sad but beautiful

we spent some time travelling around east africa last week. we visited rwanda and some very beautiful places in uganda which included jinja and murchison falls. in rwanda we stopped in kigali to visit the genocide memorial and then accidentally drove 1.5 hours beyond the turnoff to our next destination which was lake kivu in kibuye. the genocide memorial was an educational but emotional experience. i was particularly struck by the stories of children who were murdered during the genocide. there was an entire section of the memorial site dedicated to sharing their names, ages, photographs and causes of death. this was by far the most emotionally challenging area for me to read through. photographs of families and individuals whose lives were taken during the genocide were also on display. as well as some tools and weapons used to take lives during the years of the genocide. it is hard to believe the number of lives lost and the hatred that brought people to commit such inhuman crimes. kigali is such a beautiful city and rwanda such a beautiful country... it makes me feel sick to my stomach when i imagine the horror that spread throughout this nation during the years of the genocide.

when we woke up at lake kivu the following day, i was struck by rwanda's natural beauty. i'm so glad we took one day to really enjoy rwanda since the memorial site the day before had left sadness in my heart. lake kivu is located amid rolling hills and green, lush mountains. the lake borders rwanda in the east and the democratic republic of congo in the west and stretches so far across that you almost can't see the other side. we took a boat trip to an island where we enjoyed the 3 s's: sunbathing, swimming and sodas. it was a relaxing day that ended with a magnificent sunset at our hotel located on the river's edge.

overall, rwanda = worth the extra driving

- rachel-