Walk in Ouagadougou

Look at God's beautiful words become creation!  It was about 6:30 yesterday when I pulled on my shoes for a 40 minute walk in the neighborhood.  I took the camera along, and now I want to share some of what I saw with you. 

You will see the good and the bad; the happy faces of children and the trashing of creation. 





(Left:  Some high walls around homes are topped with things that will help deter thieves.  Doesn't help to deter lizards, however!  I saw a lizard crawl right over this broken glass.) 

These children followed me for almost half of my route through the neighborhood, calling a few friends along the way to also come get a bonbon or a photo. 

biking to school:

walking to school:

People are up and about early: I think the first Muslim prayer of the day comes on the local mosques' loudspeakers at 5 am.  Of course it gets hot early too. 

(Right:  People are very careful to protect trees they want to keep.  But then you have this sometime too: Below:  where all the plastic bags end up.)

Street views.

Another kind of taxi: the blue cart built onto a motorcycle.  I've seen these with all kind of loads: animals, hardware sticking 5 feet over the sides, and up to 9 or so people piled in the back. 
This is what Adama's mother had waiting to carry our bags home when we arrived in Bobo a month and a half ago.  It is also what broke down halfway home and so we took one of the broken-windshield, broken-trunk door, green taxi cars. 

 

"Prendre une photo!"                       In front of one of those many little "boutiques," stores about 10 ft. by 10 ft. where you can buy water, juice, packaged and canned foods, and other assorted goods. 

Trash burning in the street. 









Donkey sleeping by the street.

Playground.

A neighborhood well, where those without running water in their homes can go to fill water barrels.  The cart to the right is the type I've seen people pushing. Other people use a donkey and cart. 

And who was there when I returned to the house? 
He turned around and click! there I was with the camera.  
Adama!  (People here call him Aziz and his family adds the endearing "o" = "Azizo!" so he knows it's me saying Adama.)




What did your walk or drive or glance out the window look like today?  What did you notice that you'd never realized before?