Kigali Rwanda Part 1

It’s been challenging years for everyone since the pandemic began.  We had thought we might be able to return to travel earlier (with precautions) but we were further interrupted with unrelated health issues. After experiencing debilitating symptoms for some time I was diagnosed in December 2021 with very large fibroids - non-cancerous uterine tumours. With the diagnosis, coping with ongoing symptoms, waiting for a surgery date (and avoiding Covid-19 to not interrupt it), tumour shrinking injections and a long post hysterectomy recovery, we only recently felt it would be reasonable to embark on an overseas trip. I also share this bit of my story as I think many folks suffer in silence with these types of conditions. I think it is important to talk about it - know your body and follow up with your doctor if you see things that are out of sort. I am grateful I feel so much better now!

So here we are, after two days of travel, in Kigali Rwanda to trek & see wild mountain gorillas and chimpanzees, plus some other side quests. (Then we stop in Brussels, Belgium for 5 days on the way back to wander the streets, go to museums, galleries and check out the food scene!) We had initial interruptions and had to rebook our flights but once it got going it was generally smooth. Since the pandemic began we take some enhanced infection control measures while travelling including kn95 masks on the plane as much as possible (we did have to remove to eat), nose spray and mouthwash that is supposed to reduce respiratory infections, and used our co2 monitor in the airport and plane to gauge air quality. It was disappointing how many were flying without masks while obviously sick and coughing. I do wish infection prevention did not become so polarizing and we could agree on basics like cleaner air and masking while sick. No one wants to get sick and certainly not on a much anticipated trip - we also are not permitted to trek to see the gorillas if we are sick, so crossing fingers we stay healthy!

Again to manage the ongoing travel challenges we booked some buffer days in Kigali to avoid missing our pre-booked jungle trek days, which need permits and guides. With the extra time we are taking things slow. We arrived late Friday night and essentially went to bed when we got to our hotel. The first morning we started with breakfast at our hotel and then we walked from our hotel about 1.5 kms to explore the area around the Imbuga City Walk. The streets of Kigali are sparkling clean, with lush plants along the sides and very friendly people milling about. For dinner, we walked to a nearby Indian restaurant, Khana Khazana. 

Our second day we spent at the Nyandungu Eco Park. It was about 9kms of walking checking out the lush plants, trees and wetlands. We got absolutely soaked by a big rain storm but it was still warm so we persevered. We were lucky to see a large variety of birds.  Some bird highlights include African openbill, grey back fiscal (shrike), ibis, gray crowned crane among many many others. Although it is a maintained walk way we should have worn our hiking boots as the bricks are very slippery. And of course we hauled our umbrellas all the way from Canada but decided to only bring one on the walk which just got in the way so we embraced getting soaked. We stopped at the onsite restaurant, looking like drowned rats, and had some local chocolate, espresso and mango juice. We had a late lunch when we returned to the hotel and laid down for what was supposed to be a nap. Unfortunately that was a fail and we are now wide awake at 3:30 am and hungry from missing supper. 

Joshua Tree 2023

We are back for our second visit to the perfect little Modernist Cabin a few miles from Joshua Tree town and backing onto Joshua Tree National park. It is a one room cabin designed by modernist architect Ron Radziner, with outdoor shower, bbq and outdoor tub on one side and outdoor living room on the other, and lovingly decorated in mid century modern style. It is absolutely the perfect place for deep relaxation surrounded by the rocks, flora and fauna of the desert. The cabin is managed by Homestead Modern which manages a wonderful portfolio of architecture gems available for vacation rental including the stunning Monument House featured in New York Style magazine. 

I’ve spotted countless birds including the Gamble’s Quail, hummingbirds, road runner, cactus wren, and many animals; rabbits, lizard, white tailed antelope squirrel. The bird identification app I like best is Merlin Bird ID from Cornell Lab. The absolute highlight was spotting a curious desert tortoise right by the cabin. He seemed enamoured with me as he tried to follow me a few times while I backed up avoiding cactus. 

We checked out the Noah Purifoy outdoor museum full of sculptures made out reclaimed items. It is very unique and there are so many installations. We also viewed the Transmission Sculpture By Daniel Popper, large face with four hands located at The mojave moon Airbnb and retreat. Note it is on private property, but the owners have kindly made a fenced viewing area for the public. You can only see more of the sculpture as a guest staying onsite. We checked out the Joshua Tree Farmer’s Market and Yucca Valley Sky Village Swap Meet - we didn’t buy anything but it’s always fun to check out local events. I also had a good espresso at The DEZ in Joshua Tree. We caught a glimpse of the AutoCamp - a glamping venue full of airstreams but the large fence prevented a good look.

We also love checking out the unique local architecture. We spotted the UFO type Futuro House Airbnb: “the Futuro House was first concocted by designer Matti Suuronen in 1968 as a "portable ski chalet." The home resembles a small UFO thanks to its curved design and oval windows on all sides.” We had a coffee and walk around the Joshua Tree Retreat Center to check out the buildings designed by Lloyd Wright son of Frank Lloyd Wright. “this metaphysical destination is home to the largest collection of Lloyd Wright buildings in the world. The sprawling 400-acre property was built between 1946–1957 and although the architect on record is Lloyd Wright, it is believed that his father, Frank Lloyd Wright “had a hand in the design of some of the structures.” 

We also wanted to check out the famous mirrored Invisible House but the road that takes you close is private, but I could see it glinting in the distance from the main road.  It was featured in Architectural Digest. We didn’t see it but the Kellogg Doolittle House is also in the Joshua Tree area. “The house in Joshua Tree was designed in the 1980s by organic architect Kendrick Bangs Kellogg for artist Bev Doolittle and her husband Jay” also featured in Architectural Digest.

We spent a lot of time just decompressing from the last three years. Lazy mornings on the patio while the desert is still cool, walks among the giant boulders and cactus in the evening. Travel always allows me to be more in the moment and for the first time in a long time I feel relaxed. When travel comes to an end I also find myself having increased gratitude for home as well. 

“We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again- to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more.” Pico Iyer

Palm Springs 2023

This is our fourth trip to Palm Springs, and our first trip in over 3 years. It’s a short, direct flight, relaxing vibe, lots of time outdoors, and for the first trip since the pandemic started it seemed like a good choice for an easy trip. Everyone has lost a lot in this pandemic, which still continues. Nothing feels as easy as it once did, bearing witness to the ongoing impact takes its toll while trying to navigate, live and work in this new reality. 

Travel has always brought me a unique type of relaxation. Once you get to the airport or get on the road, a lot of stress is left at home, old routines are abandoned and every day has a bit of adventure. I’ve been deeply missing that over the pandemic (and I know I am privileged because so many have had terrible losses in this time). It was serendipitous that I should read this article yesterday: “A holiday is about more than just a break. It’s a chance to dip a toe into a new version of yourself. If you feel stuck, a trip can put you back in touch with your sense of adventure”

So what have we been up to in Palm Springs? We are again staying at the fabulous midcentury small hotel Orbit Inn, which sits below the famous Frey House. All the rooms have their own entrance off the central pool, an easy place to relax. We have been enjoying slow mornings on the cool deck, morning trips for espresso, Palm Springs Art Museum, Architect Museum, traveling around the desert to view different DesertX art installations, the botanical gardens, watching the birds - so many hummingbirds!, checking out architecture and public sculptures, evening conversations with interesting guests, and lots of delicious vegan food and patios. 

Tomorrow we head off to a cabin in Joshua Tree for the last four nights of our stay.  Two favourite photos below, our pool at the cactus at the botanical gardens. You can see more on my Instagram and eventually my Flickr. 

Travel Hacks

Everyone has their favourite tips and tricks to make travel easier and  more enjoyable. We have many old and new tricks and since this is our first trip and flight since the pandemic started we have a few more health and safety ones. Here are some of my travel hacks!

Luggage: First off, Travel Light, We do carryon only almost always. What helps this be successful is the right bags and accessories. We both use the Patagonia “Black Hole® MLC® bag, is burly, soft-sided 45-liter suitcase with enough room for world travel and convertible backpack straps for comfy load carrying” and one personal shoulder bag. A soft sided bag allows for some stretch and being both a suitcase and back pack eliminates bulky wheels that take up space. We also each carry a reusable TSA compliant clear toiletries bag (many options on Amazon etc), for liquids, of course each item is less 100ml or less. Wear your bulkiest clothes and shoes on the flight to save some room. On longer trips we do laundry and ensure we bring clothing that mixes and matches. 

Accessories: Some accessories are trip specific but in general we always bring a small power bar (so often there are not enough outlets!), two extra long charge cords for iphones, noise cancelling headphones, empty water bottles, plane snacks, Tru Earth laundry soap strips, flat rubber sink stopper, apple air tags in case we need to check a bag or for lost/stolen luggage, headlamp (we’ve been through a few power outages; hurricane Sandy and Brisbane floods etc, and a light was essential), two folding shopping bags, a super compact packable duffle bag in case we buy stuff to bring back (if hiking we bring a packable backpack, it packs to 2/3 of the size of a coke can!). Depending where you are going, you can pick up over the counter medication/supplies you might need but it can vary; we always bring tums, Advil, bandaids, sunscreen & bug spray (if applicable), and a thermometer. 

Documents: take a photo of your passport, driver license, health insurance, etc, and save them to something cloud based such as your email and ensure a trusted person at home has a copy. 

Internet and apps: Figure out how you want to access the internet. On trips I use it a lot for google maps! For short trips I have done Rogers “roam like home” that has a daily max data charge, on others I have purchased sim cards on arrival and for this trip I am trying the new E-Sim option and have selected Airalo (apple app store). Google maps is generally great for public transportation but I also check if there is a local metro app. Google translate app is terrific for communication and can even read labels and menus and translate! HappyCow vegan travel guide app is how I find all the best vegan food around the world. I use the Libby, By Overdrive App to download free magazines and books from the Calgary Library. I love using Tripadvisor to check out things to do and then save them to a trip plan for easy reference (plus great traveller reviews). As well Atlas Obscura is fantastic for finding odd ball activities and interesting sites. And don’t forget to download the airline app as many have their entertainment system on the app, plus trip notifications and management. 

Tips for smooth security: Check in as soon as you can online (usually 24 hours in advance), load your boarding pass to your iPhone wallet app, slip on shoes, keep electronics, passport and clear liquid bag in an external pocket or in easy reach to pull out for inspection.   

Infection Prevention: Let’s face it, no one wants to have a trip ruined by being sick or deal with health complications. We can’t always prevent illness and respiratory infections, such COVID-19 or even the common cold, but NPR had this January 2023 article “Coronavirus FAQ: How do I avoid catching COVID while flying in 2023?” with some tips to consider: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/01/09/1138627894/coronavirus-faq-how-do-i-avoid-catching-covid-while-flying-in-2023

We’ve missed a lot of trips since the pandemic began. I don’t know what future trips will entail for COVID-19 precautions but for now I want to be more cautious and not miss out on any fun feeling sick!