Kigali Intenational Airport
Our hosts: Jonathan Nimod (left) and Tim Muzira (right)
We were amazed by our room...just 3 weeks old!
Incredible outdoor fountain at the Kigali Serena Hotel
Our room is on the top floor of this new wing.
Every facility is gated in Kigali.
Views from our hotel room.
Driving to the memorial sites.
A very nice area with homes ranging from one half to one million US dollars!
We saw fields of sugar cane, maize, pineapple, reeds, beans, and bananas.
Driving through a local village market.
Sugar cane field.
Loading sugar cane on a boat. This river joins to the Nile.
Bikes and people line both sides of the main road.
This is a Catholic run village for orphans right across the street from one of the genocide memorial churches.
ADORABLE!!!
Susan printed out a picture of this family on her Polaroid printer and they were THRILLED and ran to show their caretaker!
One of the first sites of mass slaughter at the beginning of the genocide in Spring 1994. Churches were previously considered a sanctuary, but the militia butchered more than 5000 at this church.
Grenade holes are all around the buildings.
The new government assembled all the bones found in the area and organized them here. There is also a mass grave behind the church.
The center skull still has a spear protruding. Notice the damage to the other skulls from machete blows.
All of the clothes recovered are displayed in the church. Many survivors were able to verify that there loved ones were killed here from the clothes.
This says: If you knew me, and you knew yourself, you wouldn't kill me.
The priest's chambers.
Our guide fled the church with her family when she was 10 years old and survived by running all the way to the south of the country. She witnessed many horrors along the way.
The grounds are beautifully maintained by survivors.
One of the mass grave sites behind the church.
Many teenagers are the head of their households because their parents have both died.
This is another church where over 10,000 people were massacred. The sign commemorates the 15th anniversary of the tragedy.
This amazing woman was in another village when her 3 children were murdered here. Just this past May, the killers hit her in the head with a machete when she came back to the village because they feared she would identify them. She spent 2 months in the hospital and showed us her scar on the top of her head.
Blood stains are everywhere, including the ceiling from the grenades and massive slaughter.
This wall is where babies were smashed to kill them.
The fact that faith remains and is stronger than ever is an amazing miracle.
The underground area was added to store the bones and caskets of the victims.
This is an identity card that was used to determine who to kill. If it said Tutsi, you were killed on the spot. If you didn't have one with you, you were also killed on the spot.
Underground tomb.
The name Patrick is written on one of the skulls because relatives recognized the teeth.
This woman was gang raped and then a pole was driven through her entire body. She was found that way and is given special honor for her unimaginable suffering.
This nun was martyred before the genocide actually began because she spoke a warning on public radio.
This all girls boarding school is funded by a group of women from Boston. The orphans are in their home villages for the school break.
Learning English is mandatory. The letters of the alphabet are in tiles on the wall.
This break lasts through Christmas. Similar to our summer break.
These questions were asked and answered by the students themselves. It is good advice for teens all over the world!
Most bikes have seats on the back to carry people or goods.
This is a relatively small load to carry! Everyone uses their heads!
This Opportunity International Bank is only 5 months old.
Gas is over $6.00 per gallon here!
Many bikes are reinforced with steel to carry a heavy load like this. The hills are very steep so they struggle to push the loads uphill.
This hardly does justice to the spectacular views because of an afternoon haze following a ten minute torrential downpour (typical of this time of year). Otherwise, the day was gorgeous and around 75 degrees.
Likely worth around $800,000 US.
This coffee shop/restaurant puts Starbucks to SHAME! It has been franchised in a few US cities.
Fresh beans are roasted right in the shop. We will purchase beans to bring home from here right before we leave.
Getting ready for a serious caffeine buzz!
This is African Coffee. The beans are soaked in dark chocolate and milk, and ginger is added. AMAZING!
No food issues on this day!
Views from the coffee shop patio. This is in a brand new development. The progress Kigali has made in under 10 years is mind blowing.
Notice the skyscraper in the background!
Jeanne runs a shop for widows of the genocide to make their wares. We were really impressed with the merchandise and took some off her hands!
Some women make gorgeous patchwork.
The shop. They also travel to markets and shows to sell their items.
A drum for Danny! I was so thrilled to be able to check this off my list and it is an amazing one made out of goat skin.
Pictures of the widows and other people they help.
A sign in the shop. Grace abounds everywhere.
A poster with poignant words.
A very unique tree of unknown name in the yard of the widows' shop.
Views of the quaint businesses and street by the widows' shop.
This is a cooperative where farmers can store their crops.
The new US Embassy.
This is the actual name of what the movie called Hotel Rwanda.
The hotel has been recently remodeled, so it does not look much like the hotel in the movie.
