Friday 22 February 2013

Going "bos" in Burkina.

After a few days of relatively civilised camping in the parking lot of a lakeside lodge, Djin and Tonic hit the back roads towards Ouagadougou.
 
They rattle along in the dry, dusty countryside, past baked mud houses in waterless fields. When the sun is “too hands above the horizon” the team sneak off the road to find a place to camp for the night. Sneaking is hard to do in a 3 ton Land Rover, but Precious is practiced and keeps her head low. Tonic does some skilful driving, weaving around bushes and dodging tree stumps. Once they get a fair distance from the road, they set up camp in a suitable spot.
 
They have large bottles of tonic, so Djin shares out the last  few fingersof the gin and they toast the setting sun. After cold leftovers, Djin and Tonic retire to their tents. Peggy keeps watch. They team rise with the sun and do a spot of birding over mugs of freshly brewed coffee. Djin spikes hers with the last of her gifted whiskey.
 
All too soon, the time comes to move on and they set off back to the road. But alas, where is it? It can't be far. Perhaps if they follow this track it'll lead there. Shortly, they meet 2 elderly Burkinabé men on bicycles coming towards them. Tonic gets out to ask directions. The locals are polite, but their mirth shows through their gap-toothed smiles. They must turn around and follow the track. The town isn't far. Djin offers them he 2 empty liquor bottles. They nod in an understanding kind of way and strap them on their bikes, alongside their hoes. 
 
Shortly, a Land Rover, 2 white women and a pink-tongued dog inside can be seen following a couple of bicycles along a track through the African bushveld. It's not long and the track joins the road to town. Djin and Tonic call out their thanks and wave goodbye. Peggy barks out a warning. 
 
One can only imagine the talk around the fire that night. “Les blanches! OOh la la. Elles sont absolutment fou!”

Sunday 3 February 2013

New Year - New Hair


B for Benin

A belated and brief blurb about our "besoek" to Benin

  • began with a beach for a breather - but that was brief - we were bothered by barking that drove Peggy beserk
  • battling with French - Belinda becoming bilingual
  • brown, barren bush beset with baobabs and boulders
  • bathing in blue pools below beautiful waterfalls
  • bountiful birding - barbets, bush-shrikes and bulbuls 
  • bargaining for bric-a-brac - beads, bracelets, batiks and bronzes
  • a banquet for Christmas - our beverage . . not beer, a bottle of wine with blissful bouquet
  • Abomey - barbaric kings of before - battles, bloodshed and beheadings
  • Ouidah - bondage and slavery - a "billion" barefeet, chained - broken souls boarding boats from the beach, bound for beyond
  • bon homie and new friendships - buddies my bru
  • "black magic and voodoo - bones, beasts and boas
  • a birthday - blessed am I