Monday, March 30, 2009

Banfora and Takaladougou

Some photos of my time in Banfora and Amanda Cassady's site Takaladougou in the Cascade region of Burkina Faso.
Yes, you are not seeing things they do have McDonald(s) in Burkina Faso

McDonald's restaurant where you can actually purchase local art.


Adelaide pours out some Jus de Passion, it is sooo yummy and FROZEN. They hand make it every Wednesday from Passion fruit brought up from Cote d'Ivoire.



The outside of McDonald's in Banfora. Banfora is the tourist hub of Burkina Faso so it was easy to find non-African restaurants like McDonalds where you can get some hamburgers and fries and my favorite Egg sandwiches.




One afternoon I went out to Amanda's site and walked for about 5-6 km around en brousse in the hot afternoon sun. We are approaching a small river/swimming hole. Women come to the river to wash clothes and then set them out to dry in the hot sun on the rocks.





Women come to the water source to do their families' laundry and socialize.



Girls doing laundry for hours. My question is why are they not in school or study?


The boys only come over to see the white people. They can be found swimming in the water hole. These boys luckily have pants on most of the others do not.


A very nicely built compound of traditional mud houses that I pass by on my walk.


After our long walk we head out to the Peage (or toll booth) where women sit all day and rush to the bush taxis and buses that stop to pay the toll.


The scene of the women rushing to a bush taxi to sell things as it pauses befor paying the police to pass.


Here comes a bigger bus for the women. Imagine spending your entire day on the side of the road waiting. . . waiting. . . waiting. I only lasted an hour.

Even my friend Amanda gets in there and sells mangoes to the taxi drivers. She is so integrated!




Women stand and wait with their mangoes. Ohhh and they are all selling mangoes, no diversification. They all sell the same things.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Waterfalls and Domes

During my first week of inservice training I had the pleasure to go to the most beautifulest place in Burkina Faso, Karfiguela, home to waterfalls and natural domes that were made thousands of years ago by water.

I am so happy to see green and be on an adventure/vacation

Gwen in front of the grand falls of Karfiguela, this is the dramatic grand waterfall. I hear the best time to view the falls are during the rainy season between June and September.

A close up of the rock formations (Domes) that are about a 2 km hike from the waterfalls. I believe they are the only rock formation of its kind that you can actually hike and climb on in the world.



I was able to capture some amazing views and was somewhat reminded of the American west.



A photo onto the sugar cane fields below in the far distance



I take a breather from hiking to take in the marvelous sight.









After hiking all over the domes we headed back to the waterfalls and started at the top and made our way back down to the base. It was amazing to know that Burkina Faso has such beauty.



Burkinabe swim swim swim in the cascades and enjoy the running water during the hottest season in Burkina Faso.



At the top of the grand waterfall looking down onto to the valley below