Marvin Hotel Grand Bassam

... I was the deep pockets. I asked how much. When he told me 2000 Francs, I breathed a sigh of relief. That's a little over four dollars. I handed the bills over, hoping that would truly be the end of the situation. Three soldiers showed up with AK 47s, and started taking charge. I got out of the car and walked over to a closed shop with an porch awning under which several people were waiting out the rain. I stepped under and ask if they minded ...

... He did a good job of dancing to the american music and we all laughed at his moves. But all nights come to an end and when we left the next morning, I was a little sad and happy to be going back to the city. Counrty life is very hard from what I can tell, worse than what I am used to seeing. But the cleaner air was a nice change from the city and then, things went downhill. We were on the milk run going back to Abidjan and stopped at every little village ...

... women struggle to keep their heads above the poverty line and from what I am seeing, it is tough; all over. The climate is very good for growing food and it doesn't matter where you go, every street and corner has a vendor or ten with goods for sale. It is very difficult to see the same things all over the place and not wonder how they make enough to survive. My cab driver tells me that unless you have money here, you get nowhere and to be frank about it, I can see it ...

... Maybe the mounds of garbage lining the channel should have tipped me off, but who knew? However, not everything is like that. I had a New Years brunch with our neighbors yesterday and all of them were very kind. We drank rum and wine, ate fish in pepper soup, had chicken with attica and even enjoyed a banana paste that Docs wife pounded out while we sat under the fan and drank. On Monday, they are taking me to a village to see how traditional african food is prepared ...

... add a few to this blog, you should be ready for a few surprises. The pics I have taken are not your ordinary scenic shots and if some of the locals knew that they were on film, I would be in deep kaka I am sure. It is quite the experience trying to snap photos from a moving cab, so if they seem elongated a little, you know why. For now, I am going back out into the +33 heat and believe me when I say that I feel for you all in N.A. right now(-28C?). At least you are staying indoors for the ...

... civilised. That night we met up with Gislain`s friend Juliette who took us to a wonderful Lebanese restaurant right by the lagoon where I ate the best middle eastern food I have ever eaten. The food was so fresh and the service was impeccable and Marc and I kept stealing glances at each other, so to say with out eyes `is this for real!`. The next day we met up with a bunch of staff from the Canadian Embassy for lunch at a local Maquis, Chez Alice, where the specialty dish was fried ...

... It was quite high. Breakers were coming in well over 6 feet in height. The beach drop-off is steep and the currents on this coast are treacherous, so we wanted to take appropriate precautions. I asked an prayer on the whole ceremony and asked Juliette our baptismal questions to formalize the occasion. Then she, Mr. Fiaboé and I walked down into the surf. We decided to wait in fairly shallow water and let one of the big waves wash over her. That ...

... où se trouve l'unique resto, mais qu'il doit glisser 1000 CFA à la police. Là, on l'envoie chier !!! et nous demandons nous-même au policier qui accepte. Il est vraiment temps qu'on s'en aille! Le reste n'est qu'attente interminable d'un avion qui part à 3 heures du matin. Les photos du récit seront mises par GG car nous nous sommes quittés dans de grandes embrassades à Casa vers 10:00 ce matin, en jurant qu'on nous y reprendrait !

... I can't lock my suitcase. Since this will be a multi-leg journey, I decided to have by suitcase wrapped in plastic film to prevent access to it during transfers. It cost 1000 francs (about $2.50). My suitcase was underweight by several kg since I had unloaded books, CDs, photographs and other fairly weighty items in Lomé. I checked in without a problem but as I left the counter the agent saw that I had both my computer roller bag and a small ...

... a croissant in mornings, although expect to be harrassed by underage street vendors while you do so. Finally, if you are lucky enough to catch a traditional dance, stay for the show. One particular example, Stilt dancing often seen in the Baffing region, just north of 18 Mountains, is spectacular but also erie at times, especially when the stilt dancer cries out. you can see from the pictures other examples of Senufo dance and outfits. Fantastic.