Lake Kivu

Laura and I set off for Lake Kivu on last Saturday AM. Luckily for us, the public transport is very close, about a 5 min walk from our house. There are a myriad of companies that offer trips from Butare to other cities. I found the buses to be rather organized, and left according to a strict schedule. This is different that my previous experience in Africa, when the bus left when there were enough people on it.

Most of the buses are “White Bullets,” 20 passenger vans that are shaped like a bullet, and painted white. They are Japanese made, and drive fairly well, and provide a comfortable ride.

We got a one way trip for 2 for about $8 total. Not bad, I know. We stopped off in the 2nd biggest town in Rwanda, Muhanga, and then hopped on a different bus for Karongi (old name Kibuye) on the shores of Lake Kivu. Lake Kivu is a volcanic lake that sits on the western border of Rwanda, and shares coastline with Congo on the other side of the lake. It is a pristine location! Here is a picture from the dining room from our hotel:

Luckily, there was a cheap room (~ $8 US for 2 beds) available. Laura and I prefer the cheaper options when it comes to hotels, for the most part. I will say that occasionally it is important to splurge on occasion, especially when living overseas.

It was a rather relaxing time away from life in the city. A lot of reading, chilling, and catching up with family back home. The food at the hotel was good, and plus there were not a lot of eating options in town, according to the Bradt Guide (Best guide about Rwanda, period.)

Our hotel arranged for a boat ride to Amohoro Island (remember the name for peace?) in the middle of the lake on the Rwandan side.

So swimming in any lake in the world is not without risk, even in the US. The freshwater lakes in Africa offer a different spin on safe swimming: infectious disease. There is a well known disease called Schistosomiasis that lives in Fresh water lakes and streams around the world, especially in Africa. It lives in small snails in the water. Larva emerge from the snails, latch on to your skin, and enters the blood. and causes problems months to years later. The species that is most endemic (i.e. native to) Sub-saharan Africa is called S. haematobium. The latin scholars among you will notice the haem- prefix, which means blood. It will cause our urine to turn red from bleeding, and will lead to bladder cancer. Now, depending on who you speak to, this may or may not be a problem in Lake Kivu. According to our guides, this was not a problem (a common saying about anything in this amazing continent.)

So, I took the plunge, and cooled off in the waters, even raced our boat driver in a freestyle/butterfly race. Well, after a tasty dinner and some further research, Schisto does exist in Lake Kivu in some areas. Luckily, Schisto is easily treated if caught at the right time, and there is a relatively cheap antiparasite medication that will cure you. In fact, my research shows that some de-worming campaigns have focused on this condition in other parts of Africa, including the shores of Lake Kivu.

Monday was spent reading some more, and getting some beach time in. Here is their version of a beach on Lake Kivu:

We then went on a sunset cruise with the same boat driver as yesterday. Folks, my favorite time of day is sunset. It provides a time to reflect on the day, lessons learned, and for improvements. Whenever I travel, I love to watch the sunset. It truly was a perfect sunset, and it served as a good way to end our trip:

We got up early the next day, (5 AM) and started our return to Butare. We had to stop off in Kigali to pick up Adolf, Laura’s good friend from Uganda. This is his first trip ever out of Uganda. He took an overnight bus from the capital, Kampala, and traveled about 12 hours until he arrived in Kigali around 4 AM. We left Kibuye around 530 on the first bus out, and met up in the Bus/Taxi park on the Northwestern part of Kigali. For the uninitiated, African Taxi Parks are a sea of humanity, and can be a complex thing to navigate. Luckily, we found him, and went on our way to purchase some goods at the local supermarket that are note available in Butare.

She has known him since he was a teenager in her former village, and accompanies her to the Orphanage whenever she is there. He will be living with us for the next month to help Laura on a month long educational session planned for the adolescents at Miryante, teaching them life skills for when the time comes for them to leave the Orphans home, and strike out on there own.

It is truly a good thing to see Laura excited about her upcoming month with Adolf, and her month long sojourn back to Miryante in October to spend time at a very special place for her. It has been difficult for her, as she has not had luck finding a nursing job here in Rwanda.

So, enough for now. More soon on life here in Butare, and orientation at the hospital.

Cheers,

cjc