Another Look at Burkina

When you stay in one city too long, it’s easy to judge the entire state or country by that one city. We found we had done this, when we took a trip out to Western Burkina and discovered Burkina Faso really does have some beautiful areas in it. Ouaga holds a lot more conveniences than the rest of Burkina Faso, but it does not hold all the beauty.
Last week we took a trip out to Bobo, the second largest city in Burkina, and a village called Banfora to see the waterfalls and a lake that is home to numerous hippos. It is green out there – much greener than we had seen here in Ouaga and several degrees cooler.
The trip to the falls was beautiful and tiring. We all climbed the steep steps to get to the top and were rewarded with a beautiful view and a wonderful breeze. We took lots of pictures and Mike went over the edge of the waterfall to get video of it. Well at least it looked that way to me. There’s a lower ledge he climbed down to, while I stayed back with the kids. They really wanted to follow Daddy down, but I insisted they stay with me. I know I’m a big party pooper, but I’m Mommy! I can be.
After that, we went to Lake Tangrela, where Mike and Rebecca climbed into a very old boat to cross the lake to see the hippos. I was yet again a party pooper and made Blake and Aubrey stay back with me to watch from a distance. Ethel volunteered to help me watch out for my kids. It was a good thing we did because I spent most of the time dealing with upset tummies. The bug Blake caught at the beginning of that week had not yet let go of him. So, see, I had my reasons to be a party pooper. I’m excused. But we have wonderful memories of our time at the lake watching the cattle instead of the hippos, and watching Daddy in a boat. It all works out.