Then we drove along a winding, unsurfaced road with a drop into the lake on the right hand side and the occasional doubtful-looking thin wooden bridge to cross for what seemed like miles in the dark until we finally reached tour accommodation for the night. It was a nunnery with rooms to rent out for 5,000frw a night (£5). Nelson had booked us two rooms, but we ended up sharing one, because we watched a film (well Tracy and I watched a film, while Pam snored through it – thank goodness we had the subtitles on for her!) and then went to sleep. We ate breakfast on a veranda overlooking the lake – it was a gorgeous view! Then I went for swim no.1 of the day – Pam was going to join me until she nearly lost her leg (and did lose her flip-flop momentarily) in some mud, and decided that the rocks were too treacherous to risk clambering on. I was allowed to drive back along the winding route, which seemed a lot less life-threatening in daylight, and the adventure to find the legendary hot springs began.
We set off down a road that we hoped might lead to the hot springs, and it turned out to be a lovely lakeside drive with beautiful scenery…though with a distinct lack of spring. We eventually reached a stop-sign, and two guards who didn’t have a clue what we were talking about when we asked about hot bubbling water, but were not keen on us going any further, so after an about-turn we set off merrily in the direction we had just come. We had no time pressures, and with David Cassidy (there he is again!) to keep us happy we didn’t mind the total diversion we had been on. We headed back into town and Pam’s determination that the hot springs would be obvious when we came across them grew less and less a determination, and more and more an inclination…until finally it was a vague hope…at which point we rang Sue (mainly to find out what the French for hot spring was – so that we could ask people for ‘les souffes chaud’ instead of having to do the bubbling/swimming action each time) and she gave us very sensible directions. We headed for the Brewery that we had driven through at least twice that morning, and asked someone there, who was able to direct us down a very steep slope and finally – there they were! It was incredible to see boiling water bubbling out of the ground with the steam rising off it…however Sue’s warning that we shouldn’t be surprised if it was more of a hot puddle than something we could swim in was very valid. In fact the water was far too hot for us to have got in it anyway, so we took lots of pictures of the various bubbling bits and then drove round the corner to go for a swim in the lake near to the springs.
We had to drive a little way mainly because we had been mobbed by staring Rwandans as is usual in places like this. We ended up putting a towel over the front windscreen and getting changed in the car, which thankfully has darkened windows…and even then there was still a woman who insisted on pressing her face right onto the window to try and see in…is a Muzungu naked such an exciting sight?! Anyway, we left everything locked in the car and secured the car keys to Pam’s bracelet and jumped into the lake. Tracy and I swam round to where the hot spring flowed into the lake and one of the men bathing there created a channel from the hot pool into the edge of the lake and it was like lying in a bath!! There were people washing there – and I don’t blame them, since most Rwandans shower in cold water usually. It was an amazing experience – and like I say, one of my lifetime ambitions to swim in a hot spring, ever since I learnt about the natural phenomenon in geography (probably the only thing I ever enjoyed about geography lessons!) We swam back round and Tracy stayed within sight of the car and I swam back round to the hot bit with Pam – I really didn’t want her to miss out on the chance since she had never done it before.
Well, after changing behind the towel in the car again, our next stop was lunch…and being so near the lake we decided to have fish…when it turned up hours later on the bone and smiling at us (thankfully with no eyes) we were hungry enough to eat it, but in Pam’s case certainly not to enjoy it! However, the lunchtime disappointment was more than made up for by the afternoon trip to the beach with Nancy (Nathan’s baby) and Christine (her Mum). Nelson came too, but we weren’t allowed to bring Mercy because she had got a bit shivery the day before when we had been in the water, and this had scared Solange. It was a shame really, because I spent the majority of my childhood shivering after swimming, getting warm again, and then jumping back in the water, but it is obviously not something they are used to here. Saturday was the first time that Mercy had ever been in the lake at all…and it looks like it might be the last for a while!
Well, we some lovely photos of Nancy on her first trip to the beach, and I drank a cappuccino that Jennie (sister) sent me in the post – I got all the parcels and cards that people sent the day after my birthday because the 16th happened to be a Wednesday which is Gacaca and so the post office wasn’t open – and I had my 3rd and final swim of the day before we departed for Musanze again. Despite the state of the car I was allowed to drive home (perfect end to a perfect weekend)…though the steering was dragging quite badly to the left (luckily most of the lethal drops were on the right!!) and we found out the next day that the suspension needed serious repairs! For the sake of my poor parents I ought to say that I’m exaggerating the danger actually…it turns out that I’m actually quite a safe driver!
Thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes to me on the blog or by email and especially to those who sent post – it is wonderful to receive post out here, and it has made my birthday last even longer than normal…I believe there are still a few cards on the way! I hope you have all made it to the end of this mammoth birthday account – and have enjoyed it as much as I did at the time!
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