http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Niger/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Africa , Niger en-us Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:17:24 UTC Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:17:24 UTC When I crossed the border by buss I was really positive and meditative. The hot wind blowing furiously in my face as the bleached scenery rushed by drenched in the strongest Sahelian sun. It was a pleasure to see slight hills and eventually a valley in which the Niger flowed as we drove into Niamey the capital. This is Niger remember not Nigeria This is a country of some 14 million people http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-343247.html After the awful bus from Cotonou dropped me off in Fada I met up with PCVs Beth and Aisha. We happened to be in Fada on the night of a Floby concert what luck Floby is a popular Burkinabe singer.The next morning we joined PCV Courtney on a bus to Niamey. There was a big fiasco in which the bus company sold us tickets and then didnrsquot want to let us get on the bus but we managed to ge http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-294361.html I was just in Niger for 10 days conducting a workshop for Imams and Pastors to equip them to discuss HIV and AIDS in their congregations and communities. It went very well thanks for asking All of the translations were exhausting but other than that it was a great experience. It is nice to be in a forum where we can discuss our similarities and not focus on our differences The group was v http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-273803.html One of the things I love about West Africa...It is not very clear due to the fact that both of us were in moving vehicles but I just get a kick out of the ladies dressed to the max zooming about on motos and scooters...no helmet purse slung over the arm bags and shopping stuffed onto the front. This one was a 'minimum baggage' you notice she doesn't have three kids and a goat on the moto with http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/blog-273799.html February 25 2008Goodbye NigerIt is our last day here in Niamey Niger. We work for the morning and I complete the pedology map and copy maps we have worked on over the past few days to Amadoursquos computer.We go to lunch at the Italian restaurant. There is a special lunch menu that you can choose between two options for each appetizer main course and dessert for the cost of 7000 cifarsquo http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-250249.html February 24 2008We wake up around 630 pack up the bedding we had brought in and are ready to go around 7. We are the first ones up so head outside into the cooler air. The temperature outside is wonderful. Lots of interesting sounds around the village animals chickens roosters a few vehicles people. There is a smoky haze in the air smoke from cooking fires and fires for heat. We find t http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/blog-249837.html February 23 2008The Project at GoundayHappy Birthday Chris. Well not a traditional birthday in any way for my dear husband. The only indication it is his birthday are the cards for him from the kids and a birthday email. I wish him a happy birthday we eat breakfast and then we head out. We are off this morning to another project also located at the Burkina Faso border but more west of Niame http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/blog-249829.html February 21 2008Wow what a day it has been a full and exciting one We had our usual breakfast prepared to leave then headed to the lawyers office on the way out of town. She is a neat lady very dynamic. From there we headed to our project at Koutouggou. Our route was the one bridge over the Niger River south towards Burkina Faso.The highway portion of our route was paved and in excellent http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/blog-249014.html February 20 2008WindyWoke up to hearing the wind howling around the building. It was so dusty this morning with the strong winds. The sun was extremely dim in the sky looking more like a moon. The sand literally swirled on the street in front of us as we drove to our meeting. It looked the fine snow that can swirl around on top of a road in winter such a neat site. It actually felt a little coo http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/blog-248345.html February 19 2008Today has been an office day to start. Chris Amadou and myself have been discussing our projects and looking at some of the data I have. We went for lunch at the Grand Hotel. It is a very nice hotel and apparently quite popular hard to get into. The route there took us past a huge stadium. On the way back to my delight and surprise I saw a camel with a large load on its back http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-248029.html February 18 2008Another day another airline. This evening we flew Air Senegal from Bamako Mali to Niamey Niger. This is a new airline for me to travel on and it was a good flight. At the airport we had to go through a passport check then a health check making sure immunizations were up to date then pick up our bags and finally a baggage claim check. It took a bit of time but it was rela http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-247667.html Hello Folks Happy Canadian Thanksgiving Was in Niger then and Happy American Thanksgiving was in South Africa thenI went to Niger for work in Oct and was able to get out to Zinder for the first time since leaving the Peace Corps in 1999. I've had a hard time getting motivated to write this blog no idea why just a bit overwhelmed with everything else I suppose. I just got back from So http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Zinder/blog-223729.html The ceiling was black or was it white Or did it actually change colour depending on the time of the day That was all that I could grasp as I lay in bed with Miss Malaria munching medicines. In the hallway outside my room highheeled prostitutes ldquoclicketiclacketedrdquo back and forth with their new and old customers and outside our questionable hotel unenthusiastic independenced http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Zinder/blog-84066.html Heya readersI hope you're all doing super. I am here in my hotel room in Niamey Niger and it's been a pretty good trip so far. I'm a little grumpy due to frustrations with this continent but in general things have gone well. I will elaborate cuz that's what I do best So last night I took the dreaded trip through the Ouagadougou airport to get on my flight to Niamey. I hate the Ouagadougou a http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-68300.html not really. . . i had all these grand plans for writing a whole bunch updating all the missing adventures but here i've been back for a while now and just now getting onto this journal. there's just so much too do visit with yussef's family remodel his room get ready for the rainy season buy presents. i will also blame a large part of my lazyness on the heat it's soooo hotwhiny voice it r http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-64085.html woke up earlybecause it was hot and i rolled over and felt the cool spot where my body just was.got up to drink coldcold water from the freezer too cold to drink in big gulpshad to peehad to drench with water before going back to bed for a bitgot up lateropened the window the metal part already scaldingi wrote a little shifting out of my sweat every once and a whilewent to Yussef's sister's hou http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-44538.html 3106Love Donrsquot Cost a Thingan American movie with Steve Harvey and the kid from All That about being yourself and falling in love of course.One of the new Star Warsbut only the second half because the first cd didnrsquot work.Romeo and Julietthe Shakespearean language doesnrsquot quite come through.You Got ServedAmerican Slang does not translate either and I didnrsquot see the en http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-43887.html I love being in motion in Africa. Walking in the markets zipping in taxis bumping through the brush. I donrsquot know if itrsquos lsquocause I feel like Irsquom in a movie or I feel like oddly I can see everything more. Or see more things in a shorter period of time even if itrsquos only a flash. We drove for about thirty minutes dodging sheep and donkeys and potholes. And th http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-43886.html i got into Naropa UniversityI guess I haven't told many people.I found out walking downtown when dad called for the second time in one dayeager to find out and he opened my email for meso i'll be in Boulder next year yay Carpenters we'll have lots of hang out time http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-43884.html 22706Now is the time when you hug the walls for the littlest bit of shadow. Even at noon when there are slivers of shadow your flipflopped toes are happy for the little bit of relief. Just walking to the internet caf and talking to a friend for 15 minutes toasted my shoulders to a nice red. We cross the street to be out of the sun just a little bit. We give up talking not only because it http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-43469.html 2706Catacofour light bulbs 1000three tomatoes 50pumice foot stone 25metal scrubby 75bag of henna 100small pepper 25 kilo bag of sugar 250 bag of flour 75paint brush 750little sack of ginger 25jar of peanut butter 600pasta 3006 nails 100 14 ground meat 300water 10taxi 400onion 50total 37357.472506the funny thing about money in a poor country is you can never use big bills. It sucks to ha http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-43468.html 22106the problem with big adventures is that Irsquom so tired after them I donrsquot get around to writing about them for awhile after Irsquove recuperated a little and forgotten some more. We went to Yussefrsquos momrsquos village Konni Kayne it should take lsquobout 15 minutes outside of Niamey. If all goes well that is. We left here surprisingly early considering how long it http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-42759.html 21706itrsquos hard to feel clean in a shower that earlier today was streaming out rawhide colored niger dirt water. The pipes behind the CFCA are being changed and so our pipes were full of the sandy water until they turned off the water entirely when me and yussef came back from his momrsquos house. We peaked our heads over the fence to see how the progress was going and a guy right near http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-42757.html i bought a new bed30 centimeters of pure latexfor 40000 cfa which at first sounded like a great deal to me but then reflecting back in dollars that's 80 bucks and there ain't no pillow top on this thing. . . but oddly enough it is riddled with sailing images a couple of tall ships some compass roses and a married couple floating indescribably amongst it all and all in hunter orange and aqua http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-42236.html as promised here are my musings on morrocoMorocco is like Scotland. Foggy and green. Or maybe itrsquos like L.A. and smoggy. It has american looking freeway underoverpasses California looking eucalyptus but comfortingly African with people walking along the sides of the big highway and people riding on overladen trucks and motorbikes. The signs are in Arabic and English. The airport was http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-41368.html throwing up and diarrhea at the same time.after 4 months here with hardly a rumble in the tummy and i get sick. but it wasn't that bad 'cause that was yesterday and i'm at the internet cafe at night and the only ickiness i felt today was when i ate too much and probably too zealously cause i was so hungry. it was the sandwhich i ate at evasionor the brochettes and frites before that as the sun http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-41013.html Theoneandonlyracheljohn will hopefully forgive me for publicly publishing a portion of her letter that i wrote today and also send me her address at school so i can send this part and more. . .. . .I'm in Niger the least developed country in the world as of last year at a proper english style horse riding club. Puny horses not the grand cowboy horses of the states. there's a bunch of Mom http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-39697.html i came for adventureand it is here for me everydayevery promenade that i take.like the other day heading into the grand marche this guy with old bottles full of murky water who i accosted with questions. traditional medicines he said for black people not for me because i'm white. but white people do buy them rarely for ailments but mostly for testing in their labs to see that oui vraiment http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-38652.html i made it here with little hassle when i get my computer in to a cybercafe i will have a story about my quick and notveryexcitingjaunt in morroco entitled morroco is like scotlandas for nowi am herea little kid asked me for a cadeau before coming in here and before that i was at yussef's sister's house entertaining a bunch of kids with my sierra club planner looking at all the pictures with http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Niger/Niamey/blog-38225.html