A Little Bit Lost

Incredible picture by my friend Jo:

Old Kigali , new Kigali. This is taken from the car park of the town hall, looking at the building that has grown out of the corner where the post office was. The town hall is also moving into a shiny new high rise in the next few months.

Kind of cool, huh?

The old Parliament building still has the shell holes in it, but right opposite is a shiny new conference centre that looks like the Lord Mayor's office in London.

Times they certainly are a changing.

Gosh, has it really only been three days since my last update?

Feels as though so much has happened.

But first...

My Aunty Patsy has been visiting my cousin in Australia. I'm not too sure where this was taken, but it is stunning, so I thought I should share.

So, uh... what has been going on?

Well, a lot of work, and mourning the loss of Rik Mayall.

Managed to get my website live on Sunday, a day earlier than planned. Spent Monday upgrading my post box to business class. I'm not entirely sure what this means, other than you pay more money?

Also opened a business account with my bank. 

So, I'm all set up and ready to go once my working visa comes through. Speaking of which, I received an e-mail from the Police people in the UK yesterday, telling me that my application for a police clearance certificate has been received and will be processed.

Then headed to SoleLuna for quiz night.

SoleLuna is the best known pizza parlour in Kigali. I was once lucky enough to live in a house just behind it, so ate there about once a week. It was quite a hefty dose of nostalgia going back.

I still reckon it's one of the nicest restaurants in Kigali. You go down a pathway like you're entering a secret garden, and there's a sort of tree-house platform area, and lovely smelling flowers at night. They've also built a whopping great extension, which is where the quiz is held.

Muzungu Central

Draft Mutzig

Don't think I've ever seen so many muzungus in one place since carol singing at the British Ambassador's place. It was absolutely packed.

I think you're either a fan of pub quizzes, or you're not. I'm not hugely into them. I like the social aspect, but I dislike having to sit in silence with your friends for an hour, listening to someone officiously shouting out questions. This one was run by a militant group of Americans who seemed to revel in pacing up and down and telling people to be quiet, whilst reading out brain benders including: 'what is the name of the two central gods in Hinduism...'

As both the Hindu in the room and myself knew, the Hindu gods are a trinity, not a duo.

"Yes, but the two main ones," the exasperated American replied, failing to grasp the concept of a trinity.

Eventually they gave everybody in the room points just for answering that question, correct or otherwise.

I was also a little disappointed by the pizzas, which used to be a work of art. They were somewhat sparse on toppings - not quite as fantastic as I remember them being. Jo and I were trying to work out whether they really were getting worse, or whether, as VSOs, they just used to look more spectacular through our calorie-starved eyes?

Despite the quiz (or because of it, according to friends who like pub quizzes), it was a good night. One with a slight surprise twist.

I'd received a message from a girl called Wendy, who I assumed to be the Wendy who helped organise Lies and Kassim's wedding five years ago. She invited me to SoleLuna, which is mostly why I was there. Then, the night before, I got a text from Wendy saying 'Still on for pizza? This is B'. 

B is another friend I knew way back when, and my initial response was: That's cool! B is in town visiting Wendy.

Only, when I arrived, it turned out it wasn't Wendy from the wedding at all - Wendy is B's alter online ego!

I was so confused, but it was a good laugh.

Then Maxime turned up with half of my housemates and their friends, as it's her birthday.

I'd also invited Jo, and she came with Nicole (from the Lebanese), and another of the mums' group, Eva, so I joined their team. 

It was a bit strange knowing so many faces after less than three weeks in-country, but then I suppose I have done a fair bit of socialising.

Eva drove me home after, and we sat gassing in her swanky 4x4 for ages. It was a really interesting discussion, covering just about everything from the tourism industry to Hungarian communist history.

Earlier in the day, in between running around sorting out the post office and bank, I popped back to my new favourite restaurant, and this time bumped into the owner, Jean.

We ended up having an extremely heated debate about politics and the existence of God, then agreeing never to mention politics or the existence of God again. It was great fun.

He explained what he was trying to do with his business, and I learned that it's not just the rooftop bar but the entire building that he owns. It contains a floor full of hotel rooms (in need of some serious TLC) and a downstairs cafe and apartment area. He took me on a tour of everything, and my imagination is running wild. I love the place, so perhaps I can help him promote it if he'll pay me in beer and brochettes?

Going to throw him some ideas this week.

Pan Afrique: top floor.

So, all of that has been fun.

Then, last night, I had cause to go across town.

I mean, right across town - like, thirty minutes on a moto across town.

Straight through the heart of Nyamirambo to Sun City Hotel, across town.

To a house pretty much slap bang next to where my bezzy mate Martine used to live.

The moto stopped at exactly the same place.

Only, Martine no longer lives there.

Talk about duality. I was so uplifted to be in Nyamirambo again. It's the part of Kigali that never sleeps. In fact, it comes alive at night. Full of clothes shops and people. I love it. It's also a place I equate with feeling safe and happy, because it's where I would run away to whenever life got too much, sitting on Martine's porch smoking cigs, drinking waragi and putting the world to rights.

Because of that, I was expecting it to feel quite horrible being back outside her gate, knowing she wasn't there.

Yet, oddly, it was all okay. Perhaps because I've just come from Martine's place in Laos, so I know where she is if I need her, and partly because Kigali has changed, and I've changed (a little bit) with it. I suppose I already knew at the back of my mind that this is a new era, with new people in it.

It really was okay.

Nyamirambo Shop, from Umva Blog

Once I was done in Nyamirambo, I was getting hungry, and decided to return to Remera, which is where I used to live at one point. I gave the moto guy the name of the most expensive hotel there, as I needed some creature comfort to recover from the disembodiment of being back.

Only, when I got to Chez Lando, it had expanded so much I almost couldn't find my way in!

I arrived in a daze, took one look around, and walked out again, unsure quite what to do. 

Then I remembered a lovely little bar around the corner called High Noon. Only, I didn't recognise the road because it's been tarmaced and there's another huge bar on the corner. I walked along and asked someone passing by. They pointed to this building site, which is apparently where High Noon used to be. Either it's getting an upgrade, or it's getting demolished. I'm not sure which.

Martine may no longer live in Nyamirambo, but at least the place looked the same.

Remera used to be my stomping ground. I knew ever bar there - intimately. Now, I don't recognise any of them.

I happen to know that my old house has since been transformed into a bar. One thing I could not bring myself to do was to go there for a drink. Not yet, and not on my own. I think I would find it too sad, or odd, or both. I'm waiting for Jo to take me, because at least I know we'll have a laugh about it.

Instead, I headed for the one bar I was certain would not have changed: La Planet. Right next door to my old house, this is where we used to hold our monthly Disability Programme Meetings. I felt sure that if there was one place I would recognise instantly, it would be La Planet...

...now Bar Izola.

I mean, it is beautiful, don't get me wrong. A serious improvement. Nice lighting, a plush bar, the scent of those wonderful night flowers. Very nice indeed... but disorienting.

I plonked myself in a corner, drank a bottle of Primus, scoffed a couple of fish brochettes, and smoked a couple of ciggies whilst watching people come and go.

It was a slightly uncomfortable experience, but one I'm sure I will recover from. It's just going to take some time to work out where everything is now.

And you know what hasn't changed a bit?

Ndoli's!

Ndoli's never changes. So I popped in there before getting my moto home, bought bread, a huge gouda for toasties, chocolate biscuits and some sweeties for my secret 'emergency pick-me-up' box.

Yup, it still pretty much looks like this.

Yesterday I decided to stay in and work from home, only the power went out mid-morning, and my laptop ran out of juice about four hours later, to which I posted a slightly grumpy message on Facebook:

Arse. Electricity has been out all day. Have about 45 mins left on my battery, and so much work to get through. Kigali may look developed, but it still suffers horribly from water, power and internet cuts. You can set up a business quickly, but can you keep it running?

After which I had to issue a red-faced apology... my housemate had forgotten to pay the electric meter.

Ahem.

Still, power, water and internet all do tend to disappear at least once a day, though not usually for that long.

Life is pretty good in Kigali, I must say. Taking a moto across the valley to Nyamirambo is truly like flying through the stars - all of Kigali laid out, twinkling, before you. It's impossible not to feel lucky to be here.

Twiddling my thumbs a little whilst I wait for my police clearance. Trying to think up ideas for Jean's bar, and how I'm going to make money. On the one hand I have a friend telling me it's hard to make money here, on the other I have a friend who keeps running into jobs. I think the best thing is just not to cling to any kind of expectation, and see how it goes. It's unlikely to happen over night, but I do think there's an awful lot of opportunity here.

I will leave off with a picture Ruairí posted the other day. Remember that scorpion in Laos? Well, they found Moma.

Ruairí: At least it was under my shoe, rather than in it.