Rwanda (03/13/2022-03/21/2022)

When I mentioned to people that I was visiting Rwanda, I'd instantly be met with puzzled or concerned looks on their faces that I was about to step in a warzone or a place of untold misery due to the events that happened in the 1990s, and most popularised by movies like Hotel Rwanda. 

Indeed in 1994, Rwanda underwent some of the most brutal violence in human history - the Rwandan genocide took place between Hutus and Tutsis that claimed somewhere between 500,000 to 1 million lives and with 250,000 to 500,000 women raped, ended by Paul Kagame, who has been the President since. 

According to local accounts, 80% of all Rwandans lost someone in their family, and 70% witnessed it with their own eyes. This was a deeply personal genocide - your neighbour would be your good friend today and your executioner by machete tomorrow.

It is hard to believe that a country could recover from that. 

27 years later, Rwanda is a shining beacon of hope in Africa and one of the fastest growing economies in the world, albeit starting virtually from zero. 

The Kagame regime had maintained an iron grip while building fundamental institutions to ensure that Rwanda had a much brighter future than its traumatic past. Today it is known for being exceptionally clean, both physically, and ethically - single use plastic is banned nationwide, and it is one of the least corrupt countries in Africa. 

The government has placed emphasis on health and education, having achieved nearly universal vaccination of girls against HPV, a strong emphasis on primary / community health, and the establishment of strong STEM institutions including the Africa campus of Carnegie Mellon University. 

The country itself has a nearly perfect climate, being located at a high altitude and on the equator. The land is hilly, blessed with rich soil and water, and as such is full of lush vegetation, of which coffee, tea and plantains, are most notable crops. The food was very fresh and delicious - my two favourites were the Rwandan "national dish" of brochettes (grilled meat skewers) and the tree tomato (or tamarillo), rich in lycopene, but native to South America, not Rwanda.  

I'm probably one of the few visitors who didn't take the opportunity to visit the mountain gorillas - unfortunately, this trip was not for vacation, but I did have the opportunity to visit around Kigali, a few rural villages, and Lake Kivu.

Overall, I am very optimistic about the future of Rwanda and enjoyed learning about the country, and meeting many of the wonderful people trying to build a better future. 

Like my prior post, I had a lot of help planning this trip and I'm indebted to both Paul and Jean for making this happen - thank you.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (03/24/2022 - 03/30/2022)

This is not the Saudi Arabia we grew up with. I heard this repeated over and over again and having made a new friend at a conference in Dubai, I had to see it with my own eyes and it is true. 

I have never seen a country step forward into the 21st century with such vengeance, led by the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Saud. While some of steps have been questionable, he is generally deeply appreciated, especially by the young people in the country, many of whom I had a chance to interact with directly. They have the will and the resources to modernise their nation, and I believe they will succeed if they stay the course.

Riyadh itself is a bit of an anomaly - it is a metropolis of 7 million people (officially) that is in the middle of a desert, long having surpassed its ability to sustain itself on what used to be an oasis. It is nearly inhospitable (at least to me) between the months of April and October, and I was lucky to visit while it was still relatively cool during the day and quite cold at night. 

The energy of the city and the people were inspiring, and I was lucky to hear firsthand their stories and hopes for the future. 

While in absolute terms there is still ways to go, relatively speaking it was quite inspiring to see a rise in women's freedoms in particular - lots of female entrepreneurship, no mandatory head covering, and even the shaking of hands, quite commonplace today, would have been unthinkable a decade ago. 

There were many activities to do, and the food, both local and international, were great, especially considering how remote the city is. One thing under development is the walkability of the city - everyone drives, and it is actually quite dangerous to try to walk on the street given the lack of sidewalks in many places. A metro is under construction and should be completed by the end of 2023. 

Overall, it was a great first experience and next time it would be interesting to visit beyond Riyadh, especially some of the more ancient sites presently not visited much by tourists like Al-'Ula, some of the more temperate cities like Dammam or Jeddah, and the extremely ambitious NEOM sites.

I am deeply grateful to Mo and Fatmah for a wonderful introduction to this country.