A most eventful weekend

I spent the weekend in Ayorou, an amazing market town that is pretty much out in the bush. I went with two other students and Barke, a former BU-Niger student (three semesters!) who teaches at the American school in Niamey. We spent Friday night camped out on mattresses outside the hotel in Ayorou.

The hotel was right by the river, and at night we could hear the hippos roaring.

The next morning, we rented a canoe and rode up beside the mighty beasts.

Then we were steered towards a nearby island village. The people there were Songhay, so I got to practice my terrible Zarma skills.

The children were absolutely adorable.

We talked to the people there for a little while, and Barke bought some millet husks for his animals. Once the word got out that he was buying, everyone in the village came running with their husks.

They pound the millet grains with a mortar and pestle to remove the husks.

After our island excursion, we visited a Fulani family who live just outside of town. The Fulani are nomadic herders, so it took us a few minutes of searching to find their camp.

The family was really nice and didn't seem to mind that we fell asleep in the sand underneath their tree. We came bearing pineapples and bananas, two fruits which they had never seen before. (Imported produce like that doesn't often make it outside of Niamey.) Then we dropped by a Bella camp before dinner for a few hours. The Bella are also nomadic herders, but they speak Tamasheq. Their culture is very reserved, so I didn't get a lot of photos.

After our visit with the Bellas, we returned to the Fulani camp for dinner and sleep. They rolled out mats for us, and we fell asleep looking at the Milky Way over our heads.

On Sunday, we were awoken by the sounds of roosters, cows, and donkeys. We ate a breakfast of fresh milk and reheated rice from the night before, and then we returned to Ayorou for the market. There was a group of adorable boys who followed us around all day. They loved posing for pictures because it meant they got to see themselves afterwards.

We drove home Sunday afternoon, tired but happy. My roommate Bukaram was so dirty that we decided to take a picture to memorialize it.

I'd love to end the entry here, but the weekend didn't stop there. Harira, Bukaram, and I came back to the CFCA and then went to a nearby cafe for dinner. Afterwards, while hailing a taxi, a man ran up behind us and stole my roommate's wallet and my purse. Other people on the street came to our aid, and one man even beat the thief with a baguette, but the voleur got away. We filed a police report, but the reality is that those things are long gone.

The good news is that no one was hurt, and everything that was lost is replaceable. Last night I was just angry, but I'm starting to realize that it could have been much worse. The perils of city-living, I guess.

written by

The Boston Wanderer on October 6, 2008 from Ayorou, Niger

from the travel blog: Sandstorms

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Aw I'm sorry to hear about your purse! I'm glad that people came to the rescue though and tried to catch the guy, even with a baguette!

The photos look amazing, and those kids are SO adorable. Gosh I wish I was in Africa too, and not here in the rain and cold and blah. Weather sucks up north.

written by Clarissa on October 7, 2008

that sounds like an AMAZING weekend, i've always wanted to fall asleep under the stars!! instead every night i fall asleep under a sloppily painted ceiling.

the red sox are in the playoffs for world series! if we win the ALCS i'll take pictures of the riots for you and photoshop you in there.

miss ya!

written by K2 on October 7, 2008

It looks like your having the time of your life!! I'm sorry about your stuff getting stolen :( Funny how they tried to beat the guy with a baguette.

The other day in the dining hall I stopped dead in my tracks because I thought I saw you eating at one of the tables. It took a while for me to realize that I was staring at a random person, who also seemed to be sketched out by my staring at her. Miss you!

written by Zarmina on October 14, 2008

a beautiful blog

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Sounds like a very interesting & adventruous weekend :-)

It's the life, sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter, sometimes happy, sometimes unhappy. Anyway, I agree with you that nobody were hurt, nothing could be worse than that.

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