Some photos...

Ok - I've been having major issues since my canadian AA Duracell batteries ran out near the end of the course.

I can't seem to get any replacements to last longer than 3 photos. You can buy Duracells in certain shops here: I layed out $10 for 4, but I only got 3 photos combined from the 4 batteries!! I tried Energizer brand with the same effect. I guess they are just too old by the time they get sold here, or the humidity sucks the energy out or something.

When I was in Abidjan, I thought I might be able to get newer stuff. No such luck. Now I have resorted to buying the local batteries for $0.25 because they give at least 2 shots.

Anyways, that is why I have fewer photos now. I can't go around shooting from the hip anymore. I have to load my batteries, get the shot I want and turn the camera off.

Enough complaining. The first photo is of Josias and I. Josias works for SIL in Abidjan. We have been friends for many years, ever since I hosted him in my house in Abengourou, back before I was married. On this trip to Abidjan, we ate most of our meals together, and did lots of errand-running together.

One evening, I went with him to Abobo (a poorer suburb of Abidjan) to visit his cousins and I was amazed that the growing rift between rich and poor. The poorer neighborhoods of Abidjan were really suffering from lack of upkeep of the infrastructure and you could tell that buisnesses were not doing well- signs blacked out and doors barred. There was no new construction anywhere, just attempts to keep the old buildings from falling down.

The next photo is of Henri and I. Henri and I worked together in Abengourou, and he is one of my favourite people in the world. He just happened to be come through Abidjan while I was there, flying back to Congo, where he is from. He invited me to come visit him there. It is a bit further from Cameroon, but you never know. I might just take him up on it!














The next 3 photos are from the bus on the way back to Burkina. They are a poor depiction of our plight, waiting for the striking rebels to open the gates at Bouaké.

I knew that if I got caught taking pictures, my camera would be confiscated, so they are not great pictures, but hopefully you can get the idea. In this first one, a guy on
a little moto was carrying more than double his weight in grass (presumably he had animals to feed?), and was trying to push through the crowds to the front of the line. Didn't help much, since he couldn't get through for hours to come!