

Others took their health in their hands when grabbing a tow

while the majority plod on along the pavement

 
or bundle in, very close

We stopped at views of the mighty Virunga volcanoes (home of the gorillas which sadly we shan't be seeing),

tea plantations,

and admired the industry of Rwandan farmers, who build cane tripods as far as there's land to cultivate and look to grow cabbages enough to feed the whole of Rwanda.

We were headed west towards Gisenyi on Lake Kivu (fifth largest body of water in Africa), through which runs the border between Rwanda and the DRC.  The Congolese town of Goma virtually merges with Gisenyi, save for that pesky border, patrolled by machine gun-toting guards (of whom of course no photos!) Luckily there's another, less "formal" border where no guard seems much to bother, a place of bustle and activity where everyone comes and goes pretty easily ...

According to Lieven, you can tell the Congolese because they carry burdens on their backs, whereas any self-respecting Rwandan bears it on their head.

Hot springs (without any discernible sulphur smell) bubble and steam near to our hotel, the water so hot that I couldn't submerge my finger for very long. Hardier souls, however, bathed

We finished the day watching an equatorial sunset (sadly slightly underwhelming due to cloud) and pied kingfishers diving into Kivu; our lunchtime buffet was so filling that again we're skipping dinner in favour of bananas and passion fruit from the market.

Day 2 - Drive to Musanze (24/9)

A good night's sleep and we've now been collected by out driver Lieven for a week-long trip around Rwanda. 

We're starting by heading north towards the mighty Virunga mountains which border Uganda (in fact we saw a road sign for the border 35km away) and overnighting in Musanze (until recently "Ruhengeri" - confusingly road signs and maps still use both names... hence having a driver!). Having said that, we're finding getting around and making ourselves understood very easy. Lieven tells us he learned lessons at school in English (though mysteriously his French is probably better). I think having him is going to be a God-send - as well as driving (so that we can look out of the window), he's full of interesting little observations and stories about Rwanda and his childhood (today he told us about the "The One Cow Per Family" initiative launched by President Kagame - and sure enough :  http://www.unicef.org/equity/index_65274.html) 

The countryside north is unendingly hilly; bicycles tortuously wind their way up and down (we even saw one optimistic chancer cadging a tow from a lorry - only problem was that the lorry was going so slowly that the cyclist still had to pedal to stay upright!). Other locals were all very friendly

We'd forgotten just how red the African earth is - and, despite the "short rains" of the early autumn being late, the hills are bright green.

Impressively, not only do the Rwandans plant and work on the slopes, they also create terraces, looking a little like rice crops.

And finally then to Musanze. We made new friends in the market, where a lot of industrious work goes on, and a lot of chatter.  Lieven tells us that, as well as bananas, the region is famous for potatoes...

Day 1 - First impressions of Kigali, Rwanda (23/9)

To start - a few stats and impressions of Rwanda...

[1] It lies just south of the equator, bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and the DRC - an old version of a guide-book which we looked out suggested a day-trip across the border in Goma but these days the FCO warns in no uncertain terms that it's not a great idea!

[2] A law was passed in 2008 making non-biodegradable polythene bags illegal.  We'd been warned about bag searches and confiscation of plastic at Kigali Airport but in fact no such thing occurred.  The city is very tidy and clean though - every last Saturday of the month, there's compulsory pitching in (including the President apparently) to clean up the streets ("umuganda" - "getting together") and it really shows.  Only disagreeable thing is that it's very fume-y, mainly from the dozens of motorcycle taxis which buzz about carrying passengers (wearing his'n'his/her helmets)

[3] 2012 population estimate was c11.6m (43% under 17, 97.5% under 65) and population density is amongst the highest in Africa (408 per sq.km.) And I imagine a growing population and jostling for lebensraum was one of the causes of the 1994 genocide, though the seeds were sowed a long time ago. The population comprises three ethnic groups: the Hutu, Tutsi and Twa (a forest-dwelling pygmy people and Rwanda's earliest inhabitants, forming a tiny minority).  Germany colonised in 1884 as part of German East Africa, and Belgium invaded in 1916. Each ruled through existing Tutsi kings and the Hutu population revolted in 1959, massacring numerous Tutsi and ultimately establishing an independent, Hutu-dominated state in 1962. The Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front fought back from 1990 but social tensions erupted in April 1994 in a genocide, in which Hutu extremists killed 1m Tutsi and moderate Hutu in just a few weeks of civil war - 20% of the country's total population and 70% of the Tutsi then living in Rwanda.

[4] Rwanda itself is very very bumpy - "Land of a Thousand Hills" : the swishest place in town is the Hotel des Mille Collines, (famous for its brave Hutu manager who shielded many Tutsis, who otherwise would have perished).  

Not an easy place to get around in the heat so we stuck to the main areas this afternoon but we'll try to get about a bit more when we're back on the last day, especially to the Genocide Monument to the north of the city. 

Anyway, we had some fun and games with South African Airways on check-in at LHR, when they refused to accept that the onward flight from Joburg into Rwanda was a codeshare or to issue us with onward boarding passes at LHR; notwithstanding that, they were able to put our bag through to Kigali!! (I thought it politic not to point out the discrepancy lest they thought better of it and made us collect our bags at Joburg too).  First thing when we get on the RwandAir flight, of course,  "Welcome to flight xxx, codeshare SAA".  Ah well, at least we and the bag made it. 

Kigali looked nice from the air and, on arrival at our little hotel, we rested over a nice lunch - you'll be reassured that Duncan dived straight in to trying the local cuisine, with piquant chicken and an impressive portion of ugali (a solid porridge made of maize and eaten with meat and a thick soupy sauce).  Needless to say that little supper has been required.

AUTUMN 2014 - A NEW ADVENTURE - day zero (22/9)

Summer is fading and we're waving goodbye to Blighty for a few weeks, heading tonight to southern Africa.  A week in Rwanda, two in South Africa (during which - recent army coup permitting - hopefully we'll drive through Lesotho down to Durban, northwards along the eastern coast, and back to Johannesburg), and then just shy of a month in Namibia.

We're lucky that cousin Drew is moving to a new job in London just as we leave, and he will be house-sitting for us while he looks for a permanent place to lay his head.

So ... tonight we catch a South African Airways flight into Joburg, then we need to do a super-fast run between terminals to hop 3 hours north to Kigali. The hotel is supposed to be sending a car to collect us, so, this time tomorrow (Tuesday) we should hopefully be mooching around, sampling locally-grown Rwandan coffee and getting our bearings in downtown Kigali... 

Day 10 - Gibraltar and home

Last day and we're headed back on the motorway for an early flight back from Gibraltar to Heathrow. Just time to stop, as we're dropping off the hire-car, for views of the Rock

and of Ceuta in Morocco in the distance (forget just how close north Africa is)

There's a viewing point of the Rock from departures too...

Day 9 - Starting to wend our way back south

Penultimate day - we quit pretty Utrera and got back on the winding roads, through sleepy white towns

and more lovely countryside (and we've got the hang of this selfie lark)

and cork oak trees, newly harvested of their bark (they're stripped to the waist once every nine years) 

and finally to Jimena de la Frontera

Without realising it, we treated ourselves to a hotel with a terrace and a pool on the roof...

xx

Day 8 - Sevillle and overnight in Utrera

Bidding farewell and thanks to Dawn and Paul, we set off north on country roads via the white village of Espera

(for a breakfast picnic)
 

and onward to Seville.  

We started at the beautiful Plaza de Espana, dating from the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition World's Fair

It showcases Spanish artistry and materials, 

and features tiled 'Alcoves of the Provinces' from each Spanish province.

From there, to the Alcazar, amalgamating influences starting from the Arabic period, late Middle Ages Mudéjar right through to the Renaissance, Baroque and 19thC.  Stunning.

From the courtyard, you can even glimpse Seville's 1401 cathedral with its famous weather-vane, La Giralda (regrettably closed or Duncan would have been up the 343ft/105m tall spire for the view)

Probably just as well, as it was on the hot side...

We stayed in a nice little town called Utrera, and had tapas in the square people-watching - all generations seemed to be out to enjoy the evening sunshine.