La Guinguette

It has been a month since we arrived in Burkina and after many complaints from home that we are not sending photos, we decided to head out to play tourist for the day. So we went on a little adventure to la Guinguette, a small forest with a river fed from an underground water source. The Bobolais enjoy coming here to relax, stay cool and have a swim. Unfortunately it is the rainy seasons and we are unable to swim as the current is too strong. We’ll have to wait a few months and come back during the dry season when it feels really hot! La Guinguette is about a 15 km bike ride from where we live, just past the University on the way out of town. The way there is mainly down hill so it seems to take no time at all; it’s the way home that is long! We packed a lunch, games and everything we needed to make tea, so we were well prepared for a full day of relaxation.

For the past 3 years la Guinguette has been developed into a tourist attraction and natural reserve in which those in the surrounding villages profit from the new work and flow of tourist money. The initiative was taken as a way of protecting the environment and the water source that quenches the thirst of Bobo-Dioulasso. The villages around the park work as a sort of cooperative taking turns operating the boutique, tours and maintenance. We wandered off into one of these villages, Dinderosso, for a look at Bobolais village life.

While wandering around we discovered a new concept (at least for us). This is the concept of musical farming! There is an association of workers that have gotten together in the area and that will work in your field for some food and money shared collectively. While they work there are a few of them who play drums to create a good rhythm and they all sing along. As you approach the field you can sense the energy (though I think they brought it up a notch just for us).