Thurs 9th. I discovered that if I left the shower running for long enough, the water started to warm a little. Something to do with reaching the point in the tank where the water has been warmed longest by the sun. Had breakfast; said goodbye to Janet, reception and walked less than 10 minutes to the bus stand.
Some confusion due to someone messing around re tickets, but paid my 2,500Rwf to Kibuye. It was about 15 mins before we left at about 09:30.
It was a 3 hour journey. Beautiful scenery. Some steep climbs. Early on I thought we were seeing both Gisenyi and Goma in the distance, but was told that Gisenyi only a fraction, but Goma is absolutely huge. As we climbed we got into tea country..huge plantations. Then as we descended we were into mainly bananas… Just one slightly worrying moment when the vehicle went slightly off the road before the driver retrieved the situation and we bounced back onto the main road…we all thought he had dozed off momentarily. That was a first for me.
We arrived at the Karagoni bus stand. Before we left Gisenyi I checked with a fellow passenger, the conductor and the driver that the bus was going to Kibuye. So, imagine my slight confusion when we reached Karagoni and everyone got off and the driver switched the engine off and I was told we had reached our destination. But..but..what about Kibuye ?? Only to be told that Karagoni and Kibuye were one and the same. Aaah..obviously. I hadn’t appreciated that fact..!!!
I walked into Kibuye proper. I saw a nice looking coffee shop and lingered over an African tea. Then time to find some accommodation. I was directed in a particular direction and decided to walk the 1 km plus distance. I arrived at Kivu Breeze; I didn’t like the 30,000 room that I was offered and wasn’t prepared to pay 50,000Rwf or £35. I walked off with a grumpy old man huff..!! On my way out I passed a gentleman who asked if everything was okay. I said..No !! It turned out he was the manager and he gave me a really nice room for 30,000…£20. I was happy with that. Checked in. Put my shorts on and walked back into town…about 20 minutes.
Having wandered around for a while it was time to find somewhere for a sit down. It wasn’t an obvious hotel, but in the end I walked into New Umunyinya House, by the roundabout in the middle of town. I met the owner who was in the middle of a team talk. I drank 2 Mutzigs; the second one was to wash down a dinner of delicious chapati and beans. Unusual beans…as though fried…so no sauce, but dry. But very tasty. I asked about rooms and was shown one. I said I would be back in 2 days.
I had to test out one other bar in town then walked back to the hotel. You can never be walking in the dark in Rwanda because all roads have bright street lights. Is that to ensure the safety of its citizens at night ??
Fri 10th. Huge breakfast. A plate of fruit, avocado slices, omelette, 4 pancakes and tea. I explored the surrounding area…taking note of the hotels and the incredible views of the lake and the hills leading down to the lake. The paths/roads were quite steep at times, requiring a certain level of fitness. I saw the bay where the boat trips go from; not sure that I’ll be doing that. Yes, the hills are beautiful and it would be nice to view them from out on the lake, but haven’t got into the cost of it yet. I went down the slope from my room to have a swim in the lake. I managed to lie in the water up to my neck but it was all very uncomfortable…slippery, jagged rocks…not fun at all. I lay in the sun for half an hour before it clouded over.
Room, shower, jeans….and back into town. Had a Tea…always nice. I went behind the main road because I noticed more accommodation options. 2 were awful. The Romantic was really nice with nice views but I didn’t like the 20,000 room and the receptionist wouldn’t offer me a 25,000 room for 20,000Rwf. I drew out 150,000Rwf…£100. I visited a mini supermarket, bought water, and went to the 1st floor bar on the high street. I considered a light snack for dinner but the breakfast was so filling that I didn’t actually need any food. Walked back to the hotel as it was getting dark and went straight to my room. I had good WiFi to keep me occupied.
Sat 11th. Huge breakfast, again the same. Had to leave one pancake. 09:00…said goodbye and walked into town. Went straight to New Umunyinya house. Chatted with the owner who was having breakfast. Given a room which turned out to have some sort of problem. Transferred to a nicer room but still paying 20,000 instead of the higher rate of 25,000. Happy with that !!
Went on a walkabout. First to the Genocide Memorial; the inside was locked unfortunately. Then walked on to the beach and had a pot of coffee at the café. The coffee came with a snack of mini pancakes…ok, I’m officially sick of pancakes now..!!! If the sun comes out tomorrow I might go back for a swim.
Wandered back slowly as my right ankle was a bit sore. Went up the main street looking at shops a bit more closely. I went as far as the bus stand as preparation for Monday; there’s a bus every hour to Kigali. Came back to the hotel to check whether they had paid the subscription to enable English Premier league to be shown. They had done so, which was nice of them. So, from 2:30 until the evening I watched football and chatted to people. Had a quick break to go and buy 2 samosas as my dinner snack. Otherwise, I was still full from breakfast. I sampled a Craft beer called Virunga which was very nice. 6.5 % , 65cl bottle for 1,800..or £1.20.
By early evening I went into the dining area when I discovered there was WiFi at the hotel. Was told it only worked in the dining area so I sat there with my bottle of Virunga. When I went to my room I found that the WiFi worked in there as well..bonus. My bed was very comfortable and I had a good nights sleep.
Sun 12th. I skipped asking for some hot water to wash with and just endured the cold. I thought the breakfast would be a bit bigger but I was back to what I’m used to….2 slices bread and an omelette and tea. At least I was able to spread a bit of butter and peanut butter on the bread…so not so dry.
My challenge for the day was to get to the furthest hotels. Benita said…wow that’s a long way.. I knew that it wasn’t that far…about 40 minutes. Before I reached Moriah Hill Resort I hooked up with Eric who was doing research for his tour business. We went in together and while he was making useful contacts I was enjoying the view and taking photos. Working our way back we stopped at Bethanys Hotel. It had slightly better views and I was snapping away while Eric was promoting his business. I always check prices. Moriah Hill being a resort, its single room was $100. The surprise was Bethanys where the single was 35,000Rwf. Compared to Breeze where I was paying 30,000, Bethanys had a nice little beach and better views of the islands. But it was twice the distance from Kibuye town.
Anyway I walked back with Eric. I paid for my room; showered; went to Kivu Coffee for an African tea. Decided to give the samosa another try, but disappointing as ever. Definitely the last one..!!
Went over to the hotel bar for the 4:00 football. Glad I was 15 mins early because there was no electricity and staff had to put some money in the meter..!! The staff went about it very quickly and the power came back on in time for the start of the football. That’s it really…was there the whole evening enjoying a Virunga craft beer and a couple of Primus. I enjoyed beans n chapatas meal as well. The chapati are more of a cross between a chapati and a nan….in my view.
Anyway, really enjoyed my time here. A small area…town surrounded by hills and the water of lake Kivu. Lots of islands and peninsulars. Being small there are a limited number of restaurants/bars to go to, so you start to get recognised very quickly. Not much traffic; slow pace of life; I really liked it in Kibuye. Time to move on. Tomorrow Kigali.