by Henry
92 km, over 2200 m ascent, temperature 24° C. Sunny in the morning, but cloudy in the afternoon. We had a torrential rainstorm in the late afternoon after setting up camp, with the corresponding drop in temperature. This seems to be the pattern for the rainy season here. Since arriving in Rwanda, we've had very little wind. The air has been generally still and close.
A pile of rocks left by a dump truck. I saw only one piece of heavy equipment (bulldozer) all day. It appears that all of the retaining walls, drainage ditches, and other infrastructure necessary to support a roadway are built with hand tools and old-fashioned manual labor. I saw multiple road crews working.
Village with colorful rooftops, and Lake Kivu in the distance.
Rwanda's hills.
Waterfall.
Outdoor clothing market. This was adjacent to other vendors selling fruit and vegetables, as well as chickens.
Our lunch area was roped off with a string. The locals and kids respect this boundary. We were surrounded on three sides by gapers.
Towards the end of the ride today, we came upon massive tea fields, all part of a co-op. The farming is done by hand. There are no animals or tractors helping.
Our roads were very hilly today, and at times steep. This doesn't stop locals from hauling unwieldy objects by foot or bike. This is a stack of 10 mattresses.
Our campsite tonight is at La Bella Lodge, on the north end of Lake Kivu, a stone's throw from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire).
As promised, our road all day was excellent quality tarmac (only Americans use the term "asphalt").
92 km, over 2200 m ascent, temperature 24° C. Sunny in the morning, but cloudy in the afternoon. We had a torrential rainstorm in the late afternoon after setting up camp, with the corresponding drop in temperature. This seems to be the pattern for the rainy season here. Since arriving in Rwanda, we've had very little wind. The air has been generally still and close.
A pile of rocks left by a dump truck. I saw only one piece of heavy equipment (bulldozer) all day. It appears that all of the retaining walls, drainage ditches, and other infrastructure necessary to support a roadway are built with hand tools and old-fashioned manual labor. I saw multiple road crews working.
Village with colorful rooftops, and Lake Kivu in the distance.
Rwanda's hills.
Waterfall.
Outdoor clothing market. This was adjacent to other vendors selling fruit and vegetables, as well as chickens.
Our lunch area was roped off with a string. The locals and kids respect this boundary. We were surrounded on three sides by gapers.
Towards the end of the ride today, we came upon massive tea fields, all part of a co-op. The farming is done by hand. There are no animals or tractors helping.
Our roads were very hilly today, and at times steep. This doesn't stop locals from hauling unwieldy objects by foot or bike. This is a stack of 10 mattresses.
Our campsite tonight is at La Bella Lodge, on the north end of Lake Kivu, a stone's throw from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire).
As promised, our road all day was excellent quality tarmac (only Americans use the term "asphalt").
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