Rwanda: Remembering Why We Travel

Absolutely everyone travels differently and travels for distinctive motives. Some persons need to have time to relax when other folks have to have to really feel their hearts racing and beating in their throats. However, no matter the traveler, you know that a location had an impression on somebody when he or she comes back and can not stop speaking about the people they met.

I uncover it fascinating how, regardless of variations, we are able to relate to men and women all more than the globe, find a strength in others that we discover admirable and inspirational. I felt that type of sentiment when reading this recent write-up about traveling in Rwanda in the Monetary Occasions.

Most persons are conscious of the country’s current previous, and maybe for this reason travelers would rather pick Kenya or Tanzania. Nevertheless, Rwanda is experiencing an boost in interest. Deservedly so, and not for the reason that travelers need to acquaint themselves with the nation’s previous, but to appreciate and enjoy the land and people of the present. As the author explains:

This, right after all, is a country that can bring you within touching distance of the endangered mountain gorilla and offer you breathtaking vistas across the misty, oceanic expanse of Lake Kivu. Nyungwe, Africa’s biggest mountainous rainforest, teems with 250 bird and 13 primate species though, to the east, visitors can spot lions, leopards, elephants and giraffes in Akagera National Park.

Just outside Kigali’s city-center is the area Nyamirambo, a historic trading post that is now filled with community projects such as coffee collectives and a refugee camp. There, in the neighborhood, is exactly where the author identified little ones laughing and an old lady wanting her image taken.

Suddenly, the article tugged a heart string when the author reminsces,

As an alternative what lingers in the memory is the pride of Nyamirambo’s residents, the way a stern face cracks into a smile or a stranger welcomes you into their property. This is how we scratch beneath the surface of Rwanda: not by means of its landscape but by means of the dignity and warmth of its persons.

All I can assume is: This is why we travel.

By Brit Weaver

About the Author

Toronto born and based, Brit is an avid leisure cyclist, coffee drinker and below-a-tree park-ist. She often finds herself meandering foreign cities searching for street eats to nibble, trees to climb, a patch of grass to sit on, or a small bookstore to sift via. You can discover her musing life on her individual blog, TheBubblesAreDead.wordpress.com.