I went away with Jane for the weekend to Bobo Diolassou, the former colonial capital of “Upper Volta” as Burkina was called. There were some georgeous Art Deco style buildings, some in better states of repair than others (the one on the left is the colonial market enclosure which has been surrounded by other market stalls which has extended the market outside its boundaries; the right is the railway station). The main reason we went was for a break for both of us.
Last December a car breakdown stopped us overnight in Bobo and we had such a good rest there we went back to the same mission guesthouse to catch up on our sleep and explore more. We had also got such good bargains at the market and at the supermarket meat counter there last time we were hoping for more of the same. Unfortunately the market was visibly much emptier of vegetables and staples (hopefully only because of the timing at the beginning of the rainy season and not indicative of a longterm lack). We did buy a few “unknown” local spices we found there we hope to try out and both enjoyed finding our way through the labyrinth of a big African market again finding unexpected treasures and unusual items in dark corners. Ouaga’s burned down years ago and has never been replaced, with business spread among several smaller markets.
We've both been under strain so this weekend we tried to forget all that and enjoy a trip to the Banfora Cascades not far from Bobo. The climb up the hill over the rocks was good exercise, and we saw lovely streams, rock formations, trees and some wildflowers. Quite a contrast from the dry north of Burkina!
