Traditional Rwandan Wedding Dance

 

Beautiful example of traditional Rwandan dancing at my friend's wedding. 

An English Garden in Rwanda - The Roz Carr Legacy

 

I kid you not, there is an English country garden in the volcanic ranges of Rwanda. It's called Imbabazi. Open for afternoon tea, events, and even camping. Such a beautiful place, it was hard to leave.

Check out the book Land of a Thousand Hills, the memoir of Rosamond Carr who used to live there. 

I got a little lost finding the place but it was totally worth it! 

I Opened a Restaurant

 

Hi guys. It's been a while since I made a blog post. I've been a little bit busy. 

I've talked about CasaKeza on here many times. It was started by my friend Maia back in 2016 and has been my local ever since. I've had many a lovely (and inebriated) night there. Even slept in the garden a couple of times. 

It survived COVID (just) and soldiered on bravely, but with Maia out of the country and the rising cost of utilities and repairs, it went into a bit of a decline. Maia asked if I would help her sell off the assets, and that's what I was planning to do. But CasaKeza always had a bit of a strange pull. It has a beautiful garden and a lovely vibe. It seemed worth giving it one more go.

So, on 1 April I took over the assets and reregistered the business. We had to choose a new name for tax purposes - which was a whole fiasco. I've created a playlist of everything involved, you can watch that if you're interested. We were going to keep the CasaKeza name, but it all got a bit complicated, so we've rebranded as The Cauldron. 

I'm sure I'll make many more posts about it in the future. For now I'm just trying to get things up and running again. It's been hella challenging, but also a lot of fun. Creative in ways I never imagined, and frustrating in ways I suspected but was not fully prepared for (paperwork in Rwanda is on a whole other level). I am sure there are many adventures to come.

Moto Africa Life

 

Hi everyone. Most of you know that I drive a motorbike in Rwanda. I have a friend, Asha, who does the same in Cameroon. It's not common to see female bikers in Africa so there's a bit of camaraderie. She just released this video and it's such a good one. You'll laugh, you'll cry, it'll restore your faith in humanity. Please show her some love with likes and subs. 

Noise Problems in Kigali Are Out of Control

Hi guys. It's been a really tough start to the New Year. Noise in my area of Kigali has always been an issue, but lately it's out of control with all-night building work and chemical sprays. It feels like Kigali is becoming a city built for buildings rather than people. It's great to see so much development happening all at once, but it comes at the expense of public health. As much as I really don't want to, I have to admit that it might be time to look for a new home. Here's the story so far.

There's also a related video about the time they paved my road, which you might find interesting. It shows the road-building process and also the conditions that people are working under. Again - it's fantastic to see development happening in real time, but it does raise public health concerns along the way.

I feel like development isn't just about concrete and roads. It's also about developing the type of regulations and oversight that allows two million people to live on top of each other without exploding. That's the part I feel Kigali is kind of missing at the moment. There's a lot of regulations about noise on paper, but they're pretty much ignored when someone wants to build an apartment or spray chemicals in a residential area. It doesn't seem like there's much will to solve these issues at the moment.

Oath, Boast, Toast 2026

Welcome to my annual New Year's tradition, the Oath, Boast and Toast. This is where I promise to do something in the year to come, boast about something I have done in the year that passed, and toast someone or something important. Let me know your OB&T below.

Christmas in Kigali 2025

 

 

Christmas Day in Kigali, Rwanda.

Christmas in Kigali

Just a little vlogmas post about life in Kigali in the run-up to Christmas.

Memorial and Cultural Tours in Kigali

I'm helping my friend plot out some tourist routes around Kigali on a motorbike. So far, I've figured out a memorial tour, for people who want to know more about the recent history of Rwanda and the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi, and also a cultural one that includes some very cute vervet monkeys. I'm discovering parts of Kigali I'd never been to before. 

Beautiful Flower Pastries

 

I had a lovely time at EyaMya in Kimihurura the other day. Pak and Joy showed me how to make their iconic flower pastries and we did a traditional Chiense tea tasting.

Full Gisenyi Trip

Recently went on a weekend trip up to Gisenyi for a friend's hotel opening. 

Here's the full adventure.

Inyoni Hotel in Gisenyi

 

I recently went up to Gisenyi in north-west Rwanda. My friend has just opened a new hotel there and it was lovely. Had a stunning view of Lake Kivu and a very well-stocked bar. If you're heading in that direction, check out the video description on YouTube for a discount code. It's a really nice get-away from the city. Check out Inyoni on Instagram and their website.

Exploring Kimironko Market

 

Had a lovely day out at the isoko last week with my friend Leandre from Ultimate Africa Travels. Kimironko Market is pure chaos but you gotta experience it if you're visiting Rwanda.

Agitation August

 

Had a lovely time talking to Margaret Pinard on her YouTube channel last night. As part of Agitation August I was talking about a book that really shook me up. I chose Emergency Sex: True Stories from a War Zone which had a huge impact on me when I first moved to Rwanda. We talk about everything from the state of international development, to youth unemployment, and the meaning of life - just small things. There's a lot more laughs than I make that sound! Turn on the live chat replay for extra entertainment, and if you could lightly bother the like button, it would be much appreciated. 

Once Upon a Time...

Hi guys. I kept a blog for the two years I spent in Rwanda as a VSO volunteer from 2007 to 2009. It feels like a lifetime ago. I still live in Rwanda today, having left and returned, and I thought it would be really fun to look back at my early scribblings and compare life then to life now. So, I started a YouTube vlog to read back through it and add some updates. This is the first episode above, and you can find the full playlist here. It's surprising both how much has changes and how much is the same twenty years later.

If you're planning a trip to Rwanda or if you're thinking about moving here and you want to chat through your plans, you can now book in for a Zoom chat through Buy Me a Coofee.

Kanyinya Canopy Walk

A lovely day out at Kanyinya Canopy Walk, about 30 minutes north of Kigali on the road to Musanze. A little tricky to find, but totally worth it. When you pull off onto the dirt track, take the second left, not the first (which GPS tells you to take) in order to reach the bridge.

First Ever Female Ride Day in Rwanda

It was a huge pleasure to be part of the first ever International Female Ride Day (IFRD) in Rwanda, organised by my friend Mingina. More pictures here.

Walking Tour of Gikondo with Talking Through Art

Such a fun day out with Talking Through Art (Instagram) who provide work for over 100 women with disabilities in Rwanda. They took me on their cultural walking tour. Highly recommended. Great way to discover the back streets of Kiali and try some tasty food.

The Wall of Pipes

 

Is this Rwanda's best keps tourist secret?

My First Group Ride

 

I went on my first group motorbike ride!