13. First Visit to Kimironko Market

Thu. Nov.  5, 2015
Kimironko market in Kigali

Patrick is the "house manager" at the house that is our transitional housing. He takes "customer service excellence" to new level, helping guests like the three Swedish young ladies and me around town. Today he offered to give me a "driving lesson" with me driving his manual shift car through Kigali streets, and we had the three Swedes: Anna, Steena and Emily in the back. First stop -- the Bank of Kigali to get cash from the ATM, and while there, Patrick showed us the Kigali Youth Hostel. They are building an area for people to be able to camp in tents next to the building!

In the same building as this Bank of Kigali (BK) branch was Cafe Magda. I bought some of their "West Hills Coffee." Then I took the group across the street to Cafe Neo. Everyone was impressed with the modern style cafe with trained baristas. And the Swedes met their friend Hannes who works at the embassy!

Patrick shows us the Youth Hostel of Kigali

Getting espresso drinks at Cafe Neo - near the Youth Hostel and prtically the same building as the Dutch embassy.

Happy Cafe Neo customers -- the Swedish journalism researchers met their friend Hannes who works at the Swedish embassy.

From Cafe Neo Patrick took us to the real "destination" for the morning, the Kimironko market. I knew this was one of the important "firsts" - like the first visit to Green Hills School. It's a place that you're pretty sure will become very familiar in the near future after repeated visits, but this is the first visit, and so you notice things and are charmed by things that later will seem ordinary.

Kimironko is a wonderful "feast for the senses" with all the bright colors, people selling and calling, asking you to buy at such a "good price", smells of fragrant flowers and sweet fruits. For any readers from Michigan, it's like Eastern Market in Detroit -- on steroids. It was amazing to see the abundance of mangos and avocados, piles and piles of eggs -- which are preferably sold to you in lots of 36. In the "clothing area" there are stacks of sports shoes and stacks of women's shoes -- and we are talking stacks.  They are piled 5 or 6 ft. high.

Entrance to Kimironko market

After wandering the maze of the market, Patrick took us to a milk zone. Milk is a very favorite drink in Rwanda. One of my Rwandan friends would rather drink a liter of milk from a carton than have a Coke or a Fanta. At the Iyanga "milk zone" store next to the market there is a giant refrigerated tank holding freshly pasteurized milk. Customers come up to the counter with their empty geri cans and other containers and the attendant opens up a spigot and fills it up.

Milk Zone at Kimironko market is the place to get milk.

Bring your own container and get it filled with fresh milk!

Front of the milk zone.