Of kings and drones

Today we left Kigali, heading southwest, toward the city of Nyanza, the previous capital of the country.

Hazy view of Kigali this morning

The distance is not that far, but the restrictive speed limits of the country, coupled with considerably heavy traffic in some parts, made this drive much longer than one would imagine, just looking at a map.

Halfway along the road, we made a short detour to visit a place that had caught my interest when I first saw it on YouTube. 

In Rwanda, a relatively small but densely populated territory, there are many small villages where the local medical facilities do not have access to many medical supplies, especially those required for emergency services, such as following a severe accident. Blood supplies are also scarce, because rural hospitals do not have the facilities to house them properly.

The drone has been found to be the country’s salvation. A very modern facility can house all the blood, medicines, and whatever else is needed that is not available. An order is put in, and the supplies are shipped out in order of priority (blood and other vital items are often shipped out within 3 to 5 minutes of the order being received). It’s a very efficient system, which sets this country well above most of the other nations in the continent.

This is but one of dozens of storage units for perishable items

Our local guide explains the drone coverage (basically the entire country) on a map

In a monitoring office

We had to get special permission to visit the place, as we had not been cleared before, but once in, we got the royal tour and saw all the facilities, from storage to monitoring the drones in air; from receiving an order to sending it out; from the sending to the drone return and retrieval. I won’t bore you with the specifics, but it made for an interesting couple of hours. The actual launch and retrieval process can be seen on my fb feed.

Battery re-charge and drone maintenance area

Our guide showing the box where supplies are packaged. The container is released by the drone at the destination and lands utilizing this parachute.

Lunch was a long stretched-out affair as it always seems to be. Rwandans are not in a hurry, and even if you order the simplest item on the menu, you might as well relax with a book, because it won’t land on your table for a long, long time. I suppose that’s just as well.

5,000 Rwandan Francs note. Below, the 2,000 Francs note

The beautiful Rwandan flag

Once in Nyanza, we made yet another interesting stop. For centuries this had been the country’s capital, and its king had made this his base. The king’s palace (think a very fancy hut, not a palatial mansion) is located here, although there are several satellite sites as well (where he kept his other wives).

The King's palace

Behind the main (larger) hut are these similar, but smaller residences, in order of importance. The most important is that of the milk-keeper (this one).

And second in order of importance is this residence, belonging to the beer brewer.

Visiting this royal residence was indeed interesting, made more so by a very knowledgeable guide, from whom we learned a lot of historical facts which I will not bore you with, but which eventually led to the end of the kingdom, a fact that began the long-brewing tension that led to the genocide of the Tutsis by the Hutus.

This unique, and wonderful, breed of cattle was the King's own. They were never milked or used for food, but were important elements of pride and stature.

She loves being scratched under the chin

And here's the bull!

His hump is taller than I am

Cow dung is being burned to keep the mosquitos away

An important note. The progress that Rwanda made since such a brutal event is nothing short of amazing. It is (by far) the cleanest country on the continent, rules are respected and enforced (such as speed limits), crime is very low, and the nation is opening to foreign investments by providing a responsible location.

Of course it is still considerably poor, but it is apparent that everyone is working toward a common goal of bettering their lot. Diane and I have traveled Africa extensively; nowhere else in the sub-Sahara are things as organized and chill as they are here.

So many colorfully dressed women can be seen carrying many items on their head as they walk along the road. Taking photos as you are driving though, is not an easy thing to do.

While we had stopped to take a picture of a nearby lake, this guy with two chickens on his bike flashed us a big grin and was most happy to have his photo taken.

Rwanda's taxis are primarily motor-bikes. Here is a taxi stand in Nyanza

A pretty landscape is the view from our hotel. Rwanda is called the country of a thousand hills.

We had a good dinner at the Kinzi restaurant in town. Now, with tummies full and this blog executed, I will bid you good night until tomorrow. Thanks for visiting.