The group of shops right below the Gorilla Hotel which are enclosed with the green fencing is a “tourist trap.” The cost of these goods is four times what you would pay at the local markets.
The group of shops at the UTC building in town is another “tourist trap.” Items are very overpriced with the exception of Bourbon Coffee, a little pricey, but worth. Besides, Bourbon Cafe has free internet access with every order.
Get your price quote on any transportation short or long distances up front. It always works out to be cheaper.
Taxi’s don’t normally charge you for wait time. I have gone to several places where my driver waited an hour and sometimes two hours before I returned. There was no extra charge.
For fair prices on market goods, go to Ndolis Market or One Market in Remera. The gas prices are high due to the challenges Kenya is facing right now, so be aware that transportation costs may be higher than you expect.
For great African Chai Tea, go to Le Planet Restaurant, located behind Ndolis Market in Remera. They also have a $3 buffet that gives the Novotel $29 buffet a run for their money.
If you travel to the Nymirambo area, there is a street gang called the Abugera (not sure how to spell it). They will gladly take your money, your clothes and your shoes. Their hours are 8:30 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. I only know this because two friends of mine that live in the area were cornered several evenings by the grup on their way home. Apparently, they told my local friends that they owed them money and thy knew they had it because they saw them walking with a Muzungu, me, earlier in the day. I’m not real sure how to advise you on this one. I didn’t give them money. I was just walking with them. We certainly don’t want to put our Rwandan friends in danger with our presence. I just thought I’ make you aware.
Expect to have people ask you for money everyday, even several times a day. This is something that you just will have to get use to. I had a group of kids follow me home several times during my first two weeks in Kigali. Be careful, the older street-kids and the homeless adults are always watching and you don’t want to make any of the other the children who are not homeless a target.
Realize that as a Muzungu, aka: white person; you are generally quoted 6 to 10 times the local price for anything. Negotiating is expected. The Rwandans rather enjoy it. Feel free to walk away or even down the street if you feel a price is too steep.
If you are buying MTN scratcher minute cards (and if you’re on a Mission Trip you definitely are) to add time to your phones, scratch off the coating in front of the selling agent and then add your new access code to your phone BEFORE the seller takes off. Unfortunately, I have been sold bad cards a few times and of course those were the cards that were the expensive 5,000 Rwandan franc cards, which is about $9 USA dollars.
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In partnership with Rwanda’s leading microfinance institutions, Village Phone Rwanda creates opportunities for poor rural individuals to become “Village Phone Operators” or Tel’imbere operators. These Tel’imbere businesses (contraption of development through telecommunication) can be established in areas where electricity is unavailable and in areas where the MTN network can only be accessed with a booster antenna.
Introducing Village Phone Rwanda
Village Phone Rwanda extends telecommunications access to rural villages across Rwanda. In partnership with Rwanda’s leading microfinance institutions, Village Phone creates opportunities for poor rural individuals to become “Village Phone Operators”. These Village Phone businesses can be established in areas where electricity is unavailable and in areas where the MTN network can only be accessed with a booster antenna.
Affordable Communications for Rural Rwanda
Village Phone Rwanda provides special airtime rates to the Village Phone Operators to enable them to provide affordable telecommunications services to people in their village. Upcountry, people are now able to make a call without traveling many kilometers to the nearest town. They can simply go to their community Village Phone Operator who serves and supports the community by making affordable communications services available.
The above link is the foundation that grants the Village Phone. This is a great research project and an opportunity to get mobile phones into some of the more rural areas we visit.
See Romain Murenzi, Minister of Science and Technology of Rwanda talk about the benefits of Nicholas Negroponte’s organization, OLPC Initiative.
Contact Information:
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
Prof. Romain Murenzi
MINISTERContact Details:Tel: (+250) 83051Fax: (+250) 82162
E-mail: rmurenzi@avu.org
Web site: www.mineduc.gov.rw
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Nicholas Negroponte
One Laptop per Child
P.O. Box 425087
Cambridge, MA 02142
U.S.A.tel: 617-452-5663
http://www.laptop.org/en/vision/index.shtml
 | Ellie Edwards on About Rwanda Betty |
