Meandering in Kigali

Wednesday 12 October, morning

 It might be a bit surprising, but today - the day before I go home - was my  first chance to actually wander around the centre of Kigali for a while. I had been in before but only quick trips to change money or do shopping.

It was also my first opportunity to catch one of the local buses, which is an experience - an enjoyable one though. There are four ways of getting around - get a lift with someone (which has been our main method I guess), taxi (also a method of transport we have used frequently), buses, and moto taxis.

 
The buses are very crowded but very cheap. Most of them are minivans which just keep coming - no actual schedule. Most of them have religious slogans on them, such as Trust God or Thank God - perhaps instructions as to what to do as you get on and get off! Newer, bigger buses are being introduced which have bus cards modeled on the Oyster Card in the UK.

The moto taxis are the cheapest and the most exciting. Apparently they are a lot safer than they used to be as they are now all required to have driving licences and to carry helmets for passengers (straps for the helmets seem to be still optional). They attempted to ban them because of the accident rate, but the city went on strike in protest as for a large proportion of the population it is the only form of transport they can afford. That is when they started regulating them - their licences are checked regularly by the police, and they have to wear safety jackets with their registration numbers on them. I haven't tried one, but if I was going to be here a bit longer I'm sure I'd pluck up the courage to do so.

Walking around Kigali centre is a different experience from walking around other capital cities I've been used to. I wouldn't call it pretty but it has a lot of atmosphere - noisy and crowded and chaotic. New buildings are going up all over the place which adds to the chaos. There are a couple of small shopping centres but mostly the shops are small and crowded.

One thing about Kigali and most of Rwanda as far as I can tell is that there is absolutely no litter. The pavements might be rough and the houses might be small and run-down, but everything is clean and tidy and there are always people sweeping the streets and the pavements.