This Just Happened
We’re often asked, “Where are you now?” This page is our answer.
Here you’ll find our most recent travel stories — the unexpected turns, unforgettable meals, and curious rules we’ve discovered along the way. Whether we’re deep in the jungle or lost in a market, we’re documenting it here, one post at a time.
Lake Ruhondo – May 29
45 minutes from the city of Ruhengeri is a dock. There was a boat and a small crew of young men waiting for us. They made quick work of all our gear, loading it up onto the boat and then we all piled on. The boat itself was awesome – the seats along the edges were...
Gorillas! – May 29
Before we say anything about this, take our advice and get your permits for the park in plenty of time!! We goofed and waited too long. Our bus ride yesterday was spent on the phone trying to get this all sorted out. If we hadn’t had Abdoul with us, I’m not sure we...
Driving to Ruhengeri – May 28
We are leaving Kigali today for a few days. We will drive 3-5 hours, depending on traffic, northwest to the city of Musanze, formerly known as Ruhengeri. We have come to learn that road trips in Rwanda are quite slow. There are very few sections of the highway where...
An Eco Park, The Kimironkon Market and a Pub – May 27
Rwanda is undergoing a lot of growth, a concerted effort to improve their life for today and also in the future. While a lot of efforts are focused on basic needs, coming together as one people, and rebuilding after the genocide, some groups are looking at the land....
Babies and the Nyamata Genocide Memorial Center – May 26
This afternoon, we were in for a really cool treat! Our driver and guide from SURF came to pick us up for our hour drive to Nyamata. Here we were going to witness the miracle of life. Back in 2009, INSPIRE!africa and SURF teamed up to build a medical clinic to serve...
The Murambi Genocide Memorial Center – May 25
We know that today is going to be an emotionally heavy day and we use the hour long bus ride to prepare ourselves for it. Our destination is the Murambi Genocide Memorial Center. This place was originally being built as a technical school, it has many classrooms,...
It led to Karaoke – May 24
The day starts off with breakfast at Solace before loading ourselves back onto the bus. We are lucky that the bus is quite comfortable and spacious because we do spend quite a bit of time in it. The drives are long and slow going, especially when we get stuck behind...
Changing Lives with a New House, Lights and Stoves – May 23
Today was another very special day for us. As a regular tourist, you don’t often get the chance to meet locals in their personal environment. Sure, you meet them in restaurants, in the markets, and generally out in public. How often do you get to go inside their...
Teaching English – May 23
We are not teachers. Let me get that clear, right from the get-go. However, part of the programming with INSPIRE!africa was to teach English to some of the staff at Solace and any other adults who were interested in learning. We got some basic guidelines, approaches...