Kigali

I am sitting at the Bourbon coffee shop in Kigali that has wifi.I can publish a post in around 5 minutes.I feel like a spoiled American once again.Kigali is a very modern city.Very clean and well kept.They are trying to overcome the past.
We arrived here Wednesday and could not find a hotel.Charles had not reserved one yet.The whole city was full.We finally found one at the Iris Guest house.Very American prices.We are paying $8 for 2 cups of coffee.!Everything is expensive here.One difficulty is French is spoken here.We went from feeling at home in the small town of Kabale to being strangers and pilgrims here.
We left Wed afternoon for Lake Kivu.It was probably the most beautiful place I have been.The next morning we went 2 hours up the bumpiest dirt road ever to a memorial site.Here the Tutsis had fought back.60 thousand people were killed on this hill.There is no way to describe being in such a magnificent place with so much sorrow.There is a room once again filled with skulls and bones.When you think about putting a face and a soul to each one its almost more than you can bear.our guide survived,she was 8 at the time and was left an orphan.Then 2 more hours of bumpy road.I missed having Chad and Maria to bump along with!
My free internet is about to expire. It costs $6 to use at the hotel.I am alone in Kigali.Tracy,Charles and Charles brother went to the farm to plant 600 coffee plants.This is land that Charles' family lived on before the genocide.He lost about 60 family members at that time.It has been too painful for him to go back until recently.One of the goals of this trip was to help Charles replant some of the farming.Tracy met Charles on a trip to Uganda in 2005 and they became fast friends. As there is no facilities there I elected to stay here.Our hotel is just a short walk from here.I pass very close to the president's residence and walk right by the Mille Collines(Hotel Rwanda)so I do feel very safe.This is the first time Tracy and I have been apart for 3 weeks!Tonight we are having Bible study with some people we met last year.
In 5 days we will be seeing 5 very special little people(and also some very special big people).Can't wait!!!