Getting around in Rwanda
Our first trip to Rwanda (and Africa for that matter) was a little over two months ago. Though we had a strong idea that this was the door God was calling us to walk through, we felt we had to go see it with our own eyes before committing to join the work there. By the time we landed, I’d typed out one of the longest Notes entries now on my phone, full of all of the questions we needed to get answered. You see, Bekah and I humbly acknowledge that we share the purest, most distilled form of ignorance about all things Africa, and that ignorance translated into approximately a gajillion questions to get answered on our trip.
The undisputed king category for the longest list of questions (on my list, not Bekah’s) was “Transportation”— what’s it like to get around in Rwanda. When we landed, after a brief drama getting our bags through security, we met Matt M. and rolled out into the parking lot. There was a light drizzle and it was getting late, so we quickly loaded things up into his Land Rover and got moving.
The roads in Kigali are nice and well kept, a nice change from the travesty of I-65 potholes through Birmingham. Conveniently for us, they drive on the right side of the road - American style. The traffic lights are similar to those in the US but with an add we don’t have yet in Alabama - the luxury of a countdown prior to change. The traffic itself was still pretty heavy for a random May Thursday with plenty of cars but primarily motorbike taxis.
Lots of folks “take a moto” around Kigali and throughout Rwanda. In the capital, it’s basically like a swarm around you at all times when you’re driving. At stoplights, they are practically leaning against your car. I’m a little stressed out thinking about driving in it honestly. We will cross that bridge when we get there I guess.
The drive took about three hours to get from Kigali up north to Musanze. It was a nice paved road all the way up with, interestingly, high tech traffic speed detectors along the way that snap a picture of you if when you speed and you get a bill in the mail. We saw a number of folks still walking the sides of the roads despite the rain. Virtually all of the other vehicles on the road we saw were tall transport trucks and vans.
The next day we had more time to drive through town and I caught the footage below which may give you a feel for what it’s like on the street level. Notice the bike taxi which is a more common mode of transport in Musanze, a smaller place with less travelers than Kigali.
Not all of the roads are this nice, though. If you peel off from the main highway, it’s not long before you’re on 4-wheel drive worthy terrain. Even the short drive off the highway up to the Miller’s house is the kind you’d need to drive at about 3-5mph for risk of harm to your car.
When driving at any given time of day in Musanze you’re having to dodge people walking the streets. The key challenge in Kigali is the Moto-swarm but the challenge in Musanze seems to be the streetwalking pedestrians and folks standing and blocking turns. Bekah and I are both going to have to surgically implant the ability to honk into our hearts. We’re “bless your heart” folks that reserve honking for only the 10/10 rage inducing driving moments (Except for the guy in front of you that’s not moving because he doesn’t see the green light and you can see him visibly scrolling socials through the rear window. I’ll honk at that guy all day.)
At the end of our scouting trip, we took the final road trip back to the Kigali airport during the day which allowed us to see the phenomenal terrain.
We decided securing a vehicle for our family would be the best option for us, and asked Matt to be on the lookout for a good deal on the local Facebook trading channels. I don’t think it took more than a few weeks before Matt sent us a WhatsApp message about a great deal on a 1989 Toyota Land Cruiser that’d been maintained well and passed along through various missionaries. I took it on faith and reached out to the seller directly, Darrell F., to purchase it and it’s waiting for us now in Kigali (🤞).
I’m not under any illusion that this is going to be a smooth transition from driving our family around in our Honda Odyssey. This Land Cruiser is… mature. Thankfully, the listing indicating all of the recent maintenance items performed on it including a new timing belt and tires. I’m hopeful we get ignition when we attempt to start it for the first time. The seller was kind enough to send me the following explainer video of the car’s eccentricities.
But of course, the biggest hurdle for this new vehicle is that it’s a manual transmission. Bekah and I have only ever owned and daily-driven automatics. I’ve got some basic experience from learning how to drive stick about 15 years ago, but Bekah’s never done it. Thankfully, our friend Chris R. (likely against his better judgment) went above and beyond and allowed us to use his Jeep Wrangler to learn.
His clutch will live to fight another day as Bekah was a super-quick learner. The minor hiccup in the video below was her only booboo trying to learn for the first time. We’re going to save the tougher lessons (starting from a stop on a hill, backing up a hill, etc.) for when we get there.
It’s going to be an adventure for sure. We’ll let you all know what happens when we get there like whether the Land Cruiser starts, if we’re able to dodge all of the Moto-taxis, and how quickly Bekah’s able to learn to back up the truck on a hill.
Pray for us.
What you and your family are doing is incredible. The best part about it is that your children will know what the disciples experienced when they gave up all they had to follow Jesus. We read about it in the Bible but we don’t do it. You and your are and there is nothing greater that you can share with them!