10th June. Ouagadougou. Burkina Faso

10^th June. Le Pavillion de Verte Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

It's pronounced Waagadoogoo actually. There was a distinct change in climate driving north yesterday. The greenness gave way to dry dirt, the vegetation changed, we are now in the Sahel. This is the strip of land that stretches across Africa below the Sahara. Known for it's dust haze at certain times of the year as well as a dry hot climate it is where Arab features come to the fore in the people. Too hot to sleep in the bakkie we have taken refuge in an air conditioned room overlooking a shaded courtyard. On turning the A/C off this morning we could hear a couple of rams baaaing in yard behind our room and chooks clucking and doves cooing. It was like being back in the country. Since then the rams have had their throats cut and are lying in a pool of blood which the chooks are happy to indulge in. A very pastoral scene.

The traffic here are the best behaved we have met in any of the cities, oncoming traffic even stops to let you turn left. I had better curtail my assertive (Joan says aggressive) tendencies.

Tomorrow we hope to get our Mali visas then start to head towards the border. When we tell the locals we are going to Mali often they suggest we change our plans because of the troubles, but when we point out where we are going, to the south west and that we will be passing through quickly, this seems to satisfy them. They were quite concerned for us.