What's it like to Travel/Study in W. Africa?

[EvanP]

It seems like several people are returning from their trips to Guinea, Mali, etc.

It would be very interesting to those of us who haven't made the trip yet to read about what the experience is like from multiple perspectives. Not just the drum classes, although that would be interesting as well, but the travels, the food, the lodging, the warm millet beer, the parties, etc. Kind of "A Day in the Life at Drum Camp".

The blog below is one example:

http://travelsinconakry.blogspot.com/

Thanks!

[rachelnguyen]

Hi Evan,

I did, indeed, miss your post! I would be happy to write up some things about my trips to Mali. My travel mates and I talked about putting together some information while we were there and I think some of it could be very useful. Both times I went I traveled with Sidy Maiga, who is my teacher here in RI. For me, having a 'home base' for the first time, at least, was a great thing.

I will either post about it here on your thread... or maybe do a blog post so it is more permanent. In the mean time, if you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.

Also, where are you? Travel information will vary depending on what country you are coming from.

Rachel

[EvanP]

Rachel,
Thanks. I'm in Portland, OR, but what I'm really interested in is what it's like on the ground once you arrive.

Evan

[James]

Just back today, I do intend to write up a few things asap...

So many things to do

[Dugafola]

it's not a vacation. i can tell you that much.

[michi]

but what I'm really interested in is what it's like on the ground once you arrive.

I have experience of Ghana and Mali. I've been to Ghana twice for a month each time, and spent a month in Bamako. My first trip to Africa was to Ghana.

It's a pretty full-on experience. Everything is different: sounds, colors, smells, food, language, music, people, culture, climate—you name it. That in itself is quite overwhelming at first. For me, the first few days were unbelievably intense. There was so much to absorb and learn.

It's dirty. Not in the sense of being unhygienic (although you get that too), but in the sense of being dusty and hot. Especially during the dry months, you get the Harmattan, which seems to carry half the Sahara with it. Visibility is often limited to less than three or four kilometers. Beyond that, everything disappears into a red haze. The dust is microscopic and within minutes of having had a shower, a fine layer of dust covers your skin again, causing a permanent feeling of being slightly grimy. And it's hot. Depending on where you are, it's either hot and dry, or hot and humid, hot being the common denominator

It's chaotic. Traffic can by truly wild. And many cars are something to be seen and experienced. Try a tro tro (group taxi) in Accra, or check out a taxi in Mali. (In one taxi, I had to be careful where I put my feet, otherwise I would have stepped onto the road below…) Or try attending a soccer game. I was in Accra during the Africa cup and watched the semi-final at Accra stadium between Ghana and Cameroon. (Ghana lost 1-0.) That's a once-in-a-lifetime experience Absolute bedlam. A riot of noise, color, and characters. Great atmosphere. Trumpets, drums, costumes—absolutely wild.

Food is simply awesome, especially if you like spicy food. You'll get to try a whole pile of things that, most likely, you will not have eaten before. I'm the adventurous type when it comes to food, and I had a blast experimenting and experiencing all these new tastes.

Poverty is everywhere. This truly took some getting used to for me. Experiencing this first-hand was very different from the abstract and detached experience of watching a documentary on TV. On a number of occasions, I provided money for medical expenses for people who literally would have died had I not stepped in. It was hard for me to see all that poverty (and to be beleaguered by people to help them at times) and having to decide when to help when to have to say "no."

I came across scam artists occasionally, and there were times where it seemed someone accosted me to sell me something every three minutes. Not surprising really, seeing that I was essentially a walking bank vault by African standards. I can't really blame people for wanting to get a slice of the pie, but there were times were I was quite annoyed at getting hassled incessantly.

Try and get out of the city if you can and see something of the countryside. That's a totally different experienced in atmosphere and character. I saw landscapes and bush that are truly beautiful and very different from any other landscape I've seen (and I've travelled extensively). Something about the light and the smells… On my second visit to Africa, as soon as I stepped off the plane, I recognized the smell. It's unique and somehow feels like coming home. Hard to explain…

Anyway, I could go on for hours. For me, going to Africa was one of those key experiences in my life, and it turned out to be a life-changing thing. I recommend to anyone with even a passing interest to try and go there. The experiences are unique and I think you are pretty much guaranteed an interesting and stimulating time, even if you find that you don't fall in love with the place.

Cheers,

Michi.

[Afoba]

nice post, Michi!

[rachelnguyen]

Michi,

Beautiful post. And nailed a lot of it.

This was my second trip to Mali... and in a way, it was harder than the first time. Maybe I thought that since I had been there before, I would know what to expect. And of course, the experience was COMPLETELY different.

This time we were in a very residential neighborhood in which we didn't see another caucasian for the entire two weeks. We were within walking distance of a few little shops. As Michi said, the dust from the Sahel coats everything... from the trees to the houses, clean laundry on the line and the lining of your lungs. I would never recommend dry season for someone with asthma issues, LOL.

We were in the Banconi Razel neighborhood this time, in a rented house. The house was just fine.... we had the second floor with several bedrooms and a hallway. There were two bathrooms. Because we were on the top of a big hill, we often had nights when the running water stopped working. We managed just fine by filling a big trash barrel with water to use for the toilet and tessolet (a little plastic tea pot that is used for washing up in the bathroom.) The couple of hours without water was actually kind of worth it because we had a SPECTACULAR view of the city from our roof.

When you travel with Sidy (and I suspect this is true of most of the drum and dance workshops in Mali) you basically become one of the family. We had a great time in our off time hanging out with our teacher's brothers and sisters.

Every day we would study drumming and dance in the morning. Our afternoons were spent on little field trips around the city. One day we went to a wedding and got to hang out with the musicians in the back. We even got to eat with them! Another day we went to the market and had a great time dickering with the vendors over things like wooden spoons and calabash bowls. One day we went to the 'artist village' which is pretty dreadful, as it is the normal haunt of the toubabs (whites). Vendors were very aggressive about trying to sell there stuff. Not pleasant and pretty claustrophobic. Another afternoon we went to the National Museum of Mali. It is a spectacular place... and well worth the stiff entrance fee.

In the evenings we would go out to clubs to see live music. On our first night we got to see Toumani Diabaté. It was a ball. We also spent some time at the nightclubs, where they play a mixture of West African and American dance music. GREAT fun. You can either pay a cover charge.... or if you are with a group, buy a bottle of alcohol, which includes admission to the club and plenty of drink mixers, juice and soda.

On another night we went to a festival celebrating women. Ironically most of the performers that night were men... but it was a beautiful venue, on the south banks of the Niger river.

A couple of housekeeping things. I, for one, would not travel to Mali without an escort... at least the first time around. I think the culture is just so different it would be easy to get into trouble inadvertently. For example... I have been to Asia, where the cars and scooters assume that they are going to go around pedestrians. In Mali, it is assumed that the pedestrians are going to get out of the way. If you didn't know that, you could easily get hit by a car as the traffic is crazy.

There was a curfew while we were there and we were pulled over in our cabs a couple of times. If you aren't actually going to carry your passport, you need to go to the police station to get your photocopies notorized. We learned this the hard way and spent some time in the back of a police truck while waiting for Sidy to come and 'bail us out' so to speak. It would be trickier to manage that kind of thing if you were flying solo and didn't have a local to call.

As far as the basics... toilet paper is almost never available in public restrooms.... so bring travel tissues, LOL. Even in the little store in our neighborhood, the guy only had a couple of dusty rolls in an open package. We had western toilets in our house, but in most homes the facilities are a squat type of affair... either a porcelain one inside or a concrete slab with a hole in it outside.

Medications are available at the pharmacies, but they are often very different than what we have at home. I recommend bringing your own medical kit, including bandages, antibiotic ointment, a couple of oral antibiotic options and benedryl (dipenhydramine) in case of allergic reactions. My son developed a severe case of hives because of an allergic reaction to cipro (an antibiotic.) It could have been a life threatening event. Luckily he was able to breath and we were able to get an antihistamine at the pharmacy.

People are, as a rule, very kind and generous. I noticed that we mostly only encountered cranky people in areas where tourists tended to congregate. Otherwise, we had wonderful experiences with the folks in our neighborhood. The kids in the neighborhood were very cute... following us around singing 'toubab u' (white people!) Once, a kid even called out 'Chinois' (Chinese). My half Vietnamese son was thrilled that he was recognized as Asian, LOL..

Language- Most people speak French, but Bambara is the linga franca of the city. A few phrases go a long way towards making friends. Even the bored and curt folks at the airport warmed right up when I said good evening to them in Bambara. There are some mini phrase books available online and I highly recommend them. Very very few people speak English... so if you don't speak french, definitely bring a good phrase book or travel with a friend who does.

For me, one of the hardest parts of the trip was the re-entry back to the United States. It is a very tough transition. It took me almost as long to recover as I was there. But it is a great experience and I really do recommend that people go.

Feel free to ask specific questions!

Love,
Rachel

[EvanP]

Rachel, Michi,
Thank you SO much! This is exactly what I was hoping for. Hopefully more people will add their experiences, particularly with details of life outside of the cities (and running water. and toilets). I really want to go! Of course, there's a part of me that says "remember those pictures you saw in 7th grade health class?" --it is sub-Saharan Africa after all--but the experience sounds amazing.

The language tip of knowing a few words/phrases is one I rely on heavily, and has served me well to open doors and hearts in my travels (at one time I could apologize in 7 languages--something which comes in very handy in my line of work).

Was the Cipro your son reacted to for a stomach ailment? I'm assuming it's a good idea to bring some sort of sulfa-based or other antibiotic to treat bacterial issues if they arise?

Is the food similar to Moroccan? Ethiopian? I assume there's lot's of good French bread to be had? Was bottled water readily available in local markets?

How did you get around town to sight-see? Did Sidy have a van or did you split off with others in your group and take cabs?

Very funny about getting bailed out by Sidy, although it may not have seemed that funny at the time!

Evan

[michi]

You get really nice bread in Bamako. The French history is still very much alive in the bakeries. In Ghana, on the other hand, the bread doesn't deserve the name. Alas, the British history is still very much alive there too

For medical supplies, I'd go to a decent travel doctor for advice and to get a kit. You'll need two different kinds of antibiotics, various pills to treat diarrhea, something to deal with fevers and headaches, etc. (Having said that, I didn't get sick in my two-month previous trip until the last day; mild diarrhea, not a big deal. The trip before that I got diarrhea once, which lasted for three days and was unpleasant, but not incapacitating, for one day.)

Much of the health advice you get is greatly exaggerated, and also impractical. Especially if you go to the countryside, the typical evening meal is a giant aluminium washbowl full of food. Everyone squats around the bowl and eats with their hand, and water is passed around in a big jug from person to person. You simply have no choice at all in such a situation. You eat. Doing anything else would mean that you go without food (not to mention that you would mortally offend everyone).

At any rate, the Malians don't die like flies from food poisoning, so you won't either. And, to be realistic, diarrhea is unpleasant, but easily cured. Rather than spending my time in fear of getting sick, I dived right in and ate what the locals ate. I don't regret it!

You will also need a string of vaccinations as long as your arm. Yellow fever (mandatory), tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella, rabies, typhoid, plus possibly some others. Again, your doctor will be able to tell you what's important. But I would take vaccination seriously. It's not cheap, but some diseases, such as rabies, are deadly if you get them. (I now know that there is a whole pile of things I definitely won't die from )

Take your malaria prophylaxis seriously. I recommend to stay clear of Lariam and to go with Doxycyline instead. It costs more, but has none of Lariam's side effects. Stay clear of homeopathic or herbal malaria preparations. They do nothing.

Cheers,

Michi.

[Afoba]

Take your malaria prophylaxis seriously. I recommend to stay clear of Lariam and to go with Doxycyline instead. It costs more, but has none of Lariam's side effects. Stay clear of homeopathic or herbal malaria preparations. They do nothing.

hmm...
yes, take it seriously! But I don't think herbal preparations are so bad. There is a quite new product that reaches about the same safety as Lariam (about 70%). I took nothing the last time I went, because I had just started a homeopatic treatment and didn't want to kill it completely with some hard stuff as Lariam (but I had may homeopatic AND Lariam standby with me!). After all it's your decision and no one else can take the responsibility for you.

I have taken Lariam, Resochine, Paludrine and homeopatic stuff and sometimes nothing. I can't say what helps best, because I never had Malaria. And then even to get it once would not proof that the medicament was worse than others, for there is no absolute safety - never! That's why you ought to take your Lariam with you, if you take it regularily or not!!.
By the way, I never had problems with Lariam, but with Resochine I had!! That's why I stopped it once for about 5 weeks and didn't take anything. You can test Lariam, if you start some weeks before you go (this is recommended anyway).
In general there is more danger in the cities. Even in the rainy period I didn't see many mosquitos in Upper Guinea, in the malian countryside it'll be the same.
There is a new treatment with antibiotics. It's cheaper than Lariam I think and helps against everything else, too. Only problem: it changes the reaction of you skin, so you will have more problems with the sun. Someone I know took it last year - he had no problem accept the red neck d;-)

For a first visit of about one month, probably Lariam is best (3 weeks before til 4 weeks after), if you stay longer it's different - it's not recommended for more than 3 months!
Greetings, Daniel

[Paul]

There was alot in the press about homeopathic malaria medicine when an english guy died of malaria recently after taking homeopath remedies (think china salts is the common one)... They interviewed the head of the British homeopath assoc who was totally unconvincing that the remedies had any effect..

[rachelnguyen]

I second Michi on the travel doctor.... absolutely critical. Most regular docs will have no idea what you are going to be dealing with in Mali. And yes... Noah had taken a single dose of Cipro for stomach trouble and 4 days later had the reaction. The stuff is very strong. I, on the other hand, have taken it a couple of times with no ill effects.

I second what Michi said about communal eating, too. We shared bowls of food at every opportunity and had no ill effects whatsoever. Water, for us, was another issue. We carried bottled water wherever we went and shared it among ourselves, but never drank the local tap water. (Diago is my friend, LOL. It was our brand....)

The food is pretty different from Moroccan and Ethiopian. It is mostly stews and thick sauces served with rice or some other starch. The base of the sauces is usually a large amount of onions and oil, to which is added hot peppers, a wonderful bitter fruit in the tomato and eggplant family, often peanut butter. It is very savory and delicious cuisine. For breakfast every day we had fresh eggs in an omelet with onions and tomatoes served on fresh French bread. It was a great way to start the day!

Coffee is mostly instant, with instant milk powder... but for some reason it is always absolutely delicious. I miss it when I come home.

There were 5 of us traveling together most of the time, so we usually managed to jam into a cab. Sometimes, if our teachers friends or family were with us, we would get two cabs. The cabs are relatively inexpensive and the conversation with the drivers is often worth the price of admission. A price is settled on up front once you tell the cabbie where you are headed. I don't think there is tipping involved.

Incidentally, we were using Malarone for the malaria prophylaxis. No side effects to speak of and only 1 per day. Plus you only have to take it for 7 days after you get back.

Love,
Rachel

[Afoba]

There was alot in the press about homeopathic malaria medicine when an english guy died of malaria recently after taking homeopath remedies (think china salts is the common one)... They interviewed the head of the British homeopath assoc who was totally unconvincing that the remedies had any effect..

The very special problem in this case was, that the guy (James Brown, by the way) refused to take any chemical product, even when he realized, that he was very very ill. They still could have helped him in the last days, but he refused to. I would not do so!
He was in Sangbarala and you can get medical aid against Malaria in Kouroussa, Koumana and Baro (that's to say at three locations between 8 and 15 km away) - if you want to. Even in Sangbarala there was a doctor last time who gave me some injections against "palu" (they sometimes mix up malaria and other illnesses in speech). Later I found out that it was no malaria. A friend of mine was helped in Kouroussa (it was malaria) - no big deal after all (at least this time).
So, if you now where to go, doctors can help you there. And taking Lariam or Malarone doesn't mean that you won't get malaria. The possibility is not as high as without and the effects are less horrible - as with some herbal medicaments (a kind of tea), too, what I never tried.
If you go there for several months you'll take herbal or homeopatic medics - or nothing. If you go only for some weeks, Lariam seems to be still the best (a bit better than Malerone and the tea, but not much). It's a calculation of different risks (read the parts about driving cars and about pregnant women!).

Greetings, Daniel

[EvanP]

Stay clear of homeopathic or herbal malaria preparations. They do nothing.

...and I thought I'd just follow the British saying "the quinine is for the malaria, the gin is for reality"...

Again all, this is great info!