If you think my blog posts have been too lengthy or verbose, you’re in luck: sadly I had my camera stolen in Tanzania, along with the memory card full of photographs from Rwanda and Tanzania, so the next few posts are going to be very brief indeed.

It was my own fault. I left my camera unattended in my cheap hotel room for about 20 minutes as I went to eat breakfast, and a slick thief easily jimmied open the flimsy door and rifled through my belongings. I usually don’t leave my valuables alone, but I let my guard down that morning and paid the price. It’s a shame, because Rwanda and Tanzania are extremely photogenic, and I got some great shots. You’ll have to take my word for it. The few pictures I do have were taken on my old iPhone, so unfortunately you won’t see the National Geographic quality images you’ve become used to seeing on my blog (cough).

Aside from being beautiful, Rwanda is very interesting. I tried to get into the country in late December, 1993, from Uganda, but was told by the border officer there was a “disturbance” in the country and outsiders were at the moment not allowed entry. I was disappointed but moved on elsewhere (Ethiopia as it happens). It was months later I learned that the disturbance was in fact the genocide that saw possibly one million people – mainly Tutsi Rwandans – butchered over a 100 day period.

This blog isn’t the right place to dive into a detailed account of the genocide, and in any case I’m not qualified to do it justice. It was a dark time indeed. The amazing thing is how the country has come out of it; Rwanda is far more developed and together than its neighbors, and there’s an obvious sense of unification and cooperation, witnessed by the many civic programs in action, the signs and posters affirming “We are all Rwandans” and the efficient running of the towns and cities. Rwandans are very open and approachable, and though the level of English isn’t the same as in Uganda or Ghana it was easy to speak to people and get an idea of how their country is doing.

I spent three weeks in Rwanda, which is plenty of time to see nearly the entire country. It’s small and compact and densely populated. There’s not much flat, just the far east of the country where it borders Tanzania do the hills disappear, otherwise everything is built on hillsides, rolling up and down as far as the eye can see.

The capital Kigali is a fantastic place, fantastically scenic as it dribbles itself across multiple hills in nearly every direction. The streets are tidy and clean and there are western hotels and fancy restaurants. There are also charming markets and rickety local bars, cafes and friendly breakfast stalls. It’s a perfectly walk-able city, with a lot of color and a vibrant atmosphere. Rwandans, I learned, like to party, so the one down side to Kigali are the constant strains of funky Afro-beat music wafting from the many bars until four or five in the morning, seemingly every morning.

I made a clockwise loop of the country (more or less), touching on all regions. I especially enjoyed the towns and villages alongside Lake Kivu, impossibly hilly and green, and the quiet order and calm of the central regions around Huye and Butare. Food was fairly decent – certainly a thick cut above Uganda – and the bars were excellent, with plenty of tasty cold beer and nice pub snacks.

There are still a lot of expats living in the country, working for NGOs and aid groups and for-profit ventures. I spoke to a few of them and by all accounts everyone liked living in the country. They thought for the most part the president Paul Kagame was doing the right things for Rwanda and felt there was tremendous promise and even better things to come – a sentiment you don’t often hear in Africa.

I have a lot more to say about Rwanda, but sadly won’t be able to express it in images. It’s a country worth visiting for sure, and I would gladly go back if I found myself in the region again.

Next week, Tanzania. I don’t have many photos to share, but a few, so stay tuned!