June 17, 2010
Late one night while relaxing on the couch I caught the movie Hotel Rwanda on television by chance. I had never seen it before, although always having been keen to do so, and felt that this was the sign I needed to know that this trip was meant to be. It was surely a sign, in my min  d, that I should travel to the heart of Africa and learn more about what Rwanda has to offer. So, while I waited to learn where the group would be staying, I held out hope that it'd be at the actual hotel, the Hotel des Mille Collines. Sadly, this part of it was not meant to be as we were instead housed in a hotel that, as I said previously, made me yearn for a night at a Motel 6. But, more on that in another post. A trip to the Hotel des Mille Collines, or the Hotel of a Thousand Hills - for which the country is nicknamed - was not originally on our itinerary, but we were able to fit in a quick stop on our way out of Kigali to Ruhengeri since we needed to stop at a nearby bank anyway. Our visit was brief, not even long enough to sip a beer at the poolside bar, but it made a huge impression on me since I had so recently seen the film. I was awash with emotion, especially after having just seen the genocide memorial hours earlier, as I imagined the events that transpired in the movie happening right before my eyes. It was an emotionally overwhelming visit, but one that I was pleased we had the brief opportunity to do. And while I'm sure the hotel staff, who has to see it daily, doesn't appreciate tourists coming in to snap photos of their hotel because of the movie, I feel it necessary for any visitor to the country to see the movie and the location where it all happened. Sadly though, there's no mention anywhere in the hotel of the events that transpired in 1994; I can appreciate that they want to move on, but it seems only right to recognize what happened in the past.
Regardless, as we left the hotel to head west for our encounters with the gorillas, I couldn't help but feel a great disappointment at our not having stayed there. It would've been great to experience the hotel for longer than the 30 minutes possible. It has such an amazing story to tell and I'm not sure it can properly be appreciated in such a short amount of time.
But hey, at least I was able to meet Don Cheadle, the main actor from the film, later on the trip. 
Posted by Jason Hussong
June 14, 2010
On our first morning together as a group in Rwanda we took a brief city tour before heading over to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Center. I knew it was a necessary stop on the trip, but I really had no desire to see once again how brutal one man can be towards another; my trip to Buchenwald Concentration Camp in Germany was quite enough. Still though, I went with the g  roup and toured the center. We didn't have much time to tour the museum as we were on a bit of a budget when it came to t... Continue reading...
Posted by Jason Hussong
June 10, 2010
I wanted to post stories while in Rwanda, but the group was so busy that there was hardly time to do anything but eat, sleep and see the sites. But now that I'm back from the trip eight time zones away, I plan on giving a full report on everything we saw. I want to start here though with a  brief overview of what we did in Rwanda, and then go into each stop in more detail later with adding various tips and suggestions for anyone traveling to Rwanda; there's just so much to write that it's i...
Posted by Jason Hussong
May 19, 2010
In the northern part of Arizona, just east of Page, on Navajo Indian land is one of the most interesting places I've ever photographed. And I say photographed, rather than seen, because what's really spectacular about the place comes about when seen through the right exposure on your camera.  There's really no other way to see Antelope Canyon, in my opinion, than with a few good pictures. I know that sounds a bit weird, but without the extra exposure from your camera lense, Antel... Continue reading...
Posted by Jason Hussong
May 18, 2010
I'm done with my immunizations for my trip to Rwanda, and I can't help but feel a bit like a human pin cushion after only five shots. My nurse did the best she could when administering the shots, but she confessed that the needle was a bigger caliber than normal as I'm a bigger guy and supposedly it's necessary to get through my skin. Personally, I took it more as a reminder that I'm lucky not to regularly go through that type of crap and should be happy with just the occasional shot for t... Continue reading...
Posted by Jason Hussong
May 11, 2010
Had you asked me a week ago if I would ever go to Rwanda, I probably would've said no. It's not that I didn't have a desire to go, I'd actually like to go most everywhere, it's just about the means and purpose. The means would certainly come at some point, although I would've thought years and years down the road, so the big issue was the purpose. Why would I ever want to go to Rwanda, a tiny landlocked country in the middle of Africa that's most infamously known for the genocide of the 19...
Posted by Jason Hussong
May 7, 2010
Just south of the Utah state line with Arizona sits the town of Page, and just south of there the Colorado River decides to make a sharp U-turn on itself. This spot is known as Horseshoe Bend, famous for the one great photographic opportunity it offers after a short hike from a parking lot right off of Highway 89. I was interested in stopping and enjoying the view for a bit, so I swun  g off the road after leaving the Grand Canyon earlier that morning. I made good time on the trail, t...
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Posted by Jason Hussong
April 29, 2010
A friend of mine told me before I left on my big birthday road trip that he took four days to see the Grand Canyon with his family, and it wasn't nearly enough. Because of that, I figured  I'd be able to see one little section of the south rim, and see it well, while I was there for a full day. But, in this instance, it just wasn't true and I was able to see the length of the south rim that's under the protection of the National Park Service in the full day. There are other sections of...
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Posted by Jason Hussong
April 22, 2010
I've been to Las Vegas so many times on vacation it's not even funny. But, when it comes down to seeing anything in the town, I'm really rather a novice to be quite honest. I can tell you exactly how to get to the bathroom in so many casinos, but I've never really done any of the touristy things beyond play some  cards, eat some buffets, and see a couple of shows. So on this last trip to Vegas, I wanted to make sure to do something that I hadn't done before. I spoke with my friend Bri...
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Posted by Jason Hussong
April 19, 2010
When I was a child, and I mean young, I broached the subject with my father about getting a tattoo. He told me that if I did I wouldn't live  under his roof any longer. Well, this wasn't really an issue as I've always been afraid of needles. I guess, as I look back on it now, the question was more along the lines of seeing how far I could push his limits, which were obviously not broad enough to allow his young child to get a tattoo - even if it said "I <3 Mom."
Well, for the past ... Continue reading...
Posted by Jason Hussong
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d, that I should travel to the heart of Africa and learn more about what Rwanda has to offer.
