Queen of the Hippos

I’ve officially completed my tour of the “Peace Corps approved” countries surrounding Benin! While Niger and Nigeria are off-limits according to Peace Corps’ safety and security standards, Burkina Faso was my third and final neighbor to visit, following Togo / Ghana last November.

Two weeks ago, a ten hour bus ride took my travel buddy and me to the north of Benin where we stopped over for a day to enjoy the tasty cuisine, rolling landscape, and dry air that make that half of the country feel like an entirely different one from my home in the sticky south. The next morning at 3 am, we were off in a “tro tro” (think big white van large enough for 12 people – or in West Africa’s case, 24 –  that children all over America are told to avoid, regardless of how much candy is inside). The early morning trip to the border was a bizarre tour to pick up passengers and load sacs of grains and barrels of smuggled oil onto the top of the tro. As the sun rose and the heat settled, the adventure had only just begun.

We spent 2 nights in Burkina’s fun-to-say capital city, Ouagadougou, marveling at the similarities and differences from Benin: people are calmer, the city was cleaner and the roads more developed, everyone rode bikes everywhere (!), donkeys pulled carts, the expat community was more expansive, food was cheaper, and beer was better…  We were in a vacation mindset indeed. But having learned from the frustrations of previous West Africa travel, we were prepared to see that brokenness doesn’t know borders: men were still inconsiderately persistent, prices were still inflated for skin color, begging was more prevalent, and taxi drivers didn’t seem to know their way around as well as Benin’s motos.

Realizing we’d grudgingly have to forfeit some of our Benin Peace Corps Volunteer know-it-all status for that of a tourist, we agreed to call it an “exploration” from there on out. We moved on to discover the southwest corner of the country, via an 8 hour train to Bobo-Dioulasso!  The second largest city, Bobo was far more calm, clean, and scenic than Ouaga. Only 1 day and night to spend, but it was an enjoyable walk around a sleepy city, to see an old mosque of traditional architecture, enjoy local music, and taste the delicious yogurt that the country has been known for.

According to other travelers, “the only thing worth seeing” in Burkina Faso is Banfora. While this small town is the center of many attractions, I thought it paled in comparison to Bobo’s character and had little else to offer than a lovely hotel and proximity to tourist destinations. Each day we spent our mornings shuttling to the outskirts to see the sights.

An early morning wake up was necessary to catch the hippos while it was still cool enough for them to remain above water where they can be seen. Having read some horror stories about the danger of an angry hippo, I had my reservations as I stepped into a rickety pirogue (traditional canoe), paddled with a stick. The sight of the hippos was majestic however, as we closed in on a family of 12 waking up slowly near shore. We asked the guide to keep his distance, and at the snort and shake of one beastly potamus, I jumped a little! Recognizing my fear and uneasiness, the guide pulled up some weeds from the lake, and proceeded to braid me a beautiful crown and necklace. I smelled like a lake, but I was Queen of the Hippos for a day.

From there, we visited natural domes left by the receding of water and erosion of wind, as well as beautiful waterfalls, running strong in the dry season. The falls were surrounded in every direction by fields of sugar cane, irrigated by the run off. We noticed unexpectedly advanced irrigation equipment running all day long and were told the fields belong to a Saudi Arabian investor who exports the sugar cane and pays his Burkinabe workers well…  The evening before, we had met with a Burkina PCV from the region, who informed us that water was often shut off in many of the surrounding villages due to shortages. A sad truth, seen also in Benin and everywhere in the world I’m sure, that priority is given to those with money and power, even if a majority of people’s basic needs aren’t being met.

Day two of Banfora began with a long dusty ride through ever familiar red roads, past the sugar cane fields and hippo turn off. Mid morning, we found ourselves in the village of Sindou, boasting natural peaks of magma and eroded domes. The formations continue into Mali and are eerie enough for many a movie (Lonely Planet compares the place to the setting of “Planet of the Apes”!). I tested my fear of heights with a bit of climbing, and didn’t get very high.

The final destination was to a sacred Baobab tree, guarded by an ancient Rafiki man, who was ever enthusiastic to invite us INSIDE his tree. Yes, the trunk of this quintessential African tree can host 15 people if they are all small enough to crawl through the hole... 18 meters circumference, this tree is host not only to Rafiki man and tree-hugging tourists, but to bees and bats and termites, who aren’t afraid to coexist!

After a year and a half experiencing travel in West Africa, I think we did well to keep an appropriate perspective. It was a trip for further discovery of lands like the one we have come to call our own, and the times when we were able to feel relaxed and comfortable were always welcome. Most nights, we were able to enjoy a wonderful meal and tuck into air conditioned hotel rooms. We even got to watch some of the Olympics (spoicy)!

Now, back to “business as usual,” February is almost over and I’m in the 6 to 7 months-to-go mark. So very sadly, I move forward without my dear pet Geo, whose company and presence helped me through the last year and a half of life alone in my village. I hope I have the strength to go it alone, as work slows, weather warms, and cultural frustrations wear on me.

At this time, the journey continues, but the focus shifts. There are more adventures and experiences ahead, none of which will be anything like the one I have grown accustomed to in this part of the world. As always, thanks to everyone out there for the positive thoughts and support.  Stay warm!