Every trip has chill moments

We know that a few of you look forward to our daily blog and might have been disappointed that there was no posting yesterday. In truth, we actually had planned it as a rest day.

Our hotel was super, the views of Lake Kivu magnificent, and it needed to be enjoyed.

I spent the afternoon listening to the Sampdoria game from Italy, then enjoying an early evening 90-minute divine massage at the spa, while Diane enjoyed reading, and almost finishing, an entire novel.

This beautiful Hummingbird has a golden belly

Best lake fish ever!

Everything in this photo is in the Democratic Rep. of the Congo

Today we were back on the road, traveling in a northerly direction along the eastern shores of the lake. It being a Sunday, the road to Kibuye (our new location) was traveled by many pedestrians, dressed in their Sunday best, heading either to or from the various churches. Local women looked especially great in their colorful, bright garbs. As much as I love taking pictures, however, one just cannot stop the car anywhere, get out and just stick a camera on someone’s face, so much of the interesting daily life we witness will have to remain just simple memories. And that’s ok.

Tea plantations within the woods

More lovely tea landscapes

Yes, even on Sunday

Kivu Lake cove

No one uses wheel barrels, everything is pushed on bicycles

Riverside activity

We saw several monkeys along the way

We reached our new lodge for the day, but of course we were once again misled by Google maps that had us take an access road that was even worse than the ones previously described. This was strictly a motorcycle path, rutted and rocky where the car could not clear. At one point we had to drive over slippery grassy hillsides (it had rained overnight), to avoid rocky crags and we actually required a group of local young men to help push the car through. But, as always, we made it, and here we are at the Rwiza Village, in a most lovely lakeside setting.

Really Google Maps, this is a road??

At the Rwiza Lodge

View from the cabin

We had a delightful lunch In the company of five Italian doctors (two from Genova, my hometown), who are in Rwanda to do beneficial works for children, and we had every intention to take a boat tour in the afternoon that would have taken to three of the lake islands, one a cultural visit to a village, one, called Monkey island, to visit the resident apes, and ultimately the island of swimming cows, where cattle actually swim across a river to find more suitable grazing.

The doctors. Two surgeons (foreground), and three newly graduated pediatricians

The restaurant at the lodge

Did you already guess? We could not do it. After lunch the skies opened up and let down a deluge that lasted several hours.

We are just glad it did not happen while we were trying to drive along one of those tortuous, rutty roads. We can only assume what the conditions would have been if mud was added to the equation.

But we couldn’t be in a better place. Our cabin is a lovely straw hut with a balcony overlooking a beautiful part of Kivu, and it has a balcony. Reading our books on the balcony, while the rain was falling, listening to the sounds of a variety of birds, looking out at the lake, was good for the soul, even if it doesn’t make for exciting blogging.

Our cabin is the first fully visible one on the right

My foot is chillin' with the rest of me

You may not be able to tell, but it is pouring!!

Tomorrow we’ll head to the northern end of Kivu Lake and look forward with anticipation to our visit at Volcanoes National Park. Please stay tuned. Murakoze (thank you).