Mr. Cam Homeward Bound

The companions had been on the road for a while now and had seen an experienced many thing during their time in Mali and part of them would have liked to continue seeking out adventures of sight, sound and taste but they knew it was time to return home to continue with their duties there. So, it was with some regret they Mr. Cam, CJ and Pien said goodbye and boarded a bus heading south to Burkina Faso.

After changing to a Bus in San, a normal border crossing (except for an overly slow border official and Pien’s underwear falling out when the customs official checked her bag) the group stepped off the bus after 12 hours in Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city in Burkina Faso. It was late in the evening, so the group headed for their hotel and after a quick bite to eat and a beer they settled down to rest.

They next day greeted them with the unpleasant gift of rain and the streets of Bobo (as it is informally known) which were mostly dirt became streams of mud. But during the breaks the rain the travelers braved the streets and got to have a brief glimpse of the city. They dodged puddles as they toured the city and took in a few the sights or took shelter in cafes and enjoyed the French cuisine. Bobo doesn’t have a whole lot to see but it is a pleasant town to spend time in and Mr. Cam noted he did like it a lot more than Ouagadougou even with the perilous mud streets. The afternoon passed simply, and the evening saw the group sitting down to a nice dinner and a few drinks before retiring.

They only had one day left before they had to return home, so a decision was reached that they would head to Banfora, a city about one-hour south-west of Bobo to spend their last night away there. The rising sun found the group already on a bus heading to Banfora. It was an easy trip and before they knew it they were off the bus, checked into a hotel and renting two mopeds. Now the mopeds you may think are unexpected, but Mr. Cam had heard of the Sindou peaks, a range of interesting rock formations 40km outside Banfora, which is where the Mopeds came in. Mr. Cam set off with CJ on the back of his Moped and Pien on the second one.

The mopeds traveling quickly down the dirt roads, around and sometimes through the rivers that the rain had created. They bumped along the road through a few villages and around various obstacles; Mr. Cam liked a tricky ride, so he really enjoyed the ride. The road brought them out into lush green fields, over a few hills when suddenly the rocky columns began to rise in the distance.

The group pulled off the road, hopped of the mopeds and headed up the bank to where the rocks began. The rocky structures rose out of the grass forming huge alien like columns that rose about 30meters into the sky. As Mr. Cam walked between the outlandish structures he felt like he had been shrunk or was walking through the set of a movie. He climbed up to a high cliff overlooking the surrounding areas where he had a good view of the rocky ridge that continued to stretch out into the distance. It was peaceful, unique and as he sat on the warm rock with the cool wind blowing around him he felt very calm and content. The mopeds pulled back onto the road and slipped off into the distance leaving the strange rocks to stand alone once more.

The bumpy road passed quickly, and they arrived back in the center. In Banfora is a McDonalds that serves great hamburgers. Now of course it’s not the “Golden Arches” but the burgers it produces are far better and so the group had to stop in to try out this doppelganger and it lived up to its reputation.

The last night of the trip arrived and it was spent playing cards and chatting with a subtle undertow of disappointment since they all knew this was the last night. The sun rose the next morning and as with many times before it found the three friends on a bus already. They traveled first back to Bobo and then changed to another bus heading to Hamale on the Burkina Faso border. The trip was nothing special and it melded into so many like it before it, but they did meet a lovely British couple who had backpacked from Europe all the way there and, so they chatted, and Mr. Cam learned information about the trip, as it was the same one he was planning to do but in reverse.

The Bus pulled up at the Ghanaian border and the group (now numbering five) headed to yet another border post. This one was simple and after some small chit chat they stepped once more into Ghana. Mr. Cam had the same feeling of homeliness that he had experience on return from its other trips, as if everything was back to normal, the language the food and the people all became what they were used to, and the three travelers all felt relived to be back in their home country.

But the trip was not over, and Africa had one last card to play. A large thunderstorm blew in from the horizon and the rain began to bucket down. They boarded a tro and it headed south. It was slow going as the road from Wa to Hamale is dirt and contains many potholes and the rain didn’t help. After a lengthy period, they finally reached the tarred road just north of Jirapa and soon entered the village. Here came the first goodbye as CJ left them here to return to her home. It’s really the end of the trip thought Mr. Cam.

It was night before the tro finally reached Wa and the rain was not letting up. Mr. Cam had offered the couple the use of his spare bed for the night which they were happy to take. After the long days traveling and the cold conditions a good meal was in order and, so they hurried to Mr. Cam’s house relived themselves of their belongings and headed to Mr. Cams Beloved Aluems.

A table full of Ghanaian food satisfied the travelers and brought about the weariness of the day. They bid farewell to Pien who returned to her home and readied themselves for bed. Mr. Cam said goodnight to the couple, shut his door and climbed through the mosquito net into his very own bed and his head it the pillow. As his eyes closed a single thought crossed his mind before sleep over took him. “Best Trip Ever”

The End