Although I had spent an anxious night wondering whether Tom and Lizzie would arrive on time, or indeed whether they were actually on the flight, they arrived on time in good spirits and unperturbed by the ferocious security measures they had faced at Heathrow.
We whisked straight off in a hired vehicle to Akagara Nationa Prk in the East of Rwanda where we stayed in a deliciously comfortable and beautifully situated Lodge with spectacular views ove lakes and hills. The game viewing was not remarkable but we hadn't expected much since it is the dry season. Nontheless we saw a huge herd of buffalo very close, lots of hippos and an enormous crocodile as well as several types of antelope and zebra.
The birds were wonderful and the scenery spectacular -everything on the hills an ochre colour with tawny grass in the park where cattle hadn't eaten everything down to the bare earth.
We stayed 2 nights and went for a boat trip round an island that out guide told us with a shudder was a very bad place, many snakes - it looked very primordial and savage to us but had fantastic birds nesting on the trees round the edge.
The lodge had a lovely pool and an endless supply of hot water as well as excellent food and very comfy beds. We had spectacular sunrises and sunsets - next time maybe we should camp as we saw a truly fabulous campsite on the top of a hill looking over towards Tanzania.
Back in Butare we had a relaxing day yesterday - going to lunch with some cheerful missionary techers from Kenya and spending the rest of the afternoon by the swimming pool. Today Tom and Lizzie have gone off on a 2 day hike leaving me to wrestle with the task of getting my "Attestation de Matriculation" - a sort of Residents card without which I can't get my visa extended. I have to go to room 115 and del with a very grim faced man who definitely wasn't there today. I saw him last Friday and he refused to let me have the card despite the fact that I gave him every necessary piece of documentation and pleaded to have the card then and there but this was going much too fast for the system. Cathie and I have theory that public servants are under orders to bring everyone applying for any form of documentation, to the brink of tears before letting them have the required piece of paper. You have to prove that you are worthy and determined enough!!
Tom has brought me goodies from friends - Thankyou very much- and lots of useful things like soda crystals and food dye that I can use in my primary science!! So I am planning to spend some time in the next day planning a course and then will come the task of persuading the teachers to include some experiments in their programmes!
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