If you’ve been following along for a while, you may recall I was a bit nervous for my trip to Mali and Burkina Faso in West Africa in November. Not only had I never previously traveled to sub-Saharan Africa, but I was visiting Mali in the midst of an Ebola outbreak and Burkina Faso just …
How Traveling in Central Asia Prepared Me for West Africa Read More »
I will freely admit that I really had no idea where I was going as I sat in the front seat of the car driving along a bumpy, pothole filled “road” leading miles away from Banfora and all other signs of modern civilization. I had spent the morning enjoying the sunrise over Lake Tengrela, looking …
It was still dark out when Ibrahim met me at my hotel in Banfora. An early start was crucial in order to be at nearby Lake Tengrela both for the sunrise and to catch a glimpse of some hippopotamuses (hippopotami??). The lake is just a short drive outside of Banfora, off the asphalt road and …
Bobo Dioulasso is the second largest city in Burkina Faso and the first city I stopped in as I arrived from neighboring Mali. The name of the city comes from the names of the two tribes that first settled there centuries ago – the Bobo and the Dioula. I was very curious to see how …
Border crossings always make me a little nervous. I was pulled aside and questioned going from Moldova to Ukraine, fought past dozens of pushy Uzbek women going from Tajikistan to Uzbekistan and was worried I wouldn’t even make it from Georgia into Azerbaijan. While nothing truly horrible has ever happened, I still wake up with …
It was late afternoon by the time our pirogue pulled up on the banks of the village of Kalabougou. Located on the left side of the Niger River, it was less than an hour’s ride from Segou, a town about four hours north of Bamako. The visit was timed perfectly – it was a Saturday, …
I don’t often spend Thanksgiving at home. Past Turkey Days have seen me drinking pisco sours in Cusco, eating pizza in Rome and sampling questionable Mexican cuisine in Irkutsk. But I’m not sure any of those experiences quite compare to spending the holiday in West Africa. I started the morning in the village of Folona, …
I knew what I was getting into when I left. Just days before I got on the plan to Bamako, Mali, authorities ordered enhanced screening procedures for travelers returning from the West African nation due to a new outbreak of the Ebola virus. But I carefully read everything I could find on the CDC and …
What Happens When You Return Home After Visiting an Ebola-Infected Country Read More »
After the amazing reception I experienced in Menie, I thought I knew what to expect when I arrived in Folona the next day to visit the Passports with Purpose/buildOn school there. I thought wrong. Folona wasn’t quite as remote as Menie – it was just a few kilometers off the main road from Bougouni to …
I could see the crowd gathered as our truck slowed to a stop along the dirt road. My hair and face and glasses were covered in a thin layer of dust from the drive through the bush to reach this village of just 600 people. I was not prepared at all for what I was …
