Postcards from Rwanda

The past couple of weeks have been agony as we get down to the wire and wait every minute for Elson's phone to ring with news that his visa has come.  It is now action time and I have contacted VSO to pay for my flight and cancel Elson's because his visa did not come today.  I will be back next Tuesday or Wednesday.  I'm afraid I don't feel as excited about it as I should just now as I'm so angry at immigration and disappointed that Elson won't be coming with me.  F&*k!

Well the end is near, just how near is not quite clear. 

VSO is booking tickets today, I think.  But they are subject to change as we still have not received notice of Elson's visa.  They asked for his passport more than 3 weeks ago and we hope that he'll get news this week.  If not, I'll have to change the tickets.  

I'm not working, sort of packing and tying up a few loose ends.  Last week Elson and I went to Bushara Island, Lake Bunyoni in Uganda for a couple of nights.  Very nice.  We stayed in these safari tents and they had this wonderful contraption for the shower.  Every morning a woman would come with a jerry can of hot water on her head and climb up this ladder to dump the water in a big metal cannister with a shower head and valve attached to it.  YOu turn the valve and the water comes out of the shower head.  Brilliant.  We ate good food, lounged around the island watching the otters swim in the lake and sat by the fire in the evenings.  A much recommended and very affordable place.

We then spend two nights at Elson's parents' house.  The nieces are all growing up.  Martine and Gentille are starting to talk, especially Martine who is like a little parrot.  I also likened her to a rabbit during those couple of days for her habit of picking flowers, ripping off the petals and popping the centre into her mouth for a little snack.  Elson's parents now have a post box so that we can send them letters and packages from Canada.  

After that it was off to Gisenyi for three nights.  It was wonderfully relaxing and so nice to spend a last weekend in Gisenyi with Antonia and Annemiek.  We reminisced about our first trip 2 and a half years ago... Elson was there too... when we walked from Gisenyi to Rubona and the hot springs.  We visited the hot springs again and spent a whole day moving from one restaurant to another around the bay.  It was a great weekend and I bought lots of things at the 'atelier de poupees" in town.  

See you soon. . . I promise to post when i KNOW.