Rwanda draws to a close ... I'm at the airport now, waiting for my flight via Nairobi back to Europe. Jane is already in Paris, eating fromage and walking the Seine - she arrived early this morning and is taking in the sun before the deluge begins on Monday ... rainy days in Paris? I prefer 'le soleil'.
Today was mellow ... packing up to leave, a delicious breakfast on the terrace in the warm African sun, overlooking the pool and garden ...
I went to the Genocide Memorial in Kigali with Sifa, Thierry, and Sifa's lovely children Odette and Daniel ... as I have mentioned, the scale, savageness, and speed of the genocide is beyond comprehension, particularly as one moves through the exhibits at the memorial. Horror! How do humans seemingly continuously repeat history???
There is a garden overlooking the hills of the city, and just beneath that, on a terrace a level below, are mass graves - 25,000 souls buried there. Families are constantly finding remains of loved ones, even after 13 years, so today there was about 200 people gathered for yet another burial on the site ... many families actually know where their kins' remains are, but are too poor to pay for the ceremony.
After this sombering experience, we went for lunch to Hotel Rwanda (Hotel des Mille Collines) - the hotel appears to be 'normal', yet it is amazing to think of the many people that took refuge in that place during the killings. I have been told that the rooms, although cleaned after the events, have not been renovated - the stained carpets remain where hundreds of people were packed into guest rooms ...
Paradoxically, we sat at the pool and had cold drinks and a very tasty lunch, so how bizarre is that? We laughed, talked about the week, met up with Sifa's brothers, and played 'hangman' with her kids ... really sweet. I went to a local market for an hour before heading back for my ride to the airport. We all bid fond fairwells, ready to continue our journey, both metaphorically and physically.
Thank you for following the blog this past week, and for all of your comments and support - it really made the experience fun and it was my pleasure to share my thoughts with you.
Have a great weekend, I'm off to Paris now!
Harley
Today was mellow ... packing up to leave, a delicious breakfast on the terrace in the warm African sun, overlooking the pool and garden ...
I went to the Genocide Memorial in Kigali with Sifa, Thierry, and Sifa's lovely children Odette and Daniel ... as I have mentioned, the scale, savageness, and speed of the genocide is beyond comprehension, particularly as one moves through the exhibits at the memorial. Horror! How do humans seemingly continuously repeat history???
There is a garden overlooking the hills of the city, and just beneath that, on a terrace a level below, are mass graves - 25,000 souls buried there. Families are constantly finding remains of loved ones, even after 13 years, so today there was about 200 people gathered for yet another burial on the site ... many families actually know where their kins' remains are, but are too poor to pay for the ceremony.
After this sombering experience, we went for lunch to Hotel Rwanda (Hotel des Mille Collines) - the hotel appears to be 'normal', yet it is amazing to think of the many people that took refuge in that place during the killings. I have been told that the rooms, although cleaned after the events, have not been renovated - the stained carpets remain where hundreds of people were packed into guest rooms ...
Paradoxically, we sat at the pool and had cold drinks and a very tasty lunch, so how bizarre is that? We laughed, talked about the week, met up with Sifa's brothers, and played 'hangman' with her kids ... really sweet. I went to a local market for an hour before heading back for my ride to the airport. We all bid fond fairwells, ready to continue our journey, both metaphorically and physically.
Thank you for following the blog this past week, and for all of your comments and support - it really made the experience fun and it was my pleasure to share my thoughts with you.
Have a great weekend, I'm off to Paris now!
Harley
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