Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Sand Dunes!




This past Saturday we visited some sand dunes outside of Madaoua. It was amazing! The day was very clear and calm, and we got there early enough in the morning that the temperatures were still very comfortable. These sand dunes are shifting every year, and as a result a project group had been there trying to stop this a number of years before. They built a fence on the top of the dunes, as well as planted bushes/plants at the top to catch the drifting sand. It worked for the first few years, but when the project people left, the fences were torn down for firewood, and the trees were not watered sufficiently, so the dunes continue to creep a significant amount each year. In fact, there is a little "village" - a small group of buildings that may have one more year before the Sahara takes it over. The owner of the house talked to us, and indicated that he knew he would have to relocate soon, and that there was not much else he could do. The hills of sand were huge, with a cliff at the top which the kids would take flying leaps off of, and then run down the rest of the way. The climb back up to the top took some work, though! They played football on the side of the dune, and let me tell you there was some incentive to catch the ball before it rolled down to the bottom! We were there for not more than 5 minutes before a few children came to see what was happening in their area, and soon we had around 50 people watching us enjoy the dunes. It did not take long before they all got into the fun of the morning, and joined in the antics of dune climbing. I'm sure they wondered what the big thrill was - for them it was just out their front door. After wearing our legs out climbing the dune, we stayed at the top and played a football game, but the field kept shrinking with all the onlookers. Fortunately, the people who took us to this place spoke the local language and could ask them to give us a few more feet for a field. But the side who was calling the play always had a "few" extras looking over their shoulders! Jerry even had dental consultation up at the top for a woman who was experiencing much pain. And when these ladies complain of pain, you know it is bad. All in all, it was a great experience, and the view was magnificent.

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