Bricks, Milk from the Teat & Justin!

This morning we started our cultural tour experience with Amahoro Tours. They are an excellent organization that gives 50% of the money they make back to the community and the Rwandans who host tourists.

After being picked up by our guide, Hassan, we were taken to a brick making factory about an hour outside of the city. There, workers were making bricks from mud and laying them in very neat rows in the sun to dry. James and Dave had the opporuntiy to get their hands dirty for about an hour. We were taught how to put the mud into molds, squeeze the air out and place the brick in the row. Needless to say, our bricks were very sloppy and several were a total waste. After our aching backs could take no more, we took a break and enjoyed a traditional Rwandan drink made from fermented sorghum. After the bricks are made and dry in the sun for a week, they are fired in a huge oven fueled by oil.

After our brick-making experience, we drove up to two lakes and enjoyed an outstanding view of the valley of Ruhengeri district.

After making bricks and viewing the lakes, Dave and James went to the popular market to purchase a chicken for our host family and our friend Bosco. We also purchased rice, potatoes, tomatos, oil, carrots and onions. We named the chicken Egide.

James and Dave had the opportunity to spend the night with a Rwandan family last night. Justin, the father in the family, greeted us when we arrived. Justin is the Director of Volcanoes National Park in Kinigi. He took James and Dave out for a drink and goat brochettes, a Rwandan tradition we have come to love. We have enjoyed them each day we have been here. Justin and his wife cooked a very good meal. We had very small fish (about the size of minnows) from Lake Kivu, cassava leaves, pasta, and an excellent bananna dish mixed with tomatoes. To drink, we had very warm milk straight from the cow's utter--a custom we're getting used to.

After we finished eating, James, Dave and Justin's family sat down to watch a Nigererian TV show called "Worlds Apart." It was a loose version of Cinderella. We went to bed around 10 p.m. after a very rich day.