Vicki, Adri, Bob and I got up at 6:15 and walked up through the tall grasses to the scampering of unseen small animals on both sides as we passed. Climbed up to our wonderful stone bathroom at the top of the world. Scrubbed our clothes on the rocks and rinsed off in the beautiful pools before stripping off for a cold but exhilarating splash in our natural spa, overlooking forest and farmland. I felt totally relaxed and comfortable stripping off in front of my travelling family, unworried about offending anyone and able to just be myself. Stayed in ages before crawling out and towelling off. Didn't want to head down yet so stayed up there, paddling and soaking up the relaxing atmosphere. Adri and I polished off our breakfast pineapple, which meant I just had to go in again to wash off the juice!
Wandered down slowly with Adri to a campsite draped with washing. Everyone was feeling deliciously clean, relaxed and ready for anything.
Different road out of paradise, through vast sugarcane plantations and past an enormous rotating sprinkler on wheels. Much easier road bringing us quickly onto the asphalt and bypassing town.
But the morning's serenity dissipated quickly as we climbed out of the truck thirteen times at the whim of men and boys armed with machine guns who flipped through our passports (often upside down); we ended up sitting on "police" benches while they poked their noses into everything. At one stop, a man pulled Bob’s locker to pieces, even opening and looking at his contact lenses kit. Our language deteriorated rapidly as we submitted to these petty power plays, and we reacted more and more slowly to their demands, sending the guards to the front to our "chief" before we would get down. We settled into the inevitability of it and wallowed in the heat, trying to not get really angry and then refusing to wave or salute when we left the posts.
At last, we reached Bobo Dialasso which had a hideous Catholic Church copied from London's King’s Cross station and a fabulous market that extended as far as I could see in every direction. There were fresh vegetables, spices, tiny cut portions of goat meat, bicycles (many still in their cardboard packages), mounds of garish green, yellow and orange plastic thongs and shoes; a twisting alley area of kitchen and household utensils with piles of enamelled pots, wigs, bathroom supplies, hair tonics, toothpaste, second-hand aid clothing, souvenir stalls and the biggest assortment of fabrics we've seen so far. although I only found the latter when our time was almost done couldn’t rummage for long. Wandering back through the narrow alleyways we ended up amongst the peanut butter and grain stalls were women lounged and slept in the sun selling small servings of nuts, and other huge dishes of fine and coarse grains none of us recognised. A wonderful place fully of the colours, sounds and smells of African life.
Just out of town we pulled off the road and through a recently burnt up area to camp and bring in the New Year.
We sat around in groups talking far more than is usual, munching on predinner peanuts before feasting on avocado salad, onion quiche, stir fried veggies and chocolate and lemon marble cake.
Everyone was pretty chilled - my thoughts took me many miles away to previous New Year's Eves, with school friends and at Nariel Creek Folk Festival in north-east Victoria - until we changed into our fancy dress. Myrta wore an all-in-one striped baby suit (USA Aid clothing), Marcus was a Roman senator, Adri as American tourist, Jim my baby/partner in crime, Ben a Swedish cook with Roman origins, Ton a local hatted and sarong-ed woman, Bob dressed as Rambo armed with a blue drill, the Swedes in various kaftans. We turned up The Boss (Bruce Springsteen) on the stereo and discoed and hollered and hooted in the truck's hazard lights, lit sparklers, sprayed beer and champagne over each other, drenching my nappy (Bob's towel) and saw 1986 in.
Exhausted, Nikki, Ben, Jim, Adri, Bob and I sat around the fire listening to the river, discussing celibacy. Ben stayed up to write a letter and was still going strong when Vicki and I got up at 5 AM to toast a happy New Year with Jim with Eku beer.
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