Thursday was a relaxing day. I slept in at the Women for Women Eco Lodge. I met the rest of the group at the covered lounge for breakfast. We had a leisurely day. Andricke picked us up at 1. We met Danny’s friend fellow Peace Corp volunteer at the gare (bus stop) in Rwamagana. Hannah was just back from a trip to Kigali and is from Washington DC. She joined us for lunch at a restaurant called Jambo Beach (“Swimming Strictly Prohibited”) on Lake Muhazi. I had poutine which was surprising to me to find in Rwanda. The restaurant had a resident crane whose name was Tonya. After hanging around she went in for a fried banana that was on a plate before being chased away by the staff. Very peculiar tastes for a bird!

Tonya the crane at Jambo Beach

After lunch we drove Hannah back to her village. It was my first, but certainly not the last, time off the paved roads. The going was very slow and the road was rutted in some places. As we got closer to her home she started to point out people she knew. Danny had told us she was pretty much fluent in Kinyarwandan. It seems like she really had a good connection with her village and I am sure the knowing the language so well really helped.

Lake Muhazi at Jambo Beach. Those are bird’s nests on the tree branches.

We drove back to Kayonza gare to get food for a safari lunch on Friday. It was a hectic place with lots of people waiting for buses, shopping or just hanging out. Danny procured Pringles, sausages and bread for us. It was a good day and I really enjoyed the slow pace. However I was looking forward to the adventure at Akagera National Park.

View from the Eco Lodge

Bed at Eco Lodge with mosquito net down