Hippos, Bats, and Giraffes

On our eighth day in Banfora our health had returned to us and we made an early morning trek to Tengrela Lake on our mopeds. We were quite the scene, Matt on the back and me drving (or should I say swerving) off into the sunrise. It was fun, but I don't think we were given the top quality mopeds by the locals (and by think I mean know). Tengrela Lake is a quiet lake that is home to about 60 hippos (or so we are told). Our mission there was to see hippos, and see hippos we did. Our guide rowed us in a hallowed out canoe to within about 20 or 30 feet from the hippos. Although we were unsure as to the safety of this, the guide promised us it was safe. The hippos watched us approach, but paid little attention to us after that. They are odd creatures, especially when you think of their size, and picture their bodies floating around under the water. They make a noise similar to that of a whale when they surface, exhaling air with such force we were startled the first few times. Unforunately, hippos only eat at sunset, so we did not see them out of the water... After Banfora we headed back to Ouagadougou for a night before heading to Niamey, Niger, where I am writing this.

A quick note: My down-time in Banfora forced me to change my frame on mind on this trip. When we were in Mali, everyday had a purpose, and no two days were the same. We were constantly moving, rarely relaxing for more than an hour or two. In Banfora, I was forced (and I say forced because there was no where to go, nothing to do) to accept that nothing was going to happen for today..., tomorrow..., etc. This allowed me to walk around Banfora, meet locals, and do nothing for a week. The end result is that I am less concerned with where I am going tomorrow, and more content with where I am. Banfora - although scary due to the illness that befell us - was a blessing in disguise.

Niamey has been wonderful. Each night at sunset we have ventured over to the terrace of the Grand Hotel, overlooking the Niger River. As the sun goes to rest behind the mountains west of Niamey, painting the sky in pastel blues, pinks, and oranges, bats begin to fill the sky. Thousands of bats in Niamey come out to play at dusk. They fly directly above the river, from north to south, appearing out of thin air (literally - the dust particles in the air do not allow you to see them until the are close). The bats, who dissappear into the abyss in the same manner in which they appear, continuously 'bat' their wings, creating a frantic image against the evening sky; an image compounded by the impending darkness.

Niger is also home to the only giraffes in West Africa, and this morning we headed out before sunrise to see these animals in nautre. Our guide did not disappoint, finding a herd of about 15 -20 giraffes shortly after entering the park. I was amazed how close we were able to get to these sentient creatures, coming within 10 or 15 feet at times. The younger giraffes (2 or 3 months old according to our guide), would peek at us from behind the safety of mother's legs, curiosity abounded upon their faces. An observation the three of us could not help but make was the complete lack of noice these elegant creatures produced. The tranquility surrounding them was deep, and the time we spent walking among them was therapy.

Today is our last day in Niger, as we head to Benin tomorrow morning. There is a lot of slave-trading history in Benin, and I am interested to see how they present this to travellers.

I hear the Pats lost the Super Bowl... I guess it's true - Cheaters never win.