Burkina Faso (Via Paris)
What a week (and a bit).
Let’s see what I can update you with!
Spend a very chilled Sunday in Mauritius preparing for the 12 hour flight to Paris and onwards to Burkina Faso. Celia is a clever, fun lass with a different outlook on life. There was some wine drunk, some cheese shared and a fair bit of laughter.
Gawie and his missus invited us for a quick dinner that eve before hopping in the taxi to the airport to catch the flight. The dinner was quick (and nice) and the taxi ride lasted some 20 minutes before I realized that I had left my air tickets and passport in Celia’s car.
*BIG BLUSH*
Gawie met us on the way, once we had turned around, and the journey continued with my passport and air ticket safely in my paws. I can blame Celia for this mishap as she convinced me that my overnight bag was not needed and of course this is where my travel goodies reside. This was also where my book resided and it has spent the last week unread in Mauritius.
12 hours to Paris. I did manage to sleep some on the flight and was a rather tense lad when we landed as my nicotine levels had dropped below the dangerous level.
Quick luggage pick up in a crowded and small luggage area and outside for two quick ciggies while we looked for the transfer bus to the hotel.
Three ciggies later, we had still not see a bus, had phoned the hotel who assured us that a bus make the cycle every 20 minutes and lots of asking unhelpful French lads which bus was ours. Eventually we decided to take a taxi. The taxi driver too was grumpy as he had waited two hours for a fare that would only equate to E20, which included a Tip and charge for 2 pieces of luggage.
The hotel consisted of a quick shower. (Celia “you shower first” Tony “No you can shower first” etc etc) I showered first.
Once downstairs we realized that we are nowhere near the Metro and took a taxi to town.
Stunning! One word for it. Absolutely can be added as it is appropriate.
Pictures of the Lourve, Eiffel Tower, Napoleons grave, old architecture and all sorts of stuff. This done in less than two hours as that was pretty much the amount of time we had available.
I will post some when I am back down South.
Back to the hotel, and we decided to save a bit of money and take a metro to the airport and transfer to the hotel. Yeah Right! It worked out (after we purchased the ticket) that we needed 3 transfers to get to the airport and were effectively at the bottom end of the Metro, needing to get to the top end.
We rushed around for another 20 minutes trying to find a taxi.
We eventually made the airport, an hour long Q for the check in and another long Q to go through immigration (manned by 1 person). Maybe OT Airport is not that bad!!
Burkina Faso!!
Another African Country.
Ouagadougou
Another African city.
With the single exception of God This Place is HOT!!
The temp in the day hovers around the 40 degree mark and at night is not much lower.
The food however is good
The roads are good
And the hawkers and beggars are very persistent.
The hotel is basic. A nice bed, awful shower and wonderful swimming pool. All this for $120 a night.
We ate at some interesting places, courtesy of “The Lonely Planet” which once again Celia with her advanced planning had bought along.
We ate at the Akwaaba on Tuesday night. I had a great pork chop and Celia was introduced to Africa Road Runner Chicken. Her chicken had both of us laughing as she picked the sparse meat of the small bones.
Wednesday we hit gold and dined at Le Coq Blu which was a great place. I had a good steak and we finally found a French Wine that did not taste like vinegar.
Thursday, Zack had finally arrived after an 18 hour delay at Accra Airport, and we dined at a nice open air restaurant at the bottom of town. Open air is generally nice, unless the temperature is in the high 30’s and you sweat the way I do. Food was nice tho. I had a nice rare T bone. Celia had finally learnt not to order chicken.
Friday was at a nice wine bar, where we ate tender lamb and supped ANOTHER decent red wine from France. Two decent wines in two days. I am impressed!!
Saturday saw us consult Lonely Planet once again and toddle 32 km east of Ouga to the “Granite Rocks”, which were described as Granite Rocks where artists had carved out their art. We expected rocks with carvings on them. We got granite carvings that would not be out of place in any art gallery in the world. Apparently every two years, artists from all over the world come in for a month, smoke good shit and carve the granite found lying around. Again I will post pictures when I am back down south.
Once again the temperature was in the 40’s and I sweated buckets!
The afternoon was chilled as we await our flight tonight.
All our lunches were taken at the little Bistro close to the hotel called “Ches Simon”. Good clean food, good price and AIRCONDITIONING. We were quite the regulars there.
Oh yes! We did do some work. *chuckle*
Met with facilitator, attorney, three client visits, one site visit and made a decision on a house and plot of land for our operation here. But this was boring stuff and only warrants this one small paragraph.
We also battled on slow internet to download mails and respond when we could. Africa! My Africa!
Everyone is napping this afternoon ( I will nap on the plane) and I am in the hotel lobby about to post this.
Hope you all having fun!!
I did!!
Let’s see what I can update you with!
Spend a very chilled Sunday in Mauritius preparing for the 12 hour flight to Paris and onwards to Burkina Faso. Celia is a clever, fun lass with a different outlook on life. There was some wine drunk, some cheese shared and a fair bit of laughter.
Gawie and his missus invited us for a quick dinner that eve before hopping in the taxi to the airport to catch the flight. The dinner was quick (and nice) and the taxi ride lasted some 20 minutes before I realized that I had left my air tickets and passport in Celia’s car.
*BIG BLUSH*
Gawie met us on the way, once we had turned around, and the journey continued with my passport and air ticket safely in my paws. I can blame Celia for this mishap as she convinced me that my overnight bag was not needed and of course this is where my travel goodies reside. This was also where my book resided and it has spent the last week unread in Mauritius.
12 hours to Paris. I did manage to sleep some on the flight and was a rather tense lad when we landed as my nicotine levels had dropped below the dangerous level.
Quick luggage pick up in a crowded and small luggage area and outside for two quick ciggies while we looked for the transfer bus to the hotel.
Three ciggies later, we had still not see a bus, had phoned the hotel who assured us that a bus make the cycle every 20 minutes and lots of asking unhelpful French lads which bus was ours. Eventually we decided to take a taxi. The taxi driver too was grumpy as he had waited two hours for a fare that would only equate to E20, which included a Tip and charge for 2 pieces of luggage.
The hotel consisted of a quick shower. (Celia “you shower first” Tony “No you can shower first” etc etc) I showered first.
Once downstairs we realized that we are nowhere near the Metro and took a taxi to town.
Stunning! One word for it. Absolutely can be added as it is appropriate.
Pictures of the Lourve, Eiffel Tower, Napoleons grave, old architecture and all sorts of stuff. This done in less than two hours as that was pretty much the amount of time we had available.
I will post some when I am back down South.
Back to the hotel, and we decided to save a bit of money and take a metro to the airport and transfer to the hotel. Yeah Right! It worked out (after we purchased the ticket) that we needed 3 transfers to get to the airport and were effectively at the bottom end of the Metro, needing to get to the top end.
We rushed around for another 20 minutes trying to find a taxi.
We eventually made the airport, an hour long Q for the check in and another long Q to go through immigration (manned by 1 person). Maybe OT Airport is not that bad!!
Burkina Faso!!
Another African Country.
Ouagadougou
Another African city.
With the single exception of God This Place is HOT!!
The temp in the day hovers around the 40 degree mark and at night is not much lower.
The food however is good
The roads are good
And the hawkers and beggars are very persistent.
The hotel is basic. A nice bed, awful shower and wonderful swimming pool. All this for $120 a night.
We ate at some interesting places, courtesy of “The Lonely Planet” which once again Celia with her advanced planning had bought along.
We ate at the Akwaaba on Tuesday night. I had a great pork chop and Celia was introduced to Africa Road Runner Chicken. Her chicken had both of us laughing as she picked the sparse meat of the small bones.
Wednesday we hit gold and dined at Le Coq Blu which was a great place. I had a good steak and we finally found a French Wine that did not taste like vinegar.
Thursday, Zack had finally arrived after an 18 hour delay at Accra Airport, and we dined at a nice open air restaurant at the bottom of town. Open air is generally nice, unless the temperature is in the high 30’s and you sweat the way I do. Food was nice tho. I had a nice rare T bone. Celia had finally learnt not to order chicken.
Friday was at a nice wine bar, where we ate tender lamb and supped ANOTHER decent red wine from France. Two decent wines in two days. I am impressed!!
Saturday saw us consult Lonely Planet once again and toddle 32 km east of Ouga to the “Granite Rocks”, which were described as Granite Rocks where artists had carved out their art. We expected rocks with carvings on them. We got granite carvings that would not be out of place in any art gallery in the world. Apparently every two years, artists from all over the world come in for a month, smoke good shit and carve the granite found lying around. Again I will post pictures when I am back down south.
Once again the temperature was in the 40’s and I sweated buckets!
The afternoon was chilled as we await our flight tonight.
All our lunches were taken at the little Bistro close to the hotel called “Ches Simon”. Good clean food, good price and AIRCONDITIONING. We were quite the regulars there.
Oh yes! We did do some work. *chuckle*
Met with facilitator, attorney, three client visits, one site visit and made a decision on a house and plot of land for our operation here. But this was boring stuff and only warrants this one small paragraph.
We also battled on slow internet to download mails and respond when we could. Africa! My Africa!
Everyone is napping this afternoon ( I will nap on the plane) and I am in the hotel lobby about to post this.
Hope you all having fun!!
I did!!
1 Comments:
Can't wait to see the pics once you are back down South! Glad you had a good one, safe trip home. xxx
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