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Butare – It’s the journey that matters

Motorcylce trip

The motto - urban transport in Rwanda

A devoted Christian started preaching, singing and swinging a bible as soon as the bus pulled out of Kigali. His shouting was nerve wrecking. Soon the cramped bus was divided into two camps: those who appreciated the spectacle and others who did not. For a good reason - Mr. Preacher was disrupting a Rwandan passion: shouting into a mobile. I hoped my taking photos would irritate him enough to stop, but eventually it was sheer exhaustion, unfortunately only shortly before Butare.

The Hotel Aucon, right next to the bus stop, seemed the perfect place for lunch, so the bus wouldn’t leave without Fren, the young Australian lady I travelled with that day. Well, she caught the bus, but without her food. It took 1.5 hour to be served (they literally had to run to the shop for every item of the meal), just as the bus was pulling out of the station. I raced after the bus and shoved Fren’s toast through the window, causing roaring laughter.

A brief walk through Butare took me past the packed terrace of the Hotel Ibis. THAT was the “Mzungo” hangout and prepared for such extravaganzas as chicken and toast.

Butare promotes itself as the intellectual center of Rwanda, with a large university & student population. Due to the summer holiday, I focused on the excellent museum on the edge of town. For a stiff 10 USD entrance fee, you get a great overview of Rwanda’s history, fauna, flora & traditions. If you have any money left, there is great handcraft for sale.

During the genocide, lots of Tutsis fled to Butare, because this prefecture was the only one run by a Tutsi governor, who indeed managed to protect them for a few weeks. But then paramilitary units were flown in from Kigali. The governor was murdered and the killing began.

 

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