By plane, Africa is so dark at night. A giant blot from the air fringed every so often with dabbles of light. This Friday, the 13th of June, I landed on a giant ink spot of a runway in Ouaga and ventured into the predawn darkness.
Here was my flight trajectory:
11:10 PM Depart from JFK in New York
10: 30 AM Arrive in Casablanca, Morocco
(11 hour layaway)
9:30 PM Depart for Niamey, Niger en route to Ouaga
3:45 AM Touchdown in Ouaga
On the dimly-lit drive, I saw my first view of Ouaga -- blue-lighted concession stands and lanky men lounging on their motobikes. As before a rain, the air was heavy and tenebrous.
The house in the Zone du Bois/Zogona district was as charming and quiet as I could wish for, save for the cries of the goats in the courtyard and the saturation of the air. After reading a few final chapters of Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being, I showered and slept soundly.
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