Nyungwe with Roger and Ann!

OK.. SO IT WAS RAINING AS WE WERE LEAVING TOWN FOR THE RAIN FOREST!  

GUESS THAT WAS APPROPRIATE!

Light traffic, Big truck…. two unusual sightings!

This is a 20 year old refugee camp on the way between the city of Huye and the Forest.  Several thousand people live here.  It really is its own little city with services and stores. 

A cloudy look over the hills to the camp.

We stopped to show Roger and Ann the sewing place where these ladies make sweaters and hats and other items.
World Vision provides the place, space and equipment
for them and they make cool stuff! 

They were happy to see us again and it was fun
for us to see them, too!

These are their knitting machines!

Next door was a shoe salesman and the shop keeper was trying to
get me to buy shoes.  Well, I didn't need or want shoes but this little boy didn't have any shoes on so we got a pair for him! 
He was so happy!!

On our way we went --behind these guys!

 As we got closer and closer to the Forest we discovered something really wonderful.  They had been working on the
horrific road between Huye and Nyungwe!  

The rain had stopped but the clouds were still hangin' in there. 

1000's and 1000's of hills!

100's of pounds of beef!!  Yes, behind another truck! 

But once we got off the main road we headed towards the Lodge!

Where the Clouds were hangin' even lower over the
tops of the cabins!  We checked in and they took us to our rooms
but just as we arrived this guy was "calling" right next to the cabin. 

 The GREAT BLUE TURACO!  What a sighting..  right at the end of the day.  Almost too dark to take pictures… but this is what came out!  He was about 3 feet long!  What a bird!! 

And this is what the rooms look like on the inside.

And we were next door. 

Dinner was shortly after we arrived and this was the main course..
check out the little tiny Acacia Tree!

The BIG Lodge from our cottage.

Bruce already enjoying the porch before we got there.
My view…. 

His View!

The smell and view of the tea fields can't be described until you see them in person but… 

Breakfast looking out over the tea fields was a bit bright this morning! 

This is the entrance to the lodge.

And this is on our way out of the lodge and down the road as we go to find a nearby area that everyone talks bout but we have never seen. 

It was a beautiful Day… No rain today! 

Always people lining the roads with bundles of things on their heads.  These are bean plants.

Just views from the drive. 

Each turn brought more gorgeous hill sides.

But we were getting closer to Lake Kivu now..
at the southern most tip of the Lake and
here the fishing boats abound!  We are there in the city of…

Cyangugu and it is a beautiful ----

Laundry day for some!  You know, I've gotten to where I too, set my wet laundry on the hedges at home.  These are atop the tea plants or just flat on the ground but it is very efficient!
The sun dries them in no time! 

Here we are looking from the Rwandan side
across the lake to Congo.  

Beauty Abounds!

Cyangugu is a beautiful city in the Western Province. The city lies at the southern end of Lake Kivu and is on the DRC or Congo border.  The Ruzizi River draws the boundary with two bridges and a dam.  Roger and Ann here still in Rwanda but they could have walked across the bridge into Congo.  

Here you can see they are rebuilding the bridges.. but there is a walkway to join the two and a very narrow road. 

Another definition of Sparkling Water!  We stopped to get a drink at this place and Roger and Ann bought some painting for family members from a man selling them here.

On our way back to Nyungwe…looking back.

Even the construction of houses is different than in the
Central Province.  More wood slats here and not
as many concrete blocks.  

After a most relaxing day… we head to the spa to
get even more relaxed.  But not for long because it was soon time
for…

The tea ceremony! 

 Christina walked us through how tea is gleaned from the fields, evalulated and formulated into the most delicious cups of tea.
We were able to taste different grades of tea to really taste the
difference.  Of course the little cakes and cookies were quite nice with the tea, too!

I'm so glad you guys came to Rwanda!  What a treat for us!
I realized that this is the most time my brother and I 
have spent together in our whole lives.  We are 10 years
apart so he was off to college and married life when 
I was still just a little kid.   So, this has been a very 
special time for me personally. 

No, the plastic bottle isn't on fire… but we
did have a very nice candlelight dinner. 

A very romantic, candlelight dinner ahead of the fireplace!
After this a great night's sleep where there is total stillness.
But the next morning…

 This Black and White Casqued Hornbill greeted the day….Said of its call…"A spectacular and musical bugled waaa or waaah developing into a cacophonous din when birds call together."  Can't imagine more than one of them calling…..
He was VERY LOUD!

What a way to start the morning on my walk to breakfast!

This place is just luscious!  The lodge…

the foliage…

and the food!

Staying at Nyungwe is a little heaven on earth. 
This littel breakfast bar…. is just that.  You can also 
have a hot breakfast, too!  

We had our leisurely breakfast and then 
headed back to Kigali…. a 5 hour drive. 

But it is so worth the drive to come here to 
this little paradise among the tea fields! 

Love,
margie