Weekend getaways are always nice and long 4-day weekends are even better. At the beginning of March, we upped our ante and decided to stay at a lodge on the verdant shores of Lake Kivu. This was a comfortable...no luxurious!...stay at a hotel about 2 hours east of our digs in Kigali.
At the end of March, we decided to go back to Uganda and stay at a lodge on Lake Bunyonyi not far from the Rwanda-Uganda border. Talk about birds! A week or so later, we flew to the Seychelles for two weeks. This coincided with Rwanda's Genocide Memorial Week and the Easter holidays. Most businesses, schools and other activities slow down or stop completely during this time of remembrance and reconciliation and, since classes had paused, this was a chance to visit a tropical island paradise that has been on our travel radar since our days in Saudi Arabia.
We take full advantage of these travel opportunities because we love being close to large bodies of water - oceans preferred - finding them therapeutically good for the psyche. Heck, they're just plain neat to be around!
Lake Kivu, Rwanda
Since this was our third trip to Lake Kivu (and second trip to Kibuye, the town on the lake closest to us), we were looking for a luxurious lodge with spectacular views of the lake to plant our tushes and just chill. The Cormoran Lodge has five cabins and a restaurant made entirely of wood. Initially, our GPS did not locate the place as it is on a hill on a somewhat rocky dirt road. Once found, we had no intention of leaving it over our three-night stay. This was definitely a place "to be" and not one "to do." There was even a mini-fridge in our cabin, which was a first for us in Rwanda and also games for guests, like Scrabble, which we played one night in the restaurant lounge area.
We returned to bustling Kigali with tranquil minds and refreshed bodies. Sure beat a spa treatment!
Lake Buyonyi, Uganda ("Place of Many Little Birds")
According to travel writer Helen Suk, "Lake Buyonyi ought to be considered one of the natural wonders of the world." It is Africa's second deepest lake and the third deepest lake in the world. We picked the Buyonyi Overland Resort to experience the sights and sounds of this magical area noted for its green terraced hills, its misty mornings, its 29 islands of various shapes and sizes, crayfish dishes, and of course, the many sounds of the 200 species of small birds. For those not into birding (like us), there are other activities to engage in such as boat tours, canoeing, swimming, hiking, nature walks around the lake, and cultural visits to a Batwa (pygmy) village.
In addition to doing a lot of relaxing, we decided to do a half-day boat tour which included a short ride over to an island community called Kyabahinga, where we hiked up a hill through the community, stopped briefly, and then continued downward to reach our motorized boat and visit other islands. We stopped to share a large mug of a non-alcoholic sorghum drink and talk to a group of villagers and George, the head of the community of 40 whose job was described as "keeping the law and order"?!? We toured the Kyabahinga Orphanage and learned that a 2000 - 2001 outbreak of the Ebola virus killed many of the villagers and left many orphans in its wake. The orphanage project included teaching handicrafts to the children to raise funds to sponsor students to attend secondary school.
We continued our hike uphill until we reached 'the island in the sky', the highest ground in this very hilly terrain. From here, we enjoyed the panoramic view of the surrounding islands. We were now at the Island in the Sky. Our guide,
Sandy, informed us of this (and his interview with Mark as we viewed the lake from up on high is priceless. An excerpt is included in the video below. Don't miss it!) We then hiked to the other side of the 'island' and continued the boat tour. The first island we approached was Punishment Island, where unmarried pregnant girls were tied to the lone tree on the island to die of hunger. This practice was abandoned in the first half of the 20th century. We also saw and learned about Sharp's Island, an island established by the Scottish missionary, Leonard Sharp, who started a leprosy treatment center and colony on the island. A third island pass-by was Zebra Island to view zebras and impalas grazing by the lakeside. Sandy amused us with an origin tale about Upside Down Island, the final island we visited. The story goes that an old woman was passing by the island when she saw some men brewing sorghum beer. When she asked them for some, they refused her thinking she was a beggar. They did offer her a ride to the mainland but when they reached the shore, she got her revenge and turned the island upside down. Legend has it that all died on the island. However, one chicken escaped and survived (to tell the tale?!). Hmmmmm...gotta love these tales!
Our experience at the Ugandan border on our way home was both pleasant and slightly terrifying. We spent at least 15 minutes talking to a vivacious and loquacious Ugandan immigration officer from Jinja, Uganda who was shocked that we hadn't visited her wondrous town often referred to as the "adventure capital of East Africa" where one can go white water rafting, bungee jumping, horseback riding, and according to the woman, visit the source of the Nile. We assured her that Jinja would be a stop on our next Ugandan visit. We then attempted to leave Uganda without a custom's form having failed to pick one up on our entrance three days earlier. All turned out fine, however, after being admonished and warned of our error by the agent.
Mahe, Seychelles
Mahe, not Mahi. Question for you readers: Where in the heck are the Seychelles? As we said earlier, this was a place that was on our bucket list since our days in Saudi Arabia. For those of you who cannot pinpoint the location, Mahe is the largest island in the Seychelles archipelago in the Indian Ocean off East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania). The capital city is Victoria where 86% of the nation's population lives. We stayed at a lovely, intimate 10-bedroom hotel called Treasure Cove, located in a small town called Bel Ombre (Beautiful Shade) about 5 miles from Victoria's center. If you plan on a trip to the Seychelles, Marie France, "the hostess with the mostest" will make sure your stay is perfect. She will lend you snorkling gear, let you borrow her beach chairs, let you check out at 3:30 p.m., arrange transportation and tours for you, make sure that there are fresh bottles of water every day in your room, make recommendations for places to visit and spend time every day asking you about your day and be genuinely interested in you. If you want a balcony view of sunsets over the Indian Ocean, an occasional dolphin swimming by, an infinity pool, an Expresso maker in your room, phenomenal meals prepared by gourmet chef Allen, Treasure Cove is your place to stay.
We spent most of our time on Mahe touring in our compact rental car. We crossed the granite peaks through the Morne Seychellois rainforest and found breathtaking coves and beaches on the western side of the island. From our hotel, we took a hike to Anse Major, a secluded beach which is only accessible by boat and by a nature trail along a steep granite slope bordering the Morne Seychellois National Park. We swam and snorkeled in the crystal clear blue-green waters of Baie Terney Marine National Park located on the northwestern side of the island. One of our favorite beaches was two miles away in a town called Beau Vallon. It is the most popular beach for both locals and tourists with its many water activities and the beach promenade where one can stroll past food vendors selling fresh fruit, grilled fish, sausages, Creole rice, rum drinks, and more. One can also purchase locally made crafts.
Other activities besides relaxing on the beach included seeing the sites of Victoria: the open air market, the Natural History Museum, and a visit to Mont Fleuri Botanical Gardens, which is a 10-minute walk from the center of town. The entrance to the 5-acre garden is lined with coco de mer palms. There is also a spice grove, a pen of giant tortoises where visitors can enter to feed them, and a rain forest that comes with its own fruit bats.
At the invitation of Marie France, we also attended a final men's basketball tournament in Victoria. The Treasure Cove sponsors a team called the Marlins. They were definitely the underdogs in this game where the taller team even brought their own band of drummers and supporters. We joined some of the Treasure Cove staff and friends and made a lot of noise and the Marlins pulled off a win and brought home the trophy which was proudly displayed on the bar of the Treasure Cove.
Just south of Victoria is Eden Island, a luxury development that has a deep water marina with private moorings for each resident, secluded beaches, restaurants at the marina, bars, a brewery, a gymnasium, and a two-story shopping area including a large supermarket. It is definitely a place for the rich and famous.
Observations on our stay in Mahe:
Driving on the left with the steering wheel on the right on narrow winding roads with deep rain ditches on both sides is not for the feint of heart, particularly those who don't like barreling buses rounding switchback bends at speeds that defy sane driving.
Nighttime driving can be more terrifying because one has to deal with cars, trucks, and buses whizzing round corners blinding oncoming traffic with their bright lights.
Locals don't seem to frequent restaurants in town as the restaurants are associated with resorts and cater to the tourists who are willing to spend $25-$30 for an entree.
Rush hour traffic and congestion on the city roads don't seem to annoy the islanders.
Organized beaches where people can rent chairs and umbrellas are not to be found. However, there is plenty of shade under trees on any beach on the island.
Around every corner of this island one can find a shaded cove, a sandy beach, and a beautiful bay for swimming or snorkling.
The tropical weather results in fifty shades of green on the island, clear skies in the humid mornings, mists hanging over the granite peaks or neighboring islands, clouds in the afternoon followed by winds and a short rain shower in the late afternoon.
Silhouette Island
From our balcony at the Treasure Cove, we could see Silhouette Island in the distance, the third largest island located 20 kilometers northwest of Mahe. It is about 5 kilometers wide and 5 kilometers long. Silhouette has a population of about 200 people, the majority of whom are employees of the Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort, the only hotel...and business!...on the island. The island's surrounding waters were declared a National Marine Park in 1987. It also has many endemic and threatened plant and animal species making it one of the richest biodiversity hot-spots in the western Indian Ocean.
The Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort runs a ferry every day for guests and for tourists who want to go over for the day. We purchased the day package which included the 40-minute boat ride, access to the beach and pool, and a 2-course lunch at the pool bar. We walked through the local community, which is about ten minutes before one gets to the resort, and then through the hotel's spacious grounds, chilled on the beach, jumped in the pool, had a fabulous fish lunch, and then caught the 4:30 p.m. ferry back to Mahe.
Praslin Island
Praslin Island is Seychelle's second largest island and an hour ferry ride from the port in Victoria. It has about 6,500 residents. Initially, Praslin was named Île de Palme because of its magnificent palm forests. The famous indigenous coco de mer tree is located in the Vallée de Mai National Park and is a big reason why most tourists visit this island and why we decided to take a day trip to visit the park. Vallée de Mai is one of only two places in the world where the rare coco de mer palm grows in its natural state.The coco de mer tree has the largest seeds (double nut seed) in the world.
Sheila with male flower and Mark with female flower of the Coco de Mer - hmmmmmm!
We got off the ferry around 8:30 a.m. and caught a local bus to the park. The walking trails are well marked, the longest of which is about 2 kilometers. We spent about an hour and a half doing a circular route stopping to take pictures of the magnificent rain forest and its inhabitants. Although we heard a lot of birds chirping, we were not able to spot the rare Seychelles black parrot.
We had to leave the park and rush back to the pier to catch the 11:45 a.m. ferry to La Digue Island. Curiously, there is no direct ferry from Mahe to LaDigue. There are two separate companies that run the ferries: one that does the Mahe to Praslin and return route and another company that operates the one from Praslin to La Digue and back. A one-day trip to two islands was not ideal but we had no choice. The bus back to the port was jam-packed with tourists and a lot of locals. Mark was pleased that a middle-aged gentleman offered Sheila a seat (which was gladly accepted). However, Mark was a tad surprised when another person got up and offered him a seat. Reality check! We might perceive ourselves as the new 50, but others see us as senior citizens who get priority seating on the bus. Yikes!
La Digue
La Digue is a unique island that is about a 15-minute ferry ride from Praslin. It is five kilometers long and three kilometers wide. What makes it unique is the fact that there are no motorized vehicles on the island except for a few taxis and commercial vehicles. The primary means of transportation is the bicycle.
As soon as we stepped off the ferry, a bike-rental person led us to a rack of bikes assuring us that he would give us his "best bikes." "The bikes I will give you are brand new and everything works. The brakes are very good. These bikes are GREAT," he claimed (translation: Senior citizens get good bikes because they are old). Two bright, shiny yellow bikes appeared with some minimal instructions for operating. One had a basket (for our backpack) and was meant for "the old lady." The one without the basket was adjusted for "the old man." Hmmmmmm....old woman rides with a backpack and old man rides with no added weight. Is something wrong with this picture? You bet! We made the switch and headed through town along the coast on a mostly paved road for about four kilometers and stopped for a quick lunch and a bottle of cold water. Then we continued for another kilometer till the road ended. On the way back, we parked our bikes on the side of the road (along with about 40 other bikes), took a dip in a popular spot called Anse Banane, relaxed a bit on the rocks and headed back to town with a brief stop at Takamaka Cafe for a cold Seybrew, the local beer. We returned the bikes and advised the guy that the front tire of the bike with the basket was in desperate need of some air because it was almost flat. Ironman Mark had to work a little harder going up the rises.
We took the ferry back to Praslin at 4:30 p.m. and the Praslin-Mahe ferry at 5:30 arriving at Victoria port shortly after dark. Getting out of the parking lot was a free-for-all and the drive back to Treasure Cove was 'memorable!'...very cautiously traveling over the mountain with buses, trucks, and cars rounding the switchbacks fast and furiously. Se la vie, the Creole version of...well, you know...Ha!
The following video is 14-minutes long and includes photos and clips of our stays at Lake Kivu, Rwanda, Lake Bunyoni, Uganda, and the Seychelles. The music track is a popular song by the Seychellois musician, Jean Marc Volcy. The song is Voulez Vous Danser, Mademoiselle and it is performed in Creole. This was a difficult video to produce as we originally had over an hour's worth of good footage that had to be filtered down to less than 15 minutes, our self-imposed maximum time length for any of our videos. While in Uganda and on our tour of Lake Bunyonyi with our guide, Sandy, Mark interviewed him many times. One of these is captured about three minutes into this video. Don't miss it as we all had a great time. You should, too. We hope you enjoy it.
Suggested Reads
Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat is this Haitian writer's only short story collection. The stories examine the lives of ordinary Haitian women struggling to survive under the brutal Duvalier regime. These women find meaning and solidarity through storytelling. Here is an excerpt from the last story entitled "Epilogue: Women Like Us."
"Are there women who both cook and write? Kitchen poets, they call them. They slip phrases into their stew and wrap meaning around their pork before frying it. They make narrative dumplings and stuff their daughter's mouths so they say nothing more."
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