Things I learned about Rwanda in the first 60 minutes

I am in Rwanda. Woot! I'm at a very nice business-class hotel so I'm not getting anything close to an authentic African experience yet. But I will be headed out into Kigali tomorrow (with a guide...don't you go fretting about me walking around being unsafe). Oh, and I now believe it's pronounced "CHI-gall-ee" as opposed to "KI-gall-ee" but I will confirm this tomorrow. 

I arrived after sunset so I haven't gotten a good look at the landscape nor cityscape. That said, I did notice some things worth sharing. 

- People here walk. From the airplane, I could see rather large freeways with typical traffic, but stretched alongside the freeway in each direction, I could see lots of people walking. Where we might have a bike lane on the right-hand side, they seem to have a walk lane (or sidewalk, really). I talked to my hosts Janet and Dan, and they confirmed that most people walk places. Few can afford cars or even taxi rides. There are motorbike "taxis" that charge fares for rides as well. Just hop aboard! 

- Folks have been incredibly friendly. My lovely host Janet met me at the airport with a sign and a hug. First hug in Africa...I hope there are more of those. She was so happy I arrived safe and sound. When I told my guides it was my first trip to Africa, they were thrilled for me and my adventure, and were proud to share this country—this little bit of Africa—with me. I received a similarly warm reaction from the driver, the hotel desk staff, the bellman, etc. And Janet and Dan are taking me around the city tomorrow on a mini adventure. Thank you, kind locals. :-)

- It's difficult to get your hands on Rwandan Francs. I tried to exchange dollars for RWF in Portland. No dice. Tried again in Brussels and at the Kigali airport. Nope and nope. I will have to crack this code tomorrow. On the plus side, there are ATMs that seem to be taking V/MC and dispensing cash. So all is not lost. 

- Mobile phones are huge in Rwanda. In the airport terminal, there are lots of ads related to phone coverage, minutes, SIM cards, and the like. There are also lots of ads related to payment cards, ATMs, and banks. Theoretically, if someone were in Rwanda to do research on mobile phones and payments, someone would be feeling pretty good right about now.  Oh, and my hosts were encouraging me to get a local phone for communication while I'm here ("so you don't have to use roaming"). Not sure I'll do this, but it's interesting how easy it might be to do so. 

Tomorrow I will head out to see, experience and learn more. Until then, sweet dreams, my American friends/family/loved ones/random strangers reading my blog.

e.