Ouaga and rain

  The name of the capital of Burkina Faso is Ouagadougou.
For us here we use 'Ouaga' for short and you can see that
it would make sense.

  As I am here in Ouaga on a Saturday morning in the midst
of rainy season ... it did rain.

  I went out early to get an omelet sandwich and as I was finishing
I could see that the rain was on it's way. I went to a kiosk
(little basic food place) that was about a mile and a half away
from where I was staying.

  Seeing as rain was imminent I cut the usual socializing short and
tried to get back before the possible deluge. History seems to repeat
itself and I pulled into another kiosk which I got stranded in the
last time I was caught in the rain in Ouaga. Same kiosk,
same people and occasional bouts of deja vu.

  At this point in my Peace Corps service I try and get around
the country I am in a little more. Up to this point I've spent
almost all the time in the village. So with time running down,
I am taking the opportunity to see a bit of Burkina.

  A few days ago I convinced one of my colleagues to ride
along with me (87km) to visit another colleague. She is in
the northern section and we left Ouaga and took our time.
It took us about 9 hours but that was with stops of an hour
here and there. It was a lot of fun and after taking the time and
enjoying the day, it returns to the debate about things and
the rat race vs less and the turtle race.

  Yesterday I left by myself and did the same 87km in 5 hours.
No record (not trying to imply) but it was moving smartly. Just
one of those days that one cup of coffee really jazzed me up.
I live in the south where the terrain is virtually flat. In the north
there were some good sized hills and it broke up the
vista. Plus with rainy season, a lot of green, and it was nice.
Sorry, didn't take any photos due to a dead battery on the cell
phone.

  If it is true that you are what you eat, then, I am Burkina Faso
today. On a stretch of about 2 miles just before entering Ouaga
there is some road construction. With the trucks spurring up
dust, it was lunch time.

  I am just chilling out today in Ouaga and recouping a little force
for the ride back to the village tomorrow.

  It was a fun trip, good colleagues and good exercise. Just taking
time in the last days to enjoy the life in Burkina Faso.

Moringa in a bidon

I am in the capital (Ouagadougou) for a couple of days.
Partly for work and partly for a few days of R&R and
discovering.

The work was in the form of our quarterly report and
I've been able to tackle it and that's out of the way.

I haven't really spent much time in Ouagadougou
so I am taking a few days to chill out and discover some
of the sights and food joints.

The discovery will also continue tomorrow as a colleague
and me (or I) are planning to pedal our bicycles to
another colleague's village. It is about 87 km (or about
54 and a half miles) on a road I've never taken. The main
roads here in Burkina Faso are actually very good with
a decent little breakdown (or shoulder) lane that makes it
a pretty safe trip.

Also, before I arrived I was having a bit of technical
problems with my bicycle. From going through the bush
roads I actually wore down the gears on the bike. The bike
is used but the gears were like new. In the bush trails
there is a lot of sand and after all the miles ... it just plain
got worn to the point that the chain was jumping over the gears.

But all that is resolved with the gears being replaced,
a new chain and man, I am feeling ... giddy. One aspect of Peace
Corps life I am appreciative of ... is that living with little makes
even having the gears on your used bicycle changed ... a great
source of happiness. I am happy for the little things. Helps
cut down my cost of living, which gives me a
sense of freedom. I like feeling free.

In the picture you can see a 'bidon' cut in half with three
Moringa tree seedlings in it.

Moringa trees about 1 meter tall

It is nothing of great significance but it looks colorful
and it's in my courtyard. With the animals really liking
it it is difficult to plant without solid protection.
The leaves of the Moringa are added to sauces and they
are almost like vitamins as there are some good solid
nutrients in it. In the past I've raised them to about the
height they are and the neighbors prepare the protection
and then we divide it up and they are planted. It is a
bit of work but in the end ... it is worth it.

So tomorrow it is on the road for some discovery and
hopefully adventure. Could be some blogging in the
near future.