It might be time to recount some funny stories from the trip, so that you, my dear reader know that it has been not only beautiful and spiritual but full of giggles, rigoles, and knee slapping chuckles of African proportions!
This may not be for all readers as the comedy varies greatly:
1. You can image devout muslims coming in contact with Textured Vegetable Protien (TVP) for the first time and thinking it was pork. Well, one friend had to be convinced that it was 'harricot' (aka beans), but once he did; pulled the joke on his friends that it was Canadian Bacon.
2. I met the love of my life and she had my name, too. On the Senegal river that borders Senegal and Mauritania, a beautiful, young, African queen met us by the river. Through our friends who spoke both Pulaar and French, we learned her name was Adama. Eye contact was a must. In this region of Islam's reach, and the sun's touch, veiled modesty is not as essential as devotion, so it is customary for both men a women to bathe (separately but in plain view) in the river. It was just our luck that on the return journey of our walk around the town Darra Haleibe, Adama was bathing in the river. As we walked by we exchanged greetings:
'Bada Ehtam pere', I said. (How goes the fatigue?)
'Adeceli' (It goes well.)
'Jamtan' (Peace.)
'Hamdalila' (God is Great.)
'Zen' (All is well.)
In case you were wondering, I looked back.
3. Dana and I were at Lake Aleg in Mauritania and saw huge pieces of cow dung in the trees. We wondered why a cow would climb a tree just to shit? Later, when we went on a firewood collecting journey withe the town children on a three-donkey cart, we discovered that the locals huck a piece of dried cow droppings into the branches of the desert prickly trees to shake the fruit from the top tentacles. The nut needs to be peeled, sucked and spitted. Not a good taste. This was not Orange country.
4. In Atar, we discovered that a 'douche' which means shower in French, can often get confused for toilet, because if you are going to bathe yourself, it all goes down the same hole anyway. But in the desert, porcelain and bathROOMS are few and far between. In this one family's 'douche', clay stairs lead to a second storey of planks of wood, underwhich dropped whatever was necessary. Underdevelopment means no two storey buildings. All is subject to plain view in Africa.
5. ...except perhaps meals in towns with no electricity. Oftentimes, eating with our host family meant a good hand scrubbing, and then eating rice with overcooked vegetables and over-MSGed meat with our hands around a common bowl. We got used to it. This one night, a 'special' African meal was prepared. We were explained that it was the leaves of the 'harricot' plant, rice and meat. It tasted (and gritted) like grass, sand and cow dung.' When I asked what part of the animal this meat came from, our host pointed to, and spoke in French, 'brain, stomach and feet.' Dana proclaimed rightly, 'worst suprise meal in his lifetime.' I got the recipe.
Oh, I have a list of 20 more, but they will have to wait for the animated hands of Dana Fountain, my travel partner extraordinaire, and future opportunities for exchanges of smiles. Thanks for reading.
This may not be for all readers as the comedy varies greatly:
1. You can image devout muslims coming in contact with Textured Vegetable Protien (TVP) for the first time and thinking it was pork. Well, one friend had to be convinced that it was 'harricot' (aka beans), but once he did; pulled the joke on his friends that it was Canadian Bacon.
2. I met the love of my life and she had my name, too. On the Senegal river that borders Senegal and Mauritania, a beautiful, young, African queen met us by the river. Through our friends who spoke both Pulaar and French, we learned her name was Adama. Eye contact was a must. In this region of Islam's reach, and the sun's touch, veiled modesty is not as essential as devotion, so it is customary for both men a women to bathe (separately but in plain view) in the river. It was just our luck that on the return journey of our walk around the town Darra Haleibe, Adama was bathing in the river. As we walked by we exchanged greetings:
'Bada Ehtam pere', I said. (How goes the fatigue?)
'Adeceli' (It goes well.)
'Jamtan' (Peace.)
'Hamdalila' (God is Great.)
'Zen' (All is well.)
In case you were wondering, I looked back.
3. Dana and I were at Lake Aleg in Mauritania and saw huge pieces of cow dung in the trees. We wondered why a cow would climb a tree just to shit? Later, when we went on a firewood collecting journey withe the town children on a three-donkey cart, we discovered that the locals huck a piece of dried cow droppings into the branches of the desert prickly trees to shake the fruit from the top tentacles. The nut needs to be peeled, sucked and spitted. Not a good taste. This was not Orange country.
4. In Atar, we discovered that a 'douche' which means shower in French, can often get confused for toilet, because if you are going to bathe yourself, it all goes down the same hole anyway. But in the desert, porcelain and bathROOMS are few and far between. In this one family's 'douche', clay stairs lead to a second storey of planks of wood, underwhich dropped whatever was necessary. Underdevelopment means no two storey buildings. All is subject to plain view in Africa.
5. ...except perhaps meals in towns with no electricity. Oftentimes, eating with our host family meant a good hand scrubbing, and then eating rice with overcooked vegetables and over-MSGed meat with our hands around a common bowl. We got used to it. This one night, a 'special' African meal was prepared. We were explained that it was the leaves of the 'harricot' plant, rice and meat. It tasted (and gritted) like grass, sand and cow dung.' When I asked what part of the animal this meat came from, our host pointed to, and spoke in French, 'brain, stomach and feet.' Dana proclaimed rightly, 'worst suprise meal in his lifetime.' I got the recipe.
Oh, I have a list of 20 more, but they will have to wait for the animated hands of Dana Fountain, my travel partner extraordinaire, and future opportunities for exchanges of smiles. Thanks for reading.
posted by Adam Popper at 5:35 a.m.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home