March 28, 2016
Checking out Burkina Faso. We're experiencing a traditional Burkinabé funeral, trying out the nightlife in Bobo-Dioulasso, getting another visa, and I get to sit on a wild crocodile!
Two nights of bush camping and one border crossing away from Bamako we reached our first stop in Burkina Faso, Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city in the country. The climate is pretty much the same as in Bamako with up to 40°C of dry heat during the days and 25°C during the nights. There are however two important differences that made our stay in Bobo-Dioulasso nicer than Bamako. One, there’s no proper river or lake in the area which means pretty much no mosquitos, and two, the hotel/camping had a pool!
One of the main landmarks in Bobo-Dioulasso is the grand mosque which is the largest clay mosque in the country. It was possible to get guided tours but only in French. The guide tried really hard though to use simple words and speak clearly, and I managed to put some bits and pieces together. The entire building only consists of clay and logs and was built completely by hand. An amazing building that I’m really happy I got to see, especially since we couldn’t go to the larger version in Djenné in Mali for safety reasons. This is also the first mosque that we were allowed to enter and have a look inside, something that is strictly prohibited in the more religious countries.
We stayed in the city over a weekend which made it a perfect opportunity to check out the night-life. We ended up going to an outdoor bar and club with a good mix of African rhythms with a few Western 90’s hits mixed in. No entrance fee, great vibe, and 65cl bottle of beer for CFA 600 (€0.90). Still getting cheaper and cheaper for every country!
During one of the days in Bobo-Dioulasso we also got to see a traditional funeral of the Bobo people. The purpose of the funeral celebrations, because it was more of a celebration than mourning, is to chase away evil spirits and make sure that the deceased can make a safe travel from this world to the overworld. To do this people dress up in full-body costumes and jump around and dance to the music of drums and a flute. Quite a sight!
Next stop in Burkina Faso was the capital, Ouagadougou, and once again it was time for the whole visa application process, this time for Ghana. The main issue this time was that the Ghanaian embassy in Ouagadougou normally only issues visas for citizens of Burkina Faso, but eventually they gave in when we presented a formal letter of invitation and made some phone calls. Easter was just coming up though, with all of its public holidays, so we’re stuck in Ouagadougou for quite a few days. At least it wasn’t too expensive at only CFA25000 (€38).
Those days were pretty lazy, mainly because of the heat. The temperature was pretty much the same as in Bobo-Dioulasso but the heat much more pressing.
We did however do a bit of sightseeing including a trip to the village Bazoule. Bazoule is located around a small lake inhabited by about 200 crocodiles living side-by-side with the human population. They are so used to humans that you can get really close, feed them with a chicken, and even sit on them. And these are not the sedated animals you get photos with in other parts of the world. These crocodiles are wild and alert. That chicken went down quickly!
And last but not least I have to share some street art that I found in Ouagadougou.
That’s all for Burkina Faso. Time to head south to Ghana!