One more step....

I little thought when I chose the song 'One more step along the world I go' at my retiring service from All Saints, that two and a half years later I would be taking yet more steps.  This week I opened a bank account in Kigali!  It's a very modern branch and you do everything via ipads as you go in.  Such fun!

Had a great day yesterday; Marilyn came down from Busasamana on Wednesday  so I was able to pick her up and drive into town.  I parked at the top of City Tower, in daylight, so good, and a guard directed me to reverse park!  Had to leave the windows open but that was ok.  Then to Kigali Heights to get our Ugandan shillings, light lunch at Java House followed by icecream from the Italian shop....yum!  Then to Masaka for the afternoon class, the sisters were delighted to see Marilyn again.   Then in the evening to our local Japanese restaurant and an excellent dinner.

I'm not teaching today so a nice relaxed day at home getting ready for the weekend away, also tarting up for the reception with the British High Commissioner this evening for Her Majesty's birthday......looking forward to a g and t or maybe a Pimms!

In the garden at the Residence

The Pimms, followed by  Hampshire sparkling white wine most enjoyable.  Nice eats also, fish and chips, scones and sticky toffee pudding to mention a few items.

23rd.June.
Another week flown by!
Last Saturday I collected Marilyn who had spent a few days in Kigali,  and took the road to get out of Kigali and head north, except it didn't and I ended up at the American Embassy!  So had to retrace steps and take another route....the main road is closed at present. Poor Marilyn had to read the map...I was dreading getting through the district I call 'little Bagdad'  but we actually managed to find our way....only took 1 hour!
So drove to Musanze in Northern Province making good time, and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon.   We asked for a cold beer and they took ages bringing it, but it was very good when it came.  After dinner, which was in a 'dry' establishment, we asked for an alcoholic beverage to be told they didn't sell it as it was a church owned hotel.  We realized then that the staff had gone out and bought bottles in the afterenoon and as we wanted cold had put them in the freezer.   Good service!
I had tried to open the bonnet of my car unsuccessfully to check the water etc and when pushing it shut the grill in front of the engine fell out!  Fortunately, as I drove it rested happily on the cowcatcher in front of Little Sprout. And our friend's mechanic fixed it for me.

Sunday morning up early and went to English service at the cathedral while Marilyn went to the RC cathedral, but we'd both been given the incorrect start times and had to leave halfway through as due to leave for Uganda at 8.30....only to learn Eric the driver going to be half hour late...we were not best pleased!

But it was a nice day and we enjoyed the drive to Lake Bunyonyi in Uganda, getting through immigration very quickly.  

First sight of Lake Bunyonyi

I always say when we cross from Portugal into Spain that everything appears different immediately and it's the same here as you leave Rwanda, houses, animals...lots more cattle in Uganda, and litter.....Rwanda is very very clean, the road from the border was excellent though, so a tick for Uganda there.  It took about 2 hours to get to the car park on the Lake, the last half hour on dirt road.

We parked and caught the motorised canoe to our resort, we had planned to paddle a canoe but that would takeat least 50 minutes and we were hungry and thirsty.  So enjoyed the boatride to Boonyi Amagara eco resort.  It was splendid; Marilyn and I shared a deluxe 'geodome' open on one side, we could lie in bed looking at the lake...it was great.   Eric our driver wasn't relaxed about it he was nervous of animals in the night!  
There were loads of birds around, wish I'd had binos, including several different humming birds.

More crested cranes foraging for grubs

Very thankful we decided not to paddle our own canoe!

One of the geodomes seen from the lake.

The eco shower and loo

The interior of our geodome

View from bed

The food was very good, staff excellent.  Someone in the resort had a very English sense of humour displayed in notices and on the menu.  For example one item was an 'i crepe', the latest offering from  'Apple' .......(apple and cinnamon crepe!)

Sadly we could only manage one night there and returned to Musanze Monday afternoon, then took Marilyn back to Busasamana....the community members gave me a resounding welcome back!  Great to see them again.   Received an email from Marcie who went to Canada last Saturday for a conference , saying our gate guard had been arrested for stealing!!!  So, after driving back from Musanze on Tuesday morning I had to go to the police station to identify our property.  The police asked if I'd like to see him, I said would they arrest me if I hit him....they laughed.  Anyway I left him in custody to reflect on his behaviour, unfortunately he didn't reflect very well as he's saying that the police are lying!!  They released him yesterday and he arrived at our house this morning showing no contrition, so i took him and his  belongings to his mother.  I have to discuss the matter with Marcie as soon as she returns after the weekend.

Today is umuganda so I stayed in the house doing domestic things, am going to try roasting in the new cooker this evening....if it is not a success I shall potter to the Japanese.