A Rare Day Off, Well Spent in Kigali

 A Rare Day Off, Well Spent in Kigali

Today was one of those days that feels extra special, not because anything extraordinary happened, but because my wife and I finally had a full day off together. It had been a long time coming, so we decided to truly make the most of it.

In the late morning, we headed to the Eco Park in Kigali, a place we’d been meaning to visit but somehow never had. Walking through the park and its gardens for an hour or two was exactly what we needed. Surrounded by greenery, birdsong, and calm, we slowed down and simply enjoyed being there, soaking it all in without any rush.

For lunch, we stopped by the restaurant inside the park. We ordered the Rwandan-style beef stew and a vegetable soup, and both turned out to be quite delicious, warm, comforting, and perfect after a leisurely walk.

While relaxing in the park, our conversation drifted to the movie theater in Kigali. A friend in the expat community had recently shared a rumor that the theater might not stay operational much longer. I really hope that isn’t true. It’s the only theater in town that shows current international movie releases, and losing it would mean waiting for everything to hit streaming services at home. Coincidentally, we noticed that Avatar: Fire and Ash had just been released and was playing that day. That settled it, we decided to catch the 4 PM showing.

On our way back to the parking lot, we had an unexpected moment: a local reporter from a Chinese broadcasting company in Rwanda stopped us and asked if we’d be willing to answer a few questions about our thoughts on the Eco Park. We were happy to oblige and share our impressions.

Traffic outside the park was pretty bad as we headed toward the theater, so we changed our route to avoid the worst of the jam. Eventually, we made it there. Since it was opening weekend, there was a decent-sized crowd. We lined up, bought our tickets, and grabbed a couple of drinks. The movie was scheduled to start at 4 PM, but it didn’t actually begin until around 4:12. Even the movies don’t start on time in Rwanda, everything here seems to happen on “Rwandan time.”

After the film, we took in the amazing view of Kigali from the top of Rebero, with the city lights spread out below us. Along the drive home, we also enjoyed seeing the Christmas and holiday illuminations decorating the roads and roundabouts.

By the time we got home, it was already time for dinner. We reheated some leftovers from the Vuba Vuba meal we’d ordered on Friday night. I cleaned up the dishes, and then we wound down for the evening, grateful for a simple, full day spent together.

All in all, it was a really great day, one we both needed and will definitely remember.