Holy Kibuye, Batman!

Greetings frequent visitor and newbies, thank you for reading my blog. It has been a blessing to share this experience with so many people. I just continue to hope that you enjoy reading.

This entry should not bore, though, as it is about my captivating weekend to Kibuye, a village in western Rwanda on beautiful Lake Kivu. After an exciting week of work, almost everyone (all the interns, Abi and Nathan) decided it was time for a mini-vacation. With the help of Karen's boss, Pastor Anastase Rugirangoga, we rented a taxi-van and started our journey Friday afternoon, picking up the other interns in Guitarama. Driving through increasingly mountainous terrain, we sped along quickly, because our driver had to return to Kigali that night. As invisible forces slid us back and forth with every curve, a few of the interns got carsick. However, Caleb and I "down-hilled skied" in the back, standing up with our rears against the seat, attempting to resist each curve by leaning into them. It was wonderfully fun, but my thighs were sore afterward.

We eventually arrived at our hotel, plenty excited to exit the vehicle. Overlooking a small lagoon, and beyond that, the fresh water of Lake Kivu, it was a marvelously beautiful place. It was obvious that the hotel had completed many unexpected additions. To get from a room on the third level to a restaurant on the second, one had to climb up to the forth, go outside, go down a stairwell to the ground and then back up and go back inside; it would have been easier to jump. The rooms were well furnished and comfortable though, and after some exploring, dinner and a miserably boring card game (Phase-10), we decided to rest.


After breakfast the next morning, we decided to swim, much to my delight. I have gone from lifeguarding last summer to not even being able to drink the tap water and admittedly was having withdraws. We went swimming on the end of a small peninsula close to the hotel, convenient photographed and placed above this paragraph. Not only was the view fantastic, but being engulfed by water was very freeing, especially having been away from the water. When the swimming was over, we walked to another hotel for lunch, also conveniently located in the photograph, on the mainland off the tip of the peninsula. I was served rabbit and devoured it mercilessly. Hey, that's what he gets for picking up the field mice and boppin' 'em on the head. Once the meal was completed, we all loaded into a motorized wooden boat and began our adventure to Napoleon Island, an island notorious for its infamous inhabitants.

As we approached the island, rising tall above the lake, I was instinctively reminded of Jurassic Park. Oddly, though, nothing on the island seemed to be moving. It was questionable whether there was any life on it at all. After exiting the boat and examining my surroundings, we began to hike inward. Though we kept to the trail, one of the guides left us and disappeared into the brush. Hesitantly, we followed, ascending the gravelly steep slope with little caution. Up ahead, a black figure swooped from a tree into the open air. And suddenly, like a water surging through a broken dam, bats poured forth in a swarm, polluting the open sky. But despite the negative imagery, it was one of the most mesmerizing experiences of my life. As the one guide rustled the trees, thousands of bats flew from their perch and circled above the island. They are literally rats with wings. Individually, not quite the creature that demands awe and respect, but as a whole, the bats were truly an astonishing example of the beauty of God's creation, even though we commonly dislike them. It was a sight to behold.


I eventually approached the summit and was blessed with a panoramic view of Lake Kivu. I met Pastor Anastase there, as he walked the island too. He told me that on a clear day, one could see the volcanoes of the north and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west. After enjoying a memorable moment, we were summoned back by the rest of the group, because for some reason they were ready to leave. If I had my druthers, I would have camped out there. Alone on an island, under the stars, surrounded by bats... maybe not everyone's fancy, but it sounds glorious to me.


We left the island only to turn around and go to another, where I enjoyed a Coke and a good swim around it. There was also a pet monkey on the island that knew how to drink bottled beverages. He would simply chuck the straw to the side and raise the bottle up. It was quite impressive. Aaron decided that he wanted one desperately. But dusk was approaching, so we boated back to the hotel, enjoyed dinner, and prepared ourselves for bed. For the most part, I spent the time in reflection, writing songs and such. It brought about good closure to the day.

The next morning we went to Pastor Anastase's home church, which lasted for four hours and was entirely not understandable. Caleb and I shared a few songs though, Those Who Trust and Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, which I played African drum and ill-sounding keyboard for, respectively. After church, we relaxed and finally departed for Kigali in the late afternoon. Thankfully, this ride was much safer.

For all those who made it this far, thank you for reading. Have a wonderful day. God bless.