Climbing the 'Collines'

On Friday I went for a ride in the collines, or hills, just outside Bujumbura.  While I am often, on these rides, driven to get in as many kilometers as possible, this time I gave priority to my camera lens.  And so, here's some photos.

Up the paved road from my hillside house, this national monument looks out over the city and exhorts Burundians to the communal goods of "unity, work, and progress."

This juxtaposition of Coke and corn at a beer-and-soda container store made me pull over.  Coke (along with a few other sodas) is one of the few locally-manufactured products available in Burundi.  Corn, along with other vegetables, often grows roadside as city residents try to augment their meager livings.

The "Donnez moi l'argent!" or give-me-money culture is firmly entrenched here, and any adult, when asked for a photo, is more than likely to respond with the phrase.  Since I didn't want to give these ladies any money, I snapped their bright umbrellas - a common and colorful protection from near-equatorial sun - instead.

This little guy, walking up the hill barefoot with a sack balanced on his head, kept catching up to me as I frequently stopped pedaling to take photos of the ever-expanding view.  The irony of taking his portrait in front of the university (background) that he will likely never be able to attend was not lost on me.

Here he is again as we both climb the dirt roads (the route goes from paved to dirt at the university) above Bujumbura into vibrant green hills dotted with houses and covered with sloping fields of cassava, bananas, lettuce, tomatoes, peanuts.

This girl gnaws on a bit of cassava root (like a yam, sort of) as she and her friends head up the road to get some water from the closest faucet.  I was a bit nervous to stop for her photo, but with the rock balanced on her head (I have no idea what for) I overcame my clicking inhibitions and snapped away.

This dilapidated house atop a knoll is about a 55 minute climb by mountain bike up from the city.  I call it the "ruined castle," and wouldn't mind renovating it and living out my days there.

Stopping in a hill town (I think it's called Muyera, the only sign says 'Centre de Sante Kavumo') for a refreshing lemon Fanta, I got this guy to take a photo of me.  In return, he let me snap one of him.

Outside the town, a woman prepares a hillside field for planting.

From Muyera, I took a hard right back toward Bujumbura onto an increasingly unimproved mountain road.  It took me through beautiful stream canyons...

...on sections no longer useable by motor vehicles.  When it came time for a very dilapidated bridge crossing, these school kids showed me how to walk the plank with no fear.

This woman was one of the few adults who gave me permission to photograph her, and so I snapped with glee.

Too soon I was back to the paved road (the road to Ijenda, for you locals, at about the 10 kilometer marker), zooming downhill toward the city and the lake.

And to end the photo essay: there's nothing like a locally-made Fanta Citron to keep the legs going on a long ride.