Into Africa with the parents

Boldly going where not that many have gone before and after months of planning, my parents finally arrived in Rwanda.  I went off to the airport to meet them feeling slightly anxious.  And when I saw them we all had a good cry.  I was surprised at myself! 

The first couple of days we spent in Kigali, allowing Mum and Dad a little time to adjust to Africa (although I would say Rwanda is probably Africa for beginners – it being quite small and clean and with a pleasant climate).  We toured the (few) sights of Kigali and went to the St Patrick’s Day party (see previous blog post) and then it was off for a few days in Kibungo.  We had to pile onto the bus for this part and there was much excitement at the bus station.  People were shifted off the back seat and the three of us and the three massive suitcases were loaded onto it.  I wasn’t sure how comfortable the parents would find the trip, but some of them seemed to relax into it...

Justin had laid on a lovely welcome, despite having been knocked off his bike on the way to work and splitting his head open (we administered additional first aid and it is now well recovered).  It was really nice to be able to show Mum and Dad around Kibungo.  They will now know what I am talking about when I tell them I have been to see the dressmakers, or been to the market, or post office and so on.  Dad’s favourite place was St Joe’s and we had quite a few evenings up there sampling the cold Mutzig and sizzling beef.  Mum got more into the spirit of things and joined me for goat brochettes.



Road hogs!

On one of the days Mum and Dad accompanied me on a trip to one of my schools.  It is usually exciting enough for the children when I arrive, but three of us at once?!  As our motorbikes pulled up, several hundred children escaped classrooms and ran across the grass screaming out “abazungu!”  They then greeted us as the Head Teacher wanted them to with a chorus of “good morning our visitors”.  We met some of the teachers and my parents got a little insight into life in school.  The teachers were very welcoming and were more than happy to pose for a photograph.  And fair play to the parents who managed the one hour journey on the moto there and back.  It’s a bumpy ride but is made slightly less painful by the views along the way.

Toughing it out on the beach

In a bid to see a bit more of the East African Community, we managed to spend a few days in Zanzibar.  The resort was beautiful (we all eventually agreed) and we spent a couple of great days just lazing on the beach.  Rainy season seemed to be rather late in arriving so we were blessed with beautiful weather.  Well rested from this we also visited Stone Town and stayed in the same hotel I went to at Christmas.  I even got the same room!  We had a nice time strolling the streets and visiting the night food market and enjoying a drink on the balcony in Africa House whilst watching the sun set.

Following this we fitted in a 2night/3 day safari in Tanzania.  The company we went with were called www.itstartedinafrica.com and it was one of the cheapest ones advertised but in all honesty, was far superior to anything I have done before and I would recommend them to anyone.  We had beds in our tents and our own chef and a guide.  It was divine.  We saw loads of wildlife and I finally got to add a rhino to my list of animals seen.  The only hairy bit was when the running board fell off the side of the vehicle mid safari.  Dad and Comfort (the guide) managed to fix it by using the seatbelts to hold it all together and no lions appeared to savage us!

Getting home from Tanzania proved trickier than we thought as the buses are not so great coming towards Rwanda.  We eventually managed it and landed for more time in Kibungo.  We also hired a car and had a good time visiting lots of places – I even had the enormous luxury of doing a shop in Nakumatt and being able to put it all in a car to take home.  I was able to get fresh milk and cornflakes.  A HUGE treat!

A crowd gathers at the roadside when I stop to buy bananas

Eventually it was time for a final trip to St Joe’s for the spectacle of the sizzling beef (I may have written about this before, but basically after about 90mins of waiting, you can hear a sizzling sound coming from the kitchen and next thing, a waiter comes racing around a corner bearing the sizzling dish aloft before plonking it down on the table in front of you where it smokes and sizzles and brings tears to the eyes of everyone in the vicinity and the chillis in the dish make everyone start coughing.  Great fun).

It had been lovely to have Mum and Dad visit.  At first it seemed strange to have them here, but then it almost began to seem normal to see them sat out in the porch each morning.  The house is very quiet now they are gone.  They also brought a case load of goodies from home with them, so thank you so much to everyone who contributed to that – I will be writing letters of thanks.  I am now well stocked up on toiletries and over the Easter weekend I put a good dent in the chocolate stash that arrived.  As for things like jelly beans...they lasted about 10mins one night and then they disappeared (must have been that rat...?).

And the good news is, that they enjoyed the trip and would love to come again if they can.  So all those of you who have been waiting to see how the experiment of my visitors went, it is time to start booking!