“Exotic Africa, here I come!!” I was yelling at the top of my voice for the umpteenth time. Having secured a wonderful score in my masters program, my parents had finally given me the consent to visit my best friend in Ouagadougou which is the capital city of Burkina Faso, situated in Middle Africa.
The journey which commenced at the T2 terminal of Mumbai, India was only the beginning of a wonderful adventure. Once I landed at Ouagadougou airport, I was appalled at the mass of humanity from diverse nationalities. Being an adventure lover, my buddy decided to let me enjoy the wonders of Bangre Weoogo. I must say the names sounded pretty unpronounceable and much to my relief I got to know that this urban park is also called La Foret and houses a mini zoo where you can spot crocodiles and other wild animals. Being an animal lover I was really pinning for more and so we then moved onto L’Unite Pedagogique which is home to numerous animals in their natural habitat. This park is accompanied by a botanic garden along with a museum. It was a real treat for my adventurous soul.
The day wound up on a happy note and I was eager to see what was in store for me the next day. Being an avid follower of history, I loved to explore the various museums of the world and witness the glory of the days gone by. So our next destination was Le Musee National which is a museum dedicated to reveal the culture of the locals. Sadly most artifacts were not maintained well and the place was sparcely filled. Nonetheless, I did have a good time and this visit gave me an insight into this wonderful land. We next moved on to the National Museum of Music where I could get to see the various musical instruments which are being used in Burkina Faso. Seeing my delight my buddy again planned another surprise for me and the following day we visited a similar destination, the Musee de Manega which also houses many cultural artifacts besides musical instruments.
The excitement reaches a crescendo when I was taken on a shopping spree to the Village Artisanal of Ouagadougou. Here I truly went berserk spending to our heart’s content. The delight of carrying bag loads of shopping is really exhilarating and triggered hunger pangs in us. As the sky began to darken and the day turned to night we ended up spending a delightful and relaxing evening at Café Zaka where we enjoyed the notes of the live bands.
The first three days were spent in a whirlpool of sightseeing and enjoyment and I must say I am already in love with this amazing locale. It fills me with nostalgia that soon my holiday will have to end and I will return back to India with a heavy heart.
