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.