Banfora

After New Years Eve Josh and I decided to make a little vacation out of our trip to the South West.  It’s a long journey to get down there so we thought we should explore the area a little bit while we’re there.  I read over my Lonely Planet, which pointed us in the direction of Banfora.  Getting to Banfora from Gaoua was an adventure in its’ own.  The Lonely Planet didn’t say much, so in the morning we headed to the gare hoping for the best.  Asked around the bus station and was told a bush taxi would be leaving at noon, so we bought a ticket, dropped our bags, and went to find some breakfast.  At noon there was still no taxi bus.  Josh was getting a little anxious and went to ask the man who seemed to work the gare.  First he was told that the bus was coming at 2, then he was told that we should just take a regular taxi for 40,000 CFA.  We didn’t have 40 mille.  We were short on cash as it was since we didn’t take into account that the New Years fete meant the post/bank would be closed for 5 days.  Worried that this meant no bush taxi was coming and that we just lost 10 mille on the tickets, he fetched me and we went to talk to the man together.  This time we were told it was coming at 12:30.  At one Josh got more nervous and decided to go for a walk.  “Don’t worry, it’ll come.  This is Burkina…” I said as I continued to read my book.  At 2:15 the man came to get us and gather up our stuff.  He had us sit on a wooden bench near the loading cars in wait, ready to go, and at 2:30 took us across the street to a bush taxi.  Finally, we’re on our way and the taxi loads quickly and departs by 3pm.  The taxi van is packed full, but thankfully over half of the people get off at a city an hour into the journey and we get an entire bench row to ourselves for the rest of the 5 hour journey.  We get into Banfora a little after 8, hot and completely covered in red dirt from the open windows, and are glad to find the Peace Corps recommended hotel and call it a day. 

Banfora is a lovely little city with lots of good eats.  It is one of the more touristy areas in Burkina, but didn’t really feel that way.  People there aren’t push or attack you for being a tourist as they did in places like Aursha, Tanzania, or even in Ouaga.  We only had a couple of days so only got in 3 of the sights in the area.  The best by far was the Domes of Fabedougou, about an 11K bike ride out of Banfora.  We took a wrong turn on the way and got lost in a maze of sugar cane fields, but when we finally found them it was well worth it.  Huge rock formations unlike anything I’d ever seen before.  We spent the morning walking through the park and climbing the domes. 

      

Next stop was the Cascades of Karfiguela, only a couple kilometers from the Domes.  The waterfalls were pretty, with 4 different levels of falls, but a waterfall is a waterfall and after seeing so many they all kind of look the same.  These reminded of the falls in Appalachian mountains meets the waterfalls in Western Australia.  But it was hot and we were ready for a swim.  We took the advise of fellow volunteers and found a “secret” waterfall that’s behind the second level.  It wasn’t completely private, another man found it before us and was taking a nap at the top of the falls.  He has the sweet life.  Still, it was the perfect setting and we cooled off in the water before having a late picnic lunch. 

   

The next morning we went to Tengrela Lake to see hippos, however the most excitement we got was from crossing a bridge on the way there.  The bridge was being repaired and we had been warned by other volunteers that there were men who would try to make us pay a fee “for the reparation of the bridge”.  Conveniently, Hippo Lake is just beyond the bridge and several tourists a day cross the bridge.  When we came to the bridge we followed school children down the left side to the water where there were a couple foot paths across.  We didn’t get very far before a couple of men noticed the 2 white people and stopped us, saying there was a fee to cross.  I told them “non, c’est pas vrai”!  They were instant, pulled out coins from their pockets to show us as if we didn’t understand, even held on to the back of our bikes so we couldn’t walk away.  I lost it a little bit and blew up at them like I had seen Kate do last summer in East Africa when people tried to rip us off, something I swore I would never do.  I guess 7 months of people trying to take advantage of you because your white wears on you a little bit.  We threw everything at them that we could think of, “we’re not tourist, we live here. we know there is not a fee” “how come your not charging any of the Burkinabe, just the Nasaras?” “if there’s a toll where is the toll station? The toll sign?” “call the police if we have to pay, or should we call the police because you’re falsely charging us?”  Nothing was working.  Finally we got across the stream and Josh told the men to leave me alone and deal with him, since I had retreated to screaming at them in English.  In most cases, people will leave the angry white woman alone, but in this case they weren’t easing up.  After about 10 minutes we got on our bikes and were slowly inching ourselves away, and they realized we weren’t getting any closer to giving them money.  The ring leader reluctantly let go of Josh’s bike, saying “fine, you can pay on your way back”. 

A few minutes later we were at the peage for the Lake, but unlike the Domes or the Cascades there wasn’t a sign with the park fees.  Again, the attendant saw 2 white people and tried to over charge us.  Once we pulled out our carte professionnelles and told him that we live in Burkina and know the cost he changed his tune.  By the time we got out on the lake it was almost 8 a.m. and our boat guy told us the 40 or so hippos that live in the lake had left and gone into the woods.  Now I don’t know a lot about hippos, but I know a little, and I know that Hippos normally go up on land to eat at night.  I’ve experienced this first hand near Hell’s Gate National Park in Kenya.  I also know that during the day, when it is very hot, Hippos prefer to be in water.  If he would have told us that we couldn’t really see the Hippos because they are only ears and noses in the water, I’d believe it, but I’m not buying that in 90 degree whether when it’s only going to get hotter they are chilling in the woods.  I suspect he just didn’t want to go searching through the lake for nostrils sticking out, but maybe at this point I had just lost faith in the good nature of the Burkinabe.  We still got a lovely 45 minute pirogue trip on the lake and it was interesting to see the fishermen. 

                    

We got lucky on the way home- we wasted no time at the bridge and went to the far, far left path.  The poll trolls were busy with another group of white people and we got across and on our way without any problems.  Despite all the hassles, I’d still recommend Banfora to anyone visiting Burkina Faso.  We didn’t see everything and it’s one of the only places I’ve visited that I’d gladly return to.