On the return to Parakou our bus didn’t live up to its name (“Comfort”) with windows on my side sealed shut, no air con, repeated delays … but not all were their fault since midday we were among the hundreds of vehicles stationary for over 4 hours due to an uprising and road barricade at Dassa after the killing of a truck driver the night before.
Parakou saw me dirty and tired moving and sorting out furniture, selling what I could, and talking to all and sundry about moving possibilities. One quote for a million CFA had me speechless for a while. It was only at the last minute (a week after I’d planned on leaving) that my car was ready and the possibilities had reduced to putting the stuff on a regular bus out of Ouagadougou: it had the advantage on not only being the cheapest quote but providing some advantages since the customs and police were used to seeing it and there shouldn’t be the exhorbitant extra costs other missionaries had paid.
In fact, signed and stamped documents in hand we (the mechanic and I) proceeded the bus to all the customs points and paved the way. We were already in an interview with the customs chief at the Burkina border about the it and about the car when the bus arrived and in the end did not pay any customs for my household stuff (the rule but not always followed). And with the sale of my furniture covering about 90% of the moving costs it worked out terrific!
The car is another story ….
