BOBO DIOULASSO ..........It was an ordeal -- and then some -- to get to Bobo. Just like animals, we were herded into the back of a public transport truck. When we were sufficiently uncomfortable, they put two more people in. Finally, we were off and stopping for the day's travel. It took us about two hours just to leave Ferkessedougou.

As soon as we left we came to our first police checkpoint of the day. There would be seventeen more to follow. Some were good and some boring. In one I roamed a neat village taking pictures. At another two bandits behind bars leered at Amanda. At the Burkina Faso border, we waited for hours. The owner of the truck came to the back collecting additional money to pay police bribes. He didn't bother to ask us.

Around 9:00 P.M. we arrived in Bobo and checked into the Catholic Guest House. It was worth it for the food alone! If there was a lot to do in Bobo, we certainly didn't know what it was. We spent basically the entire day at the market.