Times in Tougouri

chicken on my pepper plants

"Sahel apples" I've recently found at site

It's so hot even the candles are melting...and it's not even hot season!

Tuesday November 10, 2009
Why, when writing guide books, do the authors only mention the rare animals one might encounter only at a reserve or park when visiting a country? There is no mention of the animals one sees on a daily basis. And here, in Burkina, one sees (and hears) many animals everyday. Not only are there cats running around (as mentioned in an earlier blog) but there are dogs, donkeys, goats, chickens, and a variety of other farm-type animals. Now the donkeys here do not do much running around, as they are either pulling a cart or shackled so they cannot get away. I really don’t like seeing people throw rocks at shackled donkeys to go faster, because obviously they can’t- they are shackled! Also, someone lied about the braying noise donkeys make or maybe donkeys just make different noises in Africa. When they bray, they sound (and look) as if someone is yanking out their vocal cords. It is a very unpleasant noise, but other than that donkeys here are very mild mannered. Chickens, on the other hand, I do not like. I particularly detest the chickens in my courtyard. At first there was only one, who had its nest in my shower area and pooped on my porch. I must admit that I stole some of its eggs and ate them, but wasn’t fast enough in taking all of them, so now there are chicks running around. The chicks are so cute for about a day and then they also started pooping on my porch. I guess I should be glad that they do eat insects, but recently they have decided to site right where I planted some new pepper plants. And because I am not always at home to shoo them away, I now have no more pepper plants. I’m just glad I don’t also have goats or cows in my courtyard to eat what plants the chickens decide to not sit on. Also, the roosters are constantly crowing, whether it’s 10am or 10pm. I think their internal clocks are messed up, especially when they start going off at 2am, when it’s definitely not dawn yet and I still want to get a few hours of sleep!