Bobo

We have departed from Mali and crossed into Burkina Faso. Immediately we noticed a difference; things seem more "organized" here, from the way the markets are set up to the courtesy of drivers on the road. In "Bobo" we visited the "sacred fish pool" just outside of town. Getting there was an adventure in itself -- our cab as a beat-up Mercedes diesel sedan with over 330,000 km on it and about 30 years old. The car had to be push-started from our hotel -- a sure sign that it asn't in top mechanical condition. The road to the pool was very rocky and uneven, and while passable with a Land Rover or something, seemed quite sketchy with a sedan. On a couple of occasions as the driver went over bumps we could feel the ground scraping through the floorboards.

01 On the way to Bobo

We made it, though, and hiked down a canyon to the fish pond. These are huge catfish -- over 3 feet long. How do they get so big? Some people throw pieces of raw chicken into the pond to feed them. Some of the activity is for tourists, but we did see a couple of men talking to the fish (praying?) as they threw chicken intestines in... In any case, it was interesting to see.

02 Rock formations

But then, there is the matter of the cab ride back...

We make it back to our taxi and our driver checks the water in the radiator before starting. It must be low since he gets some water out of the trunk to add, he pours it in but it just flows to the ground. Hmmm I think there is a problem. We pile out of the car and in 15 minutes he has the radiator out. The bottom coils are completely shredded and water pours out. Hmmm, now I'm pretty sure there's a problem. I should also point out that the fan just has stubs and no blades. I wonder how long he had been driving around like that. He goes over to the little mud hut that is near where we parked and borrows the bicycle leaning on the side of the house. He straps on the radiator on the back and then comes to talk to us under the shade tree where we have taken cover. It's kind of a difulicult conservation since he is speaking in French and we don't know French, but we figure out that he needs money to get the radiator fixed. The previously agreed price for our round trip ride is 15,000 CFA (about $30) for all of us. Considering that we already gave him 3,000 CFA to fill up with gas on his way out we just give him 5,000 CFA (about $10) and hope that he will come back for us. We watch him ride off into the bush and wonder when he might be back after all his precious car is here. I need to remind you that we are in the middle of nowhere. There is one mud house next to us but no other building in site and we are a good 30 minutes (by car) from the town. We spend the next hour under the tree and watch the cows that have come to graze near by and ponder when and how we will get back to the town.

03 The sacred catfish

Then, our taxi driver returns on a motorcycle with a new (used) radiator and fan, along with 5 little bottles of water that we drink within minutes. 20 minutes later the car is "fixed". Of course it still doesn't start, so we need to push start it down the dirt road, which is fortunately flat. Nathan and a few others get behind and start pushing. Within a few feet we hear a large sputter and a catch of the engine and the guys are lost in a big puff of black diesel smoke (got to love the non-existing smog control)

The whole thing seamed like it was out of a Crocodile Dundee type of movie. It will be a cab ride not to forget.

04 Dragonfly

For $4 we have decided to upgrade from our tent on the hotel grounds to a hotel room for the 2 nights we are in Bobo. Now before you think we are staying at the Holiday Inn I'll describe the room. It is a concrete slab with concrete walls and a thatched ceiling. The walls were painted years ago but now are covered with squashed bugs and other mysterious stains. There is a plywood bed with slats and a foam mattress with one sheet provided, but of course we pull out our sleep sacks. The window and door are just metal slats without screens so thankfully there is a mosquito net over the bed. For a nightstand there is an upside down wood stick crate. We also have a little metal table and a stand up fan. The fan works ok but I am surprised it is still standing considering that it is taped together. We don't have our own bath so we use the squat toilet on the ground about 50 feet away (at least it has running water in it) Then there is also a shower that looks like one outside an old beach house. All except one of the showers on our trip has been cold water only, but I do have to say that the cold water here is more like room temperature due to the heat.

05 Engine trouble

06 Find a replacement

07 Market

08 Wheelbarrow of lingerie

09 Motorbikes