Life in Niger

Just a short note to give you some perspective as you think about complaining about your road and infrastructure. At home right now I bet most of you are complaining that your roads have not been graded and the snow not removed for a while. Well the situation around here is not much different , so continue to pay your taxes and vote for the right party

As you have heard we went to Parc W , which is an international parc with shared borders with Benin & Burkina Faso(Upper Volta for the old timers)The Nigerian side is Parc W because the Niger river forms a "W" on the northern border of the parc.The trip was only 150kms south of Niamey but took the better part of 3 hours and we didn't need 4x4 but we were glad for the suspension that it had , nice and stiff. The first 50 kms was on blacktop and was excellent and fast,but that soon ended and the gravel/rocks /pot holes begun. the words of direction that we got was that the donkey path beside often was smoother and faster than the actual road. So ,this gives you an indication of the condition. We only got lost once and ended up turning around ,and would have asked directions (being males) but there was no one around . So we found our way back to the road and proceeded. The further along we went the narrower the road got and at times it felt like you were driving at the Little Red River in PA. At the tail end of three hours we thought we were lost again and ask some guys on a moterbike if the parc was close, But before we got their answer we saw they had parc shirts on and were glad we were on the right track. We had invisioned this grand entrance to a parc but it was very understated, and was basically just a part of a small village. Parc entrance fees were about like our national parks , but you had to hire a guide as well for $20 a day. He rode with you and explained about the parc and help spot game with you. Our giude was from Benin and was very well informed and willing to share despite our halting french. But , like he said we were easier than the chinese group that knew no french, english or Hausa. So it was a hot dust and tiring trip but well worth the effort. It is really difficult to see these parcs from a north american position as the cost of maintenace is high for these countries, but the returns could also be high,but to attract most tourist they would not be happy with the ruggedness of the roads, and camping. But if you are willing to put up with some discomfort, especially in the hot season in May (45C) then you could really see animals. The old man at the camp said at that time of year the lions come to the river to live, eat and bred, and they don't care if people are near. (no midnight pottie breaks). We only heard the hippo's grunt and splash. But, the star show was amazing as it was a perfectly clear night with no moon ,and no bugs. It was very difficult to go to bed that night as the setting was right out of an old Tarzan movie, every boys dream no matter what his age. To top it off there was only two other ladies in the camp site so it was very private. With the lod man telling stories of the lions and such we were happy that they always ring the camp all year long with old fashion kerosene lamps to keep the animals out . I guess it works because all the kid were still present at the breakfast table in the morning

So have a good sleep and remember January is almost over and tomorrow they said it will be around 38C. As it is still winter here as well.