Blogs from Bobo-Dioulasso, Hauts-Bassins, Burkina Faso, Africa
In Bobo, Burkina Faso
Published: July 13th 2009Africa » Burkina Faso » Hauts-Bassins » Bobo-Dioulasso
July 12th 2009
Well I finally got out of Mali --- described as the “Jewel of West Africa” --- but I don’t agree. It is a very wearing place to visit as an independent backpacker. Perhaps it would be better with money, a good guide and a 4 x 4. There is too little economic activity other than ripping off tourists. Also there are few ex-pats so almost all white people are tourists. Actually glad to leave, which was a hassle. Tuesday I bought a ticket for a ride to the highway at 11:30. We finally left Djenne at 3:30. I was told to be at the highway (Carafoure) at 5-6ish. Then I find out that the “bus” to Bobo only arrives at the Carafoure at 9ish every night. Why tell me to be there 3-4 hours early!? TIA! ... read more
Part 5- Bobo and trying to remain sane!
Published: April 27th 2009Africa » Burkina Faso » Hauts-Bassins » Bobo-Dioulasso
April 27th 2009
The rest of this entry will be pretty abbreviated just because it was a slow journey back to Ghana and would get really really frustrating a lot of times and I am still trying to block out the bad memories. Plus we did a lot and I’m just getting tired of typing so much! So the next day we went left Timbuktu for another LOVELY ride in a 4x4 back to Mopti. Our driver was a lot better this time so we didn’t get stuck in the sand as much. We got to Sevare in about 9 hours and said bye to Jacob and headed to an internet café to email our families and tell them we got back alive. We went to a hotel and decided to try to save a few dollars and sleep ... read more
Vegan in Africa? say what crazy lady?
Published: December 27th 2007Africa » Burkina Faso » Hauts-Bassins » Bobo-Dioulasso
December 26th 2007
I made the switch from veggie to vegan about two months before leaving for Africa. Go Figure. In a place with as limited of food choices as your local 7-11, I was going to skip out entirely on anything animal; no meat, eggs, fish, dairy. I, the incredibly dutiful subscriber to sustainability, good karma, and digestive functionality, would boldly go where no vegan dares to go; to the land of little else to eat but starchy bread and stringy goat. Regardless of all the quips my doubting, ye of little faith friends back home piled on me before I left, I was going to stick it out. I mean, visiting Africa pretty much means malnutrition anyway, so why not stick to my big green guns and go down in hippie land history in the meantime? I ... read more
May 18th 2007
So I went into Ouaga last weekend and I had written out a whole blog update, then I forgot it in the village. So sorry for the delay and the back-dated entry. CDP got the most votes in the elections and now have a majority in the national assembly. Not sure what that means for the country exactly. Still hot here. People keep telling me that the rainy season starts in mid-May and then it gets cooler. It’s mid-May. I’m still waiting for rain. I biked in to Bobo this morning with my neighbor, and a little section of the road has been paved. That little piece was wonderfully smooth and not dusty to ride on. A couple weekends ago in the village was the dance of the masques. It is almost planting season, and ... read more
Satiri, Bala, elections
Published: May 5th 2007Africa » Burkina Faso » Hauts-Bassins » Bobo-DioulassoMay 5th 2007
For the last month I’ve been back in Satiri teaching. It’s still hot, but it must be getting a little better because I’ve been able to sleep at night. We’ve even gotten a little rain! After just a couple of showers, everything became instantly greener. The harmattan dust was rinsed from green leaves, mangoes ripened to yellow-orange fruit, and the flamboyant tree on the corner bloomed with hundreds of small red flowers. The villagers call these the “mango rains:” a little drizzle every week or two, just to rinse the dust off the mangoes. In a few more weeks, the real rains will come. In the meantime, mangoes are in season. The tree branches are weighed down with the fruit, which reaches softball-to-football size. People tie long poles together, reach high up on the tree ... read more
Bobo and the return of the photos
Published: August 9th 2006Africa » Burkina Faso » Hauts-Bassins » Bobo-Dioulasso
August 9th 2006
We have continued south west and after some fruitless searching for elepants near a small town called Boromo we have arrived in Burkinas second city, Bobo. The biggest change is how the land looks. In what seems a ridiculously small distance the savannah which appeared around Ouaga has been replaced with lush forests and vegetation so thich you can barely see a few metres off the side of the road. The rainy season has really kicked in now too which is great for us as it means long respites from the heat and the chance to sleep without sweating. Another huge benefit for us is the return of relatively plentiful and varied food. Bananas are back and so are women carrying huge baskets of vegetables instead of the sad looking, half rotten tomatos we had become ... read more
June 1st 2006
In addition to Belize, Bhutan, Brunei and Burundi any list of countries you don't know anything about should include Burkina Faso. In the centre of West Africa with close to no natural resources, annual famines and a corrupt pseudo-democracy jerking the rudder of this landlocked sinking country - it doesn't promote itself as paradise. On our initial itinerary, five days were set aside to transit the country, but after eight days in the anti-picturesque capital; Ouagadougou and eight more days in the second-largest city; Bobo-Dioulasso, we had made some small amendments to our schedule. In terms of sights or activity there's not much to neither see nor do. We rented motorbikes and went to the Kou forest park, swam in a waterfall and rented a canoe for a tranquil lake trip to see some hippos. Other ... read more
