On the way to Akagera

This is a typical home in the countryside. Note the wash hanging and the black animals reclining next to the house, near the wash is very typical. In some cases, you can see the animals actually entering the home. The munchkin to the left was one who waved at us...as the four of us drove by children, they would wave and laugh at us and ask for money. We waved at everyone and I was wishing I had brought bags of candy to pass out like I did in Kenya.

Another typical house below...screens are pretty much non-existent here and of course, malaria, yellow fever and more are prevalent. The photo was shot with an eye to the woman carrying her water jug but I needed to be discreet so you get the mirror from the car. Every day people here take their empty jugs, in some cases, walking for miles, to refill them. Many carry the jugs on bikes, many atop their head, like this woman. My driver told me when kids get to the age of six, they begin working and we saw many a small child lugging one or two of these yellow plastic jugs up or down hills. Living here is quite difficult. And the red dirt makes everything just coated and crusted with filth.

Check out the dirt...when we were in Akagera, as we drove through on the tracks, we passed through this typical red dirt, then into a white and then, a brown. Changed with the environment...had palm trees in one area and cactus in another.

Eddie's poor car turned red from the dirt. The gardener here at the house will wash it so it will return to its normally healthy greyish color.