Kimironko Market Part I

Oh, ho hum.

Bit of a palaver. I managed to get as muddled up as my headphones. Which, incidentally, managed to braid themselves!

So, yesterday, when I found that little café behind Immigration to get all of my paperwork sorted out, I somehow managed to pick up a set of keys from the bar which looked pretty identical to my own. I guess I wasn't paying attention, and gathered them up along with all of my papers when I left.

When I got home and pulled them out of my pocket to open the gate, I suddenly realised what had happened. I rushed back to the bar this morning and left a note. They called me back, and I returned to drop them off, no harm done. Although they had bought a new padlock, which they weren't going to charge me for, but I insisted, feeling extremely guilty about the inconvenience I must have caused.

I decided to make amends by offering them a website. It's a bit of a two-way thing. I've been wanting to try this on a local business as a bit of an experiment. I want to know whether a website and social media can really increase the number of clients that pass through their doors. I've got a bit of a marketing strategy in mind, and if it works I'm hoping they can sing my praises (rather than curse me for walking off with their keys) and perhaps it'll result in some business for me, too. 

Having exchanged e-mail addresses, I then tried to walk off with their pen. They must think I'm a right klepto!

Anyway, since I was out, I decided to hop a moto over to Kimironko Market. I lived really close for about a year-and-a-half, but never actually went there. Mostly because I worked near the Zania Centre, and there's a huge fruit and veg market there.

But Kimironko is the one everybody raves about. It's supposed to be massive.

Only, none of these were taken at the huge market at Kimironko. I didn't even get that far. As soon as the moto pulled up, I was pretty much ambushed by a group of ladies who hauled me into their blue wooden shack by the bus station. Within minutes I had parted with my money and gained a carrier bag full of food I could hardly carry! I managed to get it back balanced on the back of a moto - even I was impressed with myself.

Fresh ginger, tomatoes, pineapple, mangoes, avocado,
and there's some garlic in there somewhere.

Onions

Passion Fruit and Tree Tomatoes (Tamarillo)

Parsley

I love all the colours. For the first time since arriving here, I took to the kitchen. I've literally been surviving off beer, brochettes, bread, cheese and peanut butter, so it was time to do my body a favour. I managed to whip up some pasta with plenty of fresh ginger, garlic, parsley, tomato, green pepper and a dash of turmeric. 

Earlier, I had made the fatal mistake of eating corner shop samosa. As anyone will tell you, they taste delicious, but the amount of bacteria on them totally mangles your stomach. I'd been feeling the amoebic rumblings most of the day, so this was medicine food. Garlic cleanses the blood, turmeric is an analgesic (painkiller), and parsley and ginger are well known for settling the stomach. To be sure, I washed down my meal with two mugs of ginger tea.

The combination worked. Within an hour I had no more tummy cramps, and everything was back to normal by morning. It really does go to prove that what you eat is important. Food in Kigali has become more expensive, but not more diverse - unless you count fancy restaurants. Every now and then a home cooked meal is exactly what's needed. The smells and the textures of fresh ingredients are so therapeutic.

I have labelled this Kimironko Part I as I fully intend to return at some point and find the actual market.