Sky High Bliss

I was dying to share this with you guys. Couldn't help it when I had to first share my Nyanza experience then offer this next blog. Been a long time coming. So here goes buddies:
I first want to let you guys that this was hands down an amazing experience! Christmas come early kinda feeling.
A friend of mine suggested me to partake in an event that was taking place in Kenya recently- a journalism reporting boot-camp if I might say. And it was definitely a great time but really what made me do this blog is the travel part. Gee, less talk Dee... More pics please!
So the ticketing was seamless, everything had been catered for... I just had to be there on time and thank God for Kigali's traffic free airport road I was there earlier! (Of course it was the giddy old me excited to fly for the first time!) I mean, I got to experience what I always see in movies! How cool is that! I was definitely on cloud nine or any if the similar words here all in one!
Apart from the oohs and aahs of being in the actual departures lounge and all the processes in between, I had an amazing time definitely and my Snapchat was super loaded with the moments as usual.
Check the pics below:

Oooooh! That boeing jet is huge!

From where I sit

Cameo-therapy! Lucky girl. Sat on the window to and fro!

Safety first

Food first

All set!

And the writer in me began to journal EVERYTHING! You should have seen the look on the faces of my neighbors! No wonder they slept most of the flight! One less problem though, no one to stare at my novice antics! Plus they were an extremely lovey couple! For a moment I hated being single but heck! I was so enthralled with the views I had no time for love affairs... Hehe

Runway tings! Well it took awfully long for take off (Never mind it was less than a minute!) I just wanted to be in the sky already! Fun fact: I had this irrational fear I might do something clumsy and everyone would throw darting glances at me and then faint because that's what you do when you are judged. Right? No, ok.. maybe it's just me. Thank you Cyril for the pep talk! I feared nothing!

Up, up, up we went! Gee look at those little houses!

Going steady! Man! I couldn't contain myself! I felt like my heart could explode in all the beautiful views from up there! Oh and they say the higher you go the cooler it gets... I felt it! It was like I was in a fridge somewhere! But maybe they meant cool as in hip?! Haha... Just kidding.

Clouds...

...and more clouds!

And more clouds!

And more clouds!

And more C L O U D S!!!

It's an ocean of white fluffiness up there! If only I could touch that edible looking ginormous cloud!

Ah if only I could fall on that fluff and just lay there watching as birds pass and chirp by me sailing in bliss! Smh, no one thinks like that Dee... Get it together boo-boo!

That down there is the beautiful Lake Victoria

One thing also! Pilots! Man! These guys deserve a tip of the hat like for real! The knowledge of the latitudes and longitudes and knowing where to take the plane is quite amazing! To me we looked like we were slowly moving but at sometime The announcer put out that were traveling 900 kmph while 11 KM high! Geek alert!

With these views, I dared not sleep! Surprisingly there are people who've flown their whole lives and they really weren't as enchanted as I was. But oh-well, I just stared at the wondrous things the Lord had made and His creation of the human brain! Just wow! I couldn't help but praise!

The lake!

I mean! What is this! No filter needed!

Pretty sure these light dynamics weren't ready! Another view with no filter needed of course! Just how cool can it get! So amazed really! Just look at that glorious and calming view!

You know some of us food just does some good remedy! Thanks RwandAir

Juice for days.

Peek-a-boo!

Oh hello Kenyan terrain! Been awhile since we were together! You are sight to the sore eye! So breathtakingly good!

My point exactly? I just can't un-stare this!

And those are the Ngong Hills! Woi!

Welcome to my hood! Rangau on fleek!

Landing. Eeek! Unreal!

Land at close range!

Yeeha! The runway!

Ok, first of all am so glad I captured that! These physics dynamics had my little big heart palpitating like a little kid in an awe-striking arena full of kids goodies! Just wow!

Casually passing planes... No biggie!

Reliving Planes movies! Haha... Yes I am a Disney fan!

Oh Kenya! So beautiful!

Also this view while in the cab! How serene!

Well guys this was like my most alive moment this year! I loved it so much! Plus it was so fun writing it! The full journey couldn't fit in this whole blog post, I decided to put into 2 parts so if you are for the idea, lemme know in the comments below!
Also see this This hilarious air travel diary  as seen on Cup of Jo's page, this hilarious episode of The Lucy Show when Lucy flew to London and these solo travel lessons.
Wrote this while listening to this amazing playlist-my fave so far ;) and this one too 
Have a lovely dreamy day friends.

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Nyanza Travel!

So recently I had a privilege to go to a place called Inyanza or Nyanza in the South of Rwanda. It has some history that, for a novice like me, I found quite fascinating and as usual I took to Snapchat to make my story flow(Though I had to take them in a hurry and a long the way, the phone battery went off on me! Sob sob!). Some pics however were taken by super awesome friend and extraordinary photog Cyril check his work out. Such a fun workmate. He booked our tickets and was there earlier than I did! Man he is a time keeper! Gotta respect a man of his kind that takes his work seriously!

As for me, I used a moto to reach the Nyabugogo bus park where all the buses across the country are situated (fun fact I learned from Cyril).

Sadly I didn't take road trip pictures because I was seated in the middle of the bus away from the windows but one thing is for sure, the drive was scenic. I was so full of oohs and aahs every turn of the road that Cyril had a laugh as we traversed the long winding and unwinding road! Suffice it to say that, I loved it! It was actually my first time out of Kigali when you remove the times I went to Kenya via Gatuna Road

So people, take a look at what really happened. The captions will speak for themselves so sit back and enjoy the photo ride! 

Oh, the moto is the quickest means to get anywhere plus they are safe if all rules are followed, such as wearing your helmet and such safety tips, to the letter.

That's our tour guide. He was so funny full of Rwandan jokes that had our group reeling in laughter.

That tree is called an umuvumu tree that wards evil spirits from entering the royal court.

Umuko w'umurinzi- another of the two trees that are at the entrance of the royal gates. The two trees had powers that protected the King from evil lookers and all that jazz.

Yup! That's the palace. Adorned with traditional masonry and artistic beautification, this beautiful house to me was a reminder of what Africans underwent to make their houses comfortable regardless of how it looked from the outside.  

Agasongero stick, the one at the top was owned by every house to show that a man lived in there and once he died, it was removed. The amashyoro sticks however symbolized the King's palace. Only the King had these two sticks to show sovereignty.

See that white semi-circle border? Well that is as written on the pic, no one was allowed to pass that place without permission. However, if one was strong enough to pass through the guards of that time and place his or her hands on that white part, he or she would be pardoned and the King would hear his or her plight.

Yup it is! I loved getting to know some weirdly amazing things I got to learn along the way... Keep checking below. The compound has 2 other houses behind the King's house that you will see a little later on.

This is compulsory, no one was allowed in with their shoes on back then. So we were asked to keep the tradition.

Man that ceiling was high! Duh, what do you expect with a King as tall as the ones Rwanda had?

Case in point... Man they shoulda been great basketballers! Image via Google.

On cold nights (basically all nights) this was lit up and men would talk all night till they fell asleep while women were in another room besides it chatting up as well. At some point the men would talk in hushed tones so that the women could not overhear their manly conversations.

OK! I just think King size beds was an inherent thing! I mean that bed was huge! Even though it was made traditionally it fit the exact measures of a true King size bed! We had to go around to see it because the sitting room entrance (where the men chatted all night) was solely the King's entrance to the bed. The queen and all who wanted to be with the King as he lay asleep(and in that case summoned to grace his presence) used this side. Also there was a royal singer of lullabies on stand by to sing until all the royals in that room were sound asleep.  Just so you know, those many baskets you see were meant to be clothes storage in other words wardrobes.

Quite humongous I must add!

Yeup that's where royal wine resided.

Man I cringed when the tour guide told us about this! Haha... As if Kings had no feelings! Lol... (Get it together Dee! Still laughing as I write this though!)

These surrounded the entire house just like walls that separate rooms in our modern day. I love the creativity here especially the curves and mat-like walls and poles in between give it an exquisite African ambiance even if it is centuries old!

So out we went to the next house in the compound. It had its own fence around it and it housed the royal milk. Of course it smells like milk because the cows(unbeknownst to me as of the time I captured this particular picture, milking was taking place in the next compound where the royal cows have their shelter.) 

These are the gourds that held the finest milk. One other interesting fact, the chosen virgin from around the Kingdom lived here until the King retired. She didn't have to be a royal per se but that she was a virgin with good standing.

That's like a whetstone for grinding flour and the likes. Man traditional days have me grateful of what we have now.

Well this is the final last house in the royal courts. The men would assemble here and the weakest who could not drink wine without stuttering was told to sit on the floor with the lowly as the strongest and mightiest of them all sat telling stories of triumph and valiance while sipping slowly on the wine only to give a tiny sip to those that sat on the floor. Here housed the chosen male virgin from the entire kingdom.

Oh yes they are! Look at those gigantic horns!

Traditionally called Inyambo these cows were the choicest of them all in their breed the two best(heifer and bull that is) were taken and their young ones continued their lineage. They had to be the best there is.

Ornaments on fleek! Whoever came up with such an idea! Pure genius. I mean, how could you miss the African touches all around you in this tour at all!

Cyril representing! Woop woop!

The cows get sung to every time. Man these cows definitely have a ball! 

Yeup! That thing stunk real bad! But for flies-free option we will let it slide.

How the fence has stayed so put like this still amazes me. Of course there are caretakers and maintenance people around so yeah, that's how the place stays at its best shape.

OK, that was meant for Snapchat people alone but I loved the entrance so much I had to include it here. See the blue hills in the background? How scenic can it get!

That caption on the pic isn't right I just came up with it to make me look cool on Snapchat... Lol... Unfounded foolery, anyway that was gifted to that king up there because he collaborated with the colonizers amicably. Gotta love peaceful rulers!

Yeup. it goes without saying.

 I learned that we weren't supposed to take pics while inside a little later on but these were too cool not to share!

The territory already conquered by the royal army. 

Fleek

Outside the Kings palace, miles away to be exact a man-made lake gives Nyanza its agricultural life. How cool bruh!

These next pics are from The Big Man Cyril!

Inside the traditional palace, yeehaaa! FYI that is the corridor where the female royals used during the night.

Trying to be brave touching those humongous horns. Deep inside I was about to run! Thanks to the side kick Cyril I managed to be composed or not. You be the judge...

Oh man I look like I am about to scream or something! When it turned around I almost run for my life. But good thing is that these cows are people friendly. You pat it and you are besties. Cyril got that memo earlier than I did but it's alright. It was fun while it lasted. I am now confident that I can meticulously pat it if given a second chance... Ha! Who am I kidding!

Me and my paraphernalia getting all the breeze in because the leeward of that lake was uber HOT! I think I turned darker afterwards. JK

What pictorial ends without a selfie?

And another selfie to crown it all! 

I absolutely had fun doing this! It was a pleasure to get assigned to do this awesome trip. Actually the entire event was a tour of the area dubbed, "Nyanza Twataramye" a cultural event that seeks to explore tradition at it's best. This time though the mayor chose to mash it up with an investment platform so guys from across all walks of life to see the opportunities there. And as a journalist that is why i got assigned to be there in the first place! Thank God for my super duper boss, she just rocks!

So we toured the small but vast in history Nyanza District. First up was the Palace of course, then we went to Nyanza Milk Industries-the oldest of its kind in the country then we went to the man-made lake that is extremely deep and serves a lot of the hilly Nyanza surroundings with an irrigation scheme all yearlong. The place is quite scenic plus there are renovations taking place around the town and further down the dusty roads, which is impressive if I may say so. One thing a hippie can invest in that tradition chock-full environment is real estate, their plan is quite sleek and classy. With that we went back to the town in the buses specially rented for that event, there we headed to the Nyanza Museum Gardens for a luncheon organized by our hosts. It was quite sumptuous, you know how Rwanda is obsessed with buffets- spoilt for choice. For a gourmet, that's a plus but health freaks we keep our eye open for them health hazards out there. Food chat aside, we missed the highlight of the entire festival. Bummer! But we had other plans so we just left after the briefings and interviews were 'almost' done.

So we took a ride back home hearts content. It takes two hours to drive there and two hours back! But I think were it not for the chat we had along the ride I wouldda slept all the way back. Gotta appreciate people who take their time and give you a chance to let your guard down and give your heartiest of laughs in the process! I am so grateful. Couldn't have had it any other way! Bless up! Thanks for scrolling through with me, hope you learned a thing or two about my culture.

A few other pictures that didn't get the cut up there...

Cool quick fact: These arrows are a collection of arrows hand-made to pay homage to the late King who loved arrows for they protective nature. The number is sure to grow as that is how passionate the King was about arrows! Come to think of it I have used the word arrows I think I will watch the series arrows tonight! I digress...

It is the only surviving thing in her room. All the other stuff were taken during the genocide period. Sad.

These flowers adorned the luncheon that we were hosted for.

With this beautiful flowers who needs a food picture? Lol... Ion, the food was yum!

When they are sang to, these cows are in a euphoric state man! Cool beans!

The End!