The return trip was not as pleasant as the trip down to
Obiré. Since Stuart was to stay on for
a few weeks, Cathie and I decided to take the TSR bus back to Ouaga. TSR stands for Transport Sana Rasmané and this particular route runs between Gaoua and Ouagadougou. Cathie was planning on leaving for the US
the following evening, hoping to get away before the really hot weather set in.
On the way to Gaoua to catch the bus, Stuart’s car had a
flat tire. Although functional, Stuart
discovered that his spare tire also had a nail in it, so while Cathie and I
waited for the bus, he took care of that business.
I was happy to know that this was not going to be a bush
taxi and the busses looked normal enough—actually pretty nice from the
outside. The brochure I found on the Web makes them sound really posh stating that "Les cars T S R sont climatisés et animés par des écrans vidéo où joue fréquemment de la musique traditionnelle et des films africains." As Stuart and others are fond of saying, much is aspirational here in Burkina. The reality was another matter altogether. Furnishings were spare and
no-frills, with extremely narrow seats.
I have no clue how really large people, or those with very broad
shoulders were supposed to sit in them as I barely fit in the allotted
space. It made the economy class airline
seats look like a luxury.
There were no movie screens, no bathroom, and I also noted that the windows could have used some Windex. And, of course, contrary to the brochure, there was NO AIR-CONDITIONING. Togo, a Burkinabè friend of the
Showalters, accompanied us on this bus venture, along with another acquaintance
of his. We were glad to ride with someone who knew the ropes. While we sat on a
bench waiting for the recently discharged passengers to pick up their baggage
and leave the bus, Togo spoke to the driver about getting us some good
seats—near a window on the shady side of the bus. After the crowd subsided and we finally embarked, we discovered
that his connections were less than hoped for as “our” seats were already
occupied. I had the feeling that this was going to be a long six hours…
When the bus finally started up, it occurred to me that
despite the road conditions, along with several construction detours, the
driver was a speed demon. Someone
behind us was listening to some very African-sounding music and as we sped
along it brought to mind some of the crazier African films that I’ve seen at
film festivals. Occasionally we stopped
at obscure villages where the occasional rider would get on and off, or
sometimes more. I don’t think they bothered to keep track of the number of
tickets that were sold so it could be a bit crowded at times.
At almost every stop, would be a crowd of people waiting for
us with all sorts of wares to sell.
Bananas, sodas, sesame cookies wrapped in cellophane wrap, strange
fruits and vegetables I wasn’t familiar with, sandwiches, roasted chicken, bags
of onions, watches and sunglasses—you name it. Even suitcases and tote bags if
you needed something to carry them in!
And, naturally, the larger the town or village, the greater the crowd awaiting
us.
 |
| Onions, grilled chicken, sesame cookies... |
The rest stops gave us some diversion, though, and Cathie
said the truly annoying sesame cookie ladies were actually helpful in pointing
out the restrooms. You had to be
careful in buying sodas, though, making sure the seal hadn’t been broken. Orange-colored liquid in a Coke bottle
tipped me off to that!
 |
| bananas, sandwiches, sodas |
We arrived at the first stop in Ouaga around 7 pm—5 hours
for a 6-hour ride—not bad! When we
arrived at the second and final Ouaga stop I was happy to have arrived in one
piece, and to find that my luggage was still aboard!
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