Our next country on the list is Rwanda. This was the first African country Emma ever visited first time in 2011. We had already heard about the many things the country had been through in the last decades, so we are really curious about this 'Land of a thousand hills'.
The border is only about 45 minutes from where we left our car before Bunyonyi and we have read that it should be quite an easy border crossing. Fortunately we have our experience from the previous border crossing, so there should not be many problems. On the way to the border, Emma does get a little nervous, it's the least fun part of the trip. You never know what might happen...
We try to negotiate, but the Rwandese officials are adamant that we take everything out of our car. The bags have to go through the XR scanner and there is no one who wants the responsibility of going through our stuff in the car. As more officials come to have a look, we try to find a more senior official to persuade them to leave our blankets, shoes and 'kitchen' in our car. Anything we can leave inside is a win for us, especially as during the time we have been negotiating, the people in the line have not moved an inch. We are used to having some room for negotiation in Kenya and Uganda, so this was a good initiation to Rwandese strictness. Eventually, we meet probably a senior lady, who agrees with us which stuff can remain in the car.
When we arrive at the border, we see a long line of many people with all their baggage waiting outside in the scorching sun. In the south of Uganda, the sun is very hot in the morning and usually hides behind clouds and rain showers in the afternoon. We really hope we can pass this part since we have so much luggage in the car, but we are told to go back and join the line with all our stuff.
After agreeing what to leave and what to take through the scanner, we join the line. We are prepared to be here for many hours, so we'll see. During the waiting, another wazungu couple joins us and goes through the same ordeal. They are French-Spanish couple and are very friendly. They have just arrived for a vacation and also roadtripping, with a rented car. We talk a little, until suddenly we can go through.
Next stop: immigration. Stamping out of Uganda and into Rwanda. This goes without any issues and after that we move to the next counter: customs. Again, we stamp our car out of Uganda and into Rwanda. Apparently no road tax has to be paid, so we are off again. One last check before we can actually enter the Rwandese roads. After checking the insurance and the CPD, we were in Rwanda!!!
The first thing we noticed, is something we were already told. The roads are MUCH better than in Kenya or Uganda. We crossed MANY traffic cameras, which apparently even work. The road to Kigali is great and the views of all the hills are spectacular. In Kigali we stay at a lovely place that is rented through AirBNB, which includes a coffeeshop. Here we enjoy the coffees, and the restaurant food. We immediately set out to get our Rwandan Sim-cards, so we are all set for our next adventure. We agreed with the couple we met at the border to have dinner. They are lovely people and we exchange many stories about our travels through Uganda and our ideas about our time in Rwanda. When they leave, we get to use our jumping cables for the first time, which definitely work!
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