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Rwanda

Uncomfortable Truths

through these buses to reach the street was definitely unsettling. I reached the street and took a few
seconds to work out where I was. Almost immediately, a white car stopped and the three African women
inside shouted at me to get away from where I was standing. "You will be attacked". Even as I digested
this, an armed police patrol arrived. One of those ubiquitous police pickup trucks. Several armed police

sitting on the bench seats in the back. I was ordered to go sit in the nearby petrol station.)

Kampala, Uganda, was a hotch-potch of a specific central bus station and private bus
companies with their own 'yard' in which passengers waited. The small range of old, very

old, seats that once
Arusha, Tanzania was a bit like Kampala but a bit more organised. The arrival bus

station was overly congested with a sense of hectic chaos. Guide books warn you to try to

get dropped off before you get to the bus park. They say your belongings will be safer that
way.)

Kigali bus station is nothing if not busy. It’s also very definitely regulated and
supervised. There's a place for every vehicle type and every destination. Stop elsewhere

and within seconds, uniformed 'police' will be there to move you on. Crowds of people, but

just as everywhere else, you and your belongings are totally safe. It’s Africa, very definitely
Africa. There's all the usual African noise, hubbub, badinage...and the same stress for

drivers as they try to get their vehicle to the exit to begin their journey proper. But organised

and efficient.
*****
Travelling by bus along the main highways in Rwanda offers more insights. Bus travel

varies so much from African country to African country. And travelling by bus in Rwanda is
way better than most other places.

*****
Due to the length of long-distance travel in Ethiopia and the ban on night time bus journeys,
long-distance buses normally depart at about 5.30am. Private companies provide coach

like services that would not go amiss in Europe. But the road side facilities would not.

Toilet breaks consist of squatting in an adjacent piece of open land. Regulation is good.
Standing passengers are strictly not allowed.

*****
Malawi buses are a real mix. Both scheduled and unscheduled services. And luxury private
services. Bus travel in Malawi can be real fun. A different type of fun according to which

type of bus service you take. Luxury buses offered me both the usual TV film but also a