End of Togo, beginning of Burkina

We said goodbye to Togo yesterday morning early, on our way to catch a bus to Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, at the border. I had such a good time in Togo! Not only hanging out with Arwen and the other Volunteers we met, who were all amazing, but also enjoying the differences, but subtle and obvious, between the two West African countries I've visited so far. Some highlights were the beautiful area near the Kabye mountains, where Arwen lives. Also, the handicapped cooperative near Niamtougou, which makes spectacular art, especially fabrics. They had adorable clothes for children, as well as bags, jewelry, some all hanging batiks, greeting cards with a tiny batik painting...I bought two meters of gorgeous fabric, with it's distinctive handmade batik print, which I think I'll have made into a dress. On New Year's day (they celebrate the first here, not midnight of the 31st) we went back there for their fundraiser dance party, which was super fun! It's so interesting to me, too, that the music tells you how to dance. When you hear the music, your body wants to move a certain way, which makes the Kabye "chicken dance" (as Arwen calls it) work so well, and makes my Wolof dancing look silly. But in my village you can really only dance that way to match the beat. Anyway, it was fun to give Togolese dancing a try. In Dapaong, we visited a women's co-op that makes beautiful hand-woven bags, blankets, tablecloths, and other things. I couldn't resist a spacious purse from there. And it was neat to watch them at work, weaving the bright colors into a pattern. They also make nice-smelling soap with shea butter. So many hardworking people! Those are the ones I like to help out.
And then, yesterday, we rode the bus all the way to Ouagadougou. It's a very clean, fairly calm city from what I've seen so far. Of course, that could be because we stayed at the centre d'acceuil which is run by nuns and located right at the entrance of the cathedral grounds of the archdiocese. But last night we found an "American bar" called showbiz that served the most delicious croque madame with lettuce and tomato! And this morning, a lady on the street was selling real avocado sandwiches! And so we feasted.