Bujumbura

A couple weeks ago, I went with a group of friends to Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. Burundi is just south of Rwanda- in pre-colonial Africa, they were both part of the Kingdom of Rwanda, so they share the same ethnic makeup and language. It had a civil war which ended in 2004, so they are still very much on the rebound. Bujumbura is not as clean and orderly as Kigali, and overall seems poorer, but has some very nice clubs and restaurants.

We stayed in a bungalow on the shore of lake Tangyanika, the second largest lake in the world by volume (4500 cubic miles) and the second deepest lake in the world (4,800 feet at the lowest point.) By comparison, lake Superior has only 2900 cubic miles and is 1300 feet deep. I'm told the diving is terrific, but recommended only for the experienced.

There's not a ton to do in Bujumbura, except eat/drink/hang out at the lake, but we heard about a zoo in the city.

This zoo was charming yet terrifying, as only a zoo in the developing world can be. Here in the reptile house, our guide pulled a large viper out of his cage and set it on the floor so we could pet it. He also walked into a crocodile cage to tease one with a stick that was not very long.

The chimp, Tina, was a little more worrying for me than the snakes, what with the news stories in the last few years about people being mauled and killed by 'domesticated' chimpanzees. She tried to pull off peoples' clothes, jackets, rings, and bracelets.

The leopard was surprisingly similar to a housecat- playful, rubbing against the bars and letting us scratch her through the wire.

We also went into a cage with a monkey, who jumped around on our arms and heads for about half an hour before he started getting wound up and biting people.


We hung out a lot of the time at Bora Bora, a lakeside restaurant with a pool and delicious food, and at the Havana Club, a swanky night spot for dancing. Cool trip overall, mostly because of the people who shared it.