Zebrafish

Sunday Oct 27

Got out of Bolga mid morning and took a shared taxi to the border with two American Peace Corp refugees from Cote D’Ivoire, Matt and Annemarie. It seems most travellers I have met so far have been aid volunteers taking a holiday, people like me are very few, which is a shame because this part of the world has a lot to offer and wants to attract more tourism.

The driver although this is not uncommon starts the engine by putting together two wires under the steering column picked out from the entanglement of cables hanging there. 15km further at customs in Po the driver refused to travel any further because he said he’d left his driving papers in Ghana and customs would not allow him any further.

We were put on the back row of a hot Trotro and people compacted in around us so that it was almost impossible to move your legs or body from your cramped up position. The minibus was piled with goods to make the Trotro twice as high. At least 5 bicycles, 1 moped, 2 straw bales, 3 backpacks and several sacks of grain. Outside 2 men sat on the roof and during the journey messed about walking along the outside of the window frames.

There were numerous police checkpoints and it was a testing journey for the 3 to 4 hours to the capital Ouagadougou. We check in at the pleasant ‘Pavillon Vert’ expat French hotel. This is the first time I have needed to test my French out, it’s a bit shaky and spattered with words in Spanish but it works and I get by. We go to the Art café nearby for spaghetti and beer. The locals’ drinkers here are very friendly and helpful with my French.

Monday Oct 28

Trying to change either money or Traveller Cheques took four hours but enabled us indirectly to explore Ouagadougou. Most banks wouldn’t change Traveller Cheques unless you had the original receipt of purchase. Which as instructed by American Express we all had left safely at home away from the cheques. At midday I walked to the Malian embassy, which was a completely stupid thing to do because I almost passed out in the heat although it was only a 3 km walk. I had to keep resting in shade along the way, asking people if I could sit next to them on a bench in the shade of a tree or their shop.

Met Mike and Sarah from Yorkshire and Devonshire in the embassy and as we shared a taxi back we agreed to hike the Dogon country together. Mike lives in Chambery in the French Alps works with the winter ski season and supplies pro cycle team equipment in France. Sarah had been working in Granada and recently working on Operation Raleigh in Accra.

In the evening I joined them for a meal, we bought two barbequed chicken, heads and all and sat down with a jar of mayonnaise, gari and several cold Burkina beers.

Tuesday Oct 29

This morning I visited the French embassy for my Togo two-day entry visa. In the evening we went to the SIAO West African craft show. There was a festival atmosphere with several warehouses displaying the best crafts, arts and machinery, for example solar water heaters in West Africa.

Today also marked the start of the Tour de Faso bicycle race and there was a presentation where members of both each pro and amateur teams were presented on a stage. We finished the evening drinking Sobbra beer and eating spicy meat baguettes.

Wednesday Oct 30

A mixed Togolese Ghanaian man in an Internet café approached me. He said he was type I diabetic and lost his bag and ran out of money. He had been sleeping on the floor of a restaurant for several days and eating bread. I took him back to my hotel to ask a member of staff there to check it wasn’t a definite con.

It seemed genuine so we went by taxi to a couple of pharmacies. He took a small injection of insulin in the second pharmacy we visited but we had to go to the hospital for the other. It stupidly sat waiting in the taxi while he checked if it was open. He soon returned saying the hospital pharmacy was not open until 3pm. As I was due to leave at 2pm by coach we returned back to the restaurant where he had been sleeping on the floor.

I bought him riz sauce and lent him in total including the taxi fares £55 pounds to buy insulin. I could not risk making a mistake as he spoke genuinely about diabetes, both details of the condition but also his family reaction to him and his father succumbing to it. So I decided to trust him. I would meet him when passing through Lomè in Togo later on in my trip where I would be able to meet up with him and discover whether or not he was genuine.

Mike, Sarah and I caught the bus to Ouigaoyah and walked to a French run hotel on the outskirts. We were all feeling run down with colds. We ate some good French food then too bed early.