Emma's Class Field Trip to Inyenyeri in Gisenyi

Emma’s teacher, Mr. Thies, is young and dynamic and the kids just adore him. Already this semester, their class has hosted two family movie nights at the school and taken two field trips—one to Akagera Game Park (overnight) and on Tuesday to Gisenyi. In Gisenyi, the kids visited the site of a bio-fuels processing “plant” that also manufactures fuel efficient stoves for villagers accustomed to cooking with charcoal or on an open fire. These stoves produce a gas-like flame that is constant and burns cleaner than other fuels. The owner/director of the project is a visionary American, Eric Reynolds. His ambition is to get three of these stoves into every Rwandan home currently using charcoal or wood. He’d also like to eventually power electricity generating plants using these bio-fuels. At the moment though, the operation is in its initial phases. The machinery to manufacture the stoves is on the ground and the local staff is learning how to use these to produce the stoves. The villagers are being enticed into bringing in the raw materials that are needed to produce the fuel pellets. The fuel pellets are a mixture of dried banana leaves, eucalyptus leaves and native grasses, branches and just about anything else that can be burned. The stipulation is that no trees are destroyed in the process. Deforestation is a serious problem in Rwanda and this project aims to stem the cutting of trees for firewood. It’s a noble, ambitious effort and the kids were keen on seeing the production facilities and asked intelligent and thoughtful questions. We wish Eric and all of those involved in the project great success. Access the following link to find out more about what the folks at Inyenyeri do: http://www.facebook.com/Inyenyeri?sk=info Of course, being from Louisiana where we fire up the fronds during sugar cane harvest and produce tons and tons of bio-mass in the grinding of the cane, we saw all kinds of applications for the use of this technology back home. Perhaps someone can capitalize on this idea back home. Below: Eric holding stove as he explains the project. Pellets made from the dried bio-mass to be used in the stoves for cooking.

Gorilla mother with infant

Mother holding tightly on to her offspring.

GORILLAS

Gus and Reid went up to see the gorillas last weekend. The girls aren’t old enough and aren’t allowed to do the trek. Reid was at first skeptical. Permits are extremely expensive especially for foreigners. We’re able to buy them for half the price because we’ve got the resident’s visa---still that’s $250 US a pop. Additionally, although it’s possible to leave Kigali at an ungodly hour and make the 2-3 hour trip up to the Volcanoes National Park, it’s best to spend the night and head to the park at a more leisurely pace for the 7 am rendez-vous time. Accommodations in this country aren’t cheap anywhere, so that has to be factored into the expense of the trip. Petrol is about $6-$7 US / gal and driving conditions are insane to say the least. Understandably, Reid was reluctant to undertake that trip again. However, both returned convinced of the worthiness of the venture.

I asked Gus to record his impressions for the blog but he’s too lazy. So, I’ll have to convey his experience vicariously for our readers. The group they were assigned is one that inhabits the outer ranges of the park, the Susa Group. They’re the furthest out and the drive to the hike start point is about an hour and a half on a pretty poorly maintained dirt road. It’s another 45 minutes to an hour hike to the place in the forest where they hang out. This is a large group of about 33 individuals with about 5 silverbacks. Reid and Gus were able to see 3 of them. There were also a couple of females with infants ranging from 4 days old to 4 months old. The gorillas were calmly munching on vegetation. The guides continuously made grunting noises similar to the noises gorillas make showing contentment. The mothers held their babies closely. Some of the juveniles performed a few antics, but for the most part the experience consisted of the gorillas ignoring the humans while they went along with their daily routine. One little guy got a bit close but was waved away by the guide.

Reid’s skepticism was completely dispelled and he noted how magical an experience it was to be in the wilds with a 300 pound silverback gorilla 6 ft away with no fence, barrier or partition separating man and beast. The gorillas are truly one of the few great natural resources that Rwanda possesses. They bring in millions of dollars to the economy in terms of tourists buying permits, paying for accommodations, spending money on food and souvenirs, drivers and petrol. They unfortunately are under great pressure from loss of habitat, poaching, and disease. It’s quite a balancing act that has to take place to keep all the elements in equal proportion and not letting one element tip the scales. How long Rwanda can continue to do so is anybody's guess.

Our Stay at the Paradis Malahide

From Volcanoes National Park we traveled to a town called Gisenyi. It’s been given another name in this post-genocide era, but most people still refer to it by Gisenyi. Gisenyi sits at the northern end of Lake Kivu. We’d been to the southern end earlier in the year. It must be said that the southern end is much more beautiful and less development than this area but Gisenyi still has its attributes. We stayed at a little place called the Paradis Malahide about 6 km south of the town itself. It’s a quirky little place nestled among the volcanic rocks that line the lake’s shore. Although our accommodations weren’t the greatest given that we were housed in the “apartments” and could hear all of the stirrings of the guests above us, the free standing rondavels offered more privacy and seclusion from the noise of other guests. There is a small, well-maintained beach with lounge chairs under palm umbrellas. The bird life is extraordinary as the place is well frequented by kingfishers, ibises, waxbills, cormorants, etc. The kids had a great time chasing waves and birds. We parents were able to relax and soak up some rays. Evenings are chilly and the staff lights a fire in a huge fire pit in the lounge where visitors gather to have a drink and converse before dinner. Dinner costs extra but breakfast is part of the room package. Breakfast is served out in the “gardens” which have a view unto the lake. It consists of rounds of toast with butter and homemade pineapple spread, eggs cooked to your specifications, true French style crepes, fruit, tea and coffee all served in wooden and clay vessels. It is hands-down the best breakfast we’ve ever had in Rwanda. We felt like kings as the staff just kept shuttling dishes from the kitchen to our table non-stop. Having breakfast served to us in such a setting was indeed akin to paradise. Upon our departure, the owner, Odette, exquisitely dressed in African garb, handed us two packages to take with us. One contained enough crepes for all of us to nibble on in the car and the other was a container of the home-made pineapple spread we had oooh and aahhed over. So you can imagine that we highly recommend the Paradis Malahide. Just ask for the rondavel if you stay there. Above: Bird's eye view of breakfast before the arrival of eggs and crepes. Bates Clan having lunch in the gardens of Paradise.

Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge

While in the Virungas, we stayed at a lodge called Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge in Kinigi. Upon arrival we met the owner who also happens to be a member of Parliament. We were immediately served with spiced tea while checking in. This hit the spot given that the temperature was quite cool and the elevation so high that we felt like we were among the clouds. Each “room” is a little cottage unto itself complete with fire place. Needless to say we availed ourselves of the fireplace quite early in the evening. It’s always surprising to muzungus that one can freeze one’s butt off in Africa, but it’s something we experienced both in Namibia and now in Rwanda. We rather enjoyed it though because the temperature in Kigali is relatively constant year round and so we felt like we had a taste of fall weather, at least temporarily. The lodge also served some of the best soups we’ve ever had. This too hit the spot as the heating in the dining room consisted of hot coals in terra cotta pots placed strategically around the tables. In the afternoons, we were treated to a performance of dancing and singing by a local troop of youngsters. The “star” among the group was a small boy with a big voice, what we like to term the “voice of Africa”. His showmanship was remarkable for one so young in age. It was clear that he loved what he was doing and did it well. The kids were even able to get the muzungus to participate and dance along with them.

Located within a 10-12 minute driving distance from the entrance of the Volcanoes National Park, with attentive service and quaint little cottages nestled among an explosion of flowers, we felt like this little lodge was worth the expense. Additionally, the variety of birdlife kept Gus and the girls busy for hours on end photographing the different species attracted by the flora. There was even a volleyball net and ball provided by the staff and we got to exercise our cold muscles with a bit of a 4 man game. Annie was too interested in the birds to play.

Reid's Dream Machine

Another view of Reid's Dream Machine. Reid claims that the modelof Rover he'll eventually acquire will be even better equipped than this model! The list of accessories Reid is citing would probably cost the equivalent of the GDP of some of the world's smaller countries. He'd better find another job if he thinks we'll ever swing this.

Golden Monkey Tracking in the Virungas

The kids had the week of Oct 15-23 off from school so we headed north to a part of Rwanda we hadn’t seen before—the Virungas. The Virunga Mountains contain a number of extinct as well as active volcanoes. They are also home to the endangered Mountain Gorillas and the rare golden monkeys. Although Augustus is just old enough to visit the gorillas, the girls aren’t so we opted for the hike to see the golden monkeys. There are about 2 or 3 groups that have been habituated to humans and one can get really up-close with these guys out in the wild, although touching is not permitted.

It’s advisable to head to park headquarters and pay in advance because reporting time in the morning is 7 am. It’s also very chaotic as most of the park patrons are there for the gorillas and the guides spend a good deal of time trying to organize the groups before heading out to their respective start points. Our start point was a little village about 8 minutes away from the headquarters. We walked through a number of potato fields toward the forest. Having rained heavily the day before, it was quite muddy. Emma had rubber boots and faired the best. It was also quite cool and we were glad of the several layers of clothing we had piled on. We entered the bamboo forest at the edge of the cultivation where a sizable rock wall has been constructed to keep the buffalo from intruding on the farms. We could already see the monkeys foraging for vegetation in the tree tops from the entry point. When we got into the bamboo thicket itself, we could see the little guys were just everywhere. Hikers are allowed to spend an hour within observing the troop. We got to see them jumping through the trees, grooming each other and foraging for their favorite delicacy, tender bamboo shoots. Apparently, consumption of the bamboo shoots is somewhat akin to consuming alcohol—our guide likened it to drinking beer.

Because we have a resident visa, we were able to pay a reduced admission of $65/person. The fee for non-residents is $100 US. For a family of five, that’s quite a chunk of change just for admission. We were in a group of about 20 whose nationalities varied from European to Australian to American. We also stayed in a cool lodge (blog post to follow on that) as arriving from Kigali for a 7 am rendez-vous is virtually impossible, although some do. So, it was a nice outing for the kids and they got to enjoy a rarity that may not exist within the next 50 years. Was it worth the expense is debatable, however. I’m still trying to justify spending that kind of money in a place whose average per capita income is around $900US /year. Reid says it’s all part of the redistribution of the wealth burden that we muzungus must shoulder! Not sure, though that the wealth is reaching those who are in need of it most, unfortunately.