A few people have asked how we’re really doing. Rest assured that we’re doing our best to tell the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, in our blogs. Of course we tend to emphasize the more interesting or adventurous bits, but we’re trying to give you a complete picture. Continue Reading
trHotel Burundi
Do you know the line from the Eagles’ song “Hotel California”, which says, “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave”? Well, that’s what our last week has been like. Our objective is to get to Zambia, but we’re still working on it. We decided Continue Reading
Observations about Burundi
Burundi has experienced a similar history to Rwanda. They were both German then Belgian colonies, and both have experienced civil wars and ethnic violence along Hutu-Tutsi lines. The violence in Burundi continued until very recently, with the last rebel group laying down its arms in 2008. Burundi is the most Continue Reading
Observations about Rwanda
Rwanda is known at the ‘Land of 1000 Hills’. It is a lush green country, with many mountains, almost all of which are cultivated by hand in a beautiful patchwork. It is expensive. Prices in the capital, Kigale, are about the same as Vancouver. Imported goods are a lot more Continue Reading
Genocide – by Patrick, April 7th
Today is my birthday. It is also the 15th anniversary of the first day of the genocide that took place in Rwanda in 1994. On this day, one group of Rwandans began killing another group, and within three months over one million people had been murdered. We went to the Continue Reading
Helping the Batwa
On our first morning in Kabale, in the mountains of southern Uganda, we met a young blond woman named Yana. We were in a bakery, and she offered to assist us. We got to talking, and she told us that she is a volunteer who has been in Uganda for Continue Reading
The Bus Trip
Today we rode the bus in Uganda. It wasn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last. We caught a shared minivan, known as a ‘matatu’, from our hotel on the outskirts of Kampala, the capital of Uganda, to the area of town where the buses park. There are Continue Reading
Observations about Uganda
It is lush and green, even now at the end of the dry season. It is one of the safest countries in Africa. It is known as “The Pearl of Africa”. The staple dish is ‘matoke’, a mash of cooked plantains. It tastes like very gluey potatoes, but lumpier and Continue Reading
Roughing It In Africa
Our first two weeks in Kenya have been tough. Food is scarce, and we spend much of our time scavenging. Local food is barely palatable, and Western food is rare, even in the cities. Accomodations are basic, cramped, and noisy. We are keenly aware of the need to protect our Continue Reading