Checking my inbox one day I was surprised to find an invite from the new British High Commissioner, Ben Llewellyn-Jones and his wife to a reception at his ‘residence’ to celebrate the wedding of Wills and Kate.
We had registered with the Foreign Office that we would be in the country and all British ex-pats had been invited. We duly booked a room at the Okapi Hotel in the capital with a room overlooking the rolling hills of Kigali, the capital.
At first they had given a room at the back but we asked to change –later we realised our BIG MISTAKE – a newly opened disco opposite kept us awake until 5am.
At the hotel we were thrilled to be able to watch the royal wedding on the grainy TV screen, all in French, but we saw the pix.
It was wonderful to lay about on a comfy bed and watch TV in comfort. Also we got to have the first hot shower of our stay and felt properly clean for the first time. And we had free internet in the room, so I was glad I took my netbook, as using internet cards at 50p a pop here soon eats up the credit as the system is sooooooooooooo slow.
We asked for an iron to iron the only ‘best’ clothes we had brought but they said they had to be ironed by the maid. We had to pay £4 to have three items ironed – which is verrrrrrrrrrry expensive here.
We got a taxi to change some money (at a rip off price) and then he came back for us at 5.45pm to take us to the reception.
First he took us to the embassy although we told him it was at the ‘residence’. The guard soon put him right as many others had made the same mistake. At the residence, down a road with swish houses in the Foreign Embassy quarter of town, we had to queue up at a big iron gate to have our names checked off on a list.
Fortunately we met Ian, a guy we had met in Ruhengeri in church who is a British Engineer who is a consultant at a nearby plant that extracts insecticide from the pyrethrum flower, the only such process in Rwanda (later in the week he showed us round and explained the process). At the reception we joined him and another guy Aaron Nicholas who had worked all over Africa but who was now the Director of the Nyungwe National Park Project – a good contact to have as we are hoping to visit both national parks in the country.
At the top of the drive we were officially welcomed by Ben Llewellyn-Jones and his wife, and we told them why we were in Rwanda, to travel, teach and learn. A typically British Pimms cocktail was proffered and gratefully accepted on this warm night. We mingled with Ian and Aaron and soon met two other ex-pat men, one with his Rwandan wife, who had been taking great advantage of the free bar and were well away. They had set up an engineering consultancy and had been in the country since 2004. We told them about our frustration with getting information re press permits from the Rwandan Development Board and they told us the only way was to go and see them face to face, emails did not work here.
We did this two days later, jumping a minibus for the 2 hour ride and just strode in and asked to see the CEO who we just caught going into a meeting. She put us on to another man who said he would phone us the next day with a reply. He did not. After me emailing him he did get back to us, but although they have offered us a half price permit we are still awaiting the date of the gorilla trek, so cannot move further forward in our plans to visit the rest of the country. Very frustrating, but this is Africa.
The engineers at the reception told us that at one time on these occasions there were spirits and mixers, instead of just the wine and beer on offer this night. And the canapés, though delicious, had at one time been much more. As one ex-pat said: “There is a recession on, and we have to remember the British taxpayer is paying for this.”
We enjoyed the evening, which did not end at 8pm as designated. By 9am we felt we should hit the road, and literally nearly did. We went outside to get a taxi, but none was around and some local lads told us to walk to the main road, which was quite a way.
At the main road we waited and waited. Then a gaggle of moto drivers nearby said they would take us for 800 each (80p). We mounted, donned the regulatory helmets and set off. Well, boy, did they go at speed!! I clung on like dear life, and Mike said later that he just shut his eyes and was sh*****g himself.
They were driving about 60-70 mph on the smooth dual carriageways of the capital, weaving in and out of anything in their way. When we got near the hotel another moto driver turned into the path of my driver and I saw in my mind’s eye the accident occurring and me sprawled all over the road. It was like slow motion. There was a crunch and he just carried on, having bent his front bumper. I do not know what happened to the other driver, I was just thankful I was alive.
So from being posh and a guest of the High Commissioner we ended up back at the hotel shaken but not stirred – we are made of firmer stuff and the great British spirit.
I WAS AWAKE FOR MY OPERATION!
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Me and Sir Jimmy Savile
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Rwandan adventure Our sponsored child
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Rwandan Adventure - Lunch Was Alive!
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