Something Clever : Kinkole

Yesterday I headed out with friends on my second Hash walk/run (First one was in October, see earlier post) in the small town of Kinkole, a bit past the airport so about an hour drive, maybe a bit less (I don't exactly remember as I was very occupied looking out the window at the ever-interesting view). Your neighborhood jeans store, with the awesome wall-painted advertisements as a backdrop:

Average public transportation, a privately owned van painted Congo colors of blue and yellow. There are vans painted other colors as well. Usually they have a saying or Bible verse printed in the windows, front, back or both. Someone is usually hanging out the large door on the other side, collecting fares from those who board.

Not a great shot, but this is my current favorite billboard in Kinshasa. Just deeply cheesy and amazing. "I'm cool. You're cool. We're cool. AquaKool." (Advertisement for Aqua brand bottled water, which I have never purchased, so apparently my adoration of their cheesy advertising is not encouraging my consumerism.) Directly in front is a soda/beer truck with crates of glass bottles on board. Many establishments (TASOK included) have weekly deliveries where the truck arrives, takes back our crates of empty glass bottles, and gives us crates of full ones re-sealed with metal tops, which we often drink at school events and weekly professional development (soda, not beer).

View down a busy market street off the main road where we were driving. I especially enjoyed the Shakira billboards. Man in foreground is trying to sell us drinks while we are stopped.

This hash was very exciting, as most of the neighborhood kids wanted to come with us the WHOLE way. It was also a large group of walkers to begin with. This is sort of an example of the congestion, though the trail was wide here so we could spread out a lot. Not a completely rural walk as you can see.

Did manage to capture some un-congested pictures of the more rural scenery. Part of a hash walk/run is false trails, so here we are, having just found the flour marking on the ground telling us to turn back.