Blogs from Niger, Africa - page 2

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 didn’t want to let us get on the bus, but we managed to get some spots standing in the aisle. It was about an eight hour trip including a long stop at the border. While we waited for the border guards to stamp our passports we found some omelet sandwiches for lunch. As soon as we were seen ordering food we were surrounded by young garibous. In Muslim communities ... read more

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 her! The record on this trip was a dad, mom and three kids on one motorcycle but unfortunately I wasn't fast enough with the camera to capture the moment for you.... read more

February 23, 2008 The Project at Gounday Happy 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 e-mail. 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 Niamey, north of the previous project. The route today is the highway heading west and eventually a ferry crossing to continue along the highway. The road is somewhat parallel to the Niger, we can see the river sometimes. It is a relatively clear day, which means no wind and lots of heat! The area is relatively flat, and savannah looking - where ... read more

February 21, 2008 Wow, 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 shape. We followed this until the village of Torodi, where we turned between two buildings, into what looked like an alley, but actually the laterite road to the project. This laterite road was twisty, bumpy, and not sure how the driver could tell it was a road and not a track. Made for an interesting 1 ½ hours. We return ... read more

February 19, 2008 Today 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. What an unusual site. Then 2 minutes later, saw another one. There is a lot of dust in the air. It is from the strong winds that come in from the Sahara, called ?????? (can’t remember their name). They begin near the start of December and will finish around the end of February. Then, the hot ... read more