Kanogo to Kigali - Day 318

Date: July 2nd, 2010
Distance: 88km
Country: Rwanda

Packed up the tent and got on the road early. The first ten minutes was brilliant. I was screaming downhill in the crisp morning air. Sadly, that didn't last. I spent the next 20km, and the remainder of the morning, climbing up and over a range of hills. That was tough, just grinding out the miles. Plus my legs are still a bit sore.

The afternoon I took the turn and headed west to Kigali. The road was still up and down a lot, but no major climbs. I was thankful for that.

I got into town and got in touch with Albert. He is a friend of Elie, who I met in Senegal. Albert met me near the center of town. We had a soda and watched the World Cup for a bit. I also got to talk to Albert for a bit. He is a cool guy. I guess he was orphaned during the genocide, but he still has one brother and one sister.

His sister is apparently getting married next week. I was asking about the wedding ceremony here. Apparently part of the wedding ceremony is the dowry negotiation. The dowry here actually makes sense to me. First, the man (or his family) pays the woman's family. Traditionally it was paid in cows, but now it is usually just money. It makes sense as a way to ensure the woman is going to be taken care of. Plus the money is usually spent to provide things for the new home just like in the west. People get wedding presents to make sure the new couple is well appointed for domestic life. In this case, since there are no old men left in Albert's family to negotiate, apparently they "rented" them. Old man rental, now that is a little bit different from back home. It is good to know that they are keeping traditions alive despite everything that has happened.

After the game, we headed over to the house of Albert's friend Andrew. They let me put my bike in a spare bedroom. From there we headed out to watch the World Cup. Ghana vs. Uruguay. When Ghana scored the first goal, it seemed like the city, probably the country and continent erupted in cheers. Ghana had come to embody the hopes for an African team to make it to the finals. I could just imagine people all over the continent, in huts, houses and tents, watching generator powered TVs or listening on battery powered radios cheering at the same moment. Sadly Ghana lost in a penalty shootout after overtime. It was rather disappointing as I thought Ghana really did play the better game.

-Dravis