Sofitel Ouagadougou 2000

... the way and then we were all set to go. So we took a taxi and went to the SKV International gare routiere, or SKV International bus terminal.

But another thing had to be done before that and for me there was simply no way of getting around it. From the taxi I spotted a guy dressed in my country’s national football team’s jersey, by now the world famous red-and-white checkered shirt. Well, world famous for those who follow international football, at ...

... among other things, they had them on offer and she started checking them. While she was doing that, a number of people surrounded me, offering me all sorts of everything I didn’t need, hoping they would somehow persuade me to part with some of my money.

One guy was showing me some kind of greeting cards. And I asked him if he had postcards, as I have a few people I always try to write to from my trips. He didn’t have them, but it posed no problem. He disappeared for ...

... After all, I was now in Africa and I didn’t expect exactly a five-star service every step of the way. On the contrary. I was determined to experience real Africa to the extent it was possible. And that included battered vehicles in the condition of near disrepair.

The guy offered a ride for two thousand.

„Look,“ I said to Naprisca. „Tell him I’m not paying more than one thousand. Let’s go get us a taxi.“

I was really in no ...

... still functioning. Then th**e was a table, as well, so what else could someone like me h**e need? Nothing. I had it all.

Naprisca and I sat talking for a while and I gave h** a thing or two I had brought for h**, notably two Tibet-style cowboy hats I had bought in China upon h** request. One black and one white. Being a true lady, she tried them both immediately on and to my relief, they w**e both to h** liking.

She lived with h** family in Ouagadougou ...

... people! The seats are so small in these buses that you do touch oth** people: both my upp** arms w**e consequently lodged between sweaty armpits for four hours.

Occasionally, the bus made a stop and men got out to pee, meanwhile I turned around to check on S**ge, who was staring into the front seat with intensely vapid eyes. We w**e both, needless to say, completely exhausted of all en**gy by the time we arrived at Dori.

As we drove furth** north from Ouaga, blaring ...

... the center of Ouaga and to the office of CBDF. Mme Sirima spoke to me as she drove, asked me questions of my time in Ghana and wondered how I was looking forward to discovering Africa. I was a little perturbed by this question, because I had already discovered the Africa I had planned to and only had a few more weeks left on the continent. Nevertheless, we kept talking and, when I mentioned something about having a few weeks left to explore Burkina Faso, she looked surprised. She ...

... Emmanuel would come to save me... I realize this is not a good plan, but th**e was nothing I can do so I decided not to get upset ov** it. I walked a consid**able distance out of my way to reach an int**net café to print out my itin**ary and then went back to the bank to a pizza place I had seen earli**. It was 6:30 and the restaurant wasn't open! They opened at 7:00, 7:30, or 8:00, the man said when I asked him. This was not a v**y tight timeline, but, as I began to walk away, he told ...

... of be** and glasses of cold wine with our meals, clearing ashtrays and laying down plates heaped with avocado salads, duck and chicken in a calm and smiling way. They had all arrived, I discov**ed, speaking diff**ent languages and learned French to communicate with each oth**. Then, at a quart** to ten, as they did ev**y evening, they strategically positioned themselves around the courtyard and sang two v**sions of Ave Maria in sweet high voices, as ...

... and Dave even commissioned an artist to do a batik wall hanging for him. We spent about three hours there a finally the heat got to us. Dave’s shirt was dripping; both he and Ann were becoming extremely tired from the heat.

We went back to the hotel, understanding the reasons for a siesta, and had an afternoon nap in the air conditioned comfort of the hotel. Sanga picked us up for supper around six.

We decided to try a restaurant that had live music ...