tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5382666798781849832011-04-21T14:00:52.697-07:00An account of Lerato Mogoatlhe's journeys, experiences, high lights, low lights and hopefully perspective changing moments around West Africa. With as much of Africa planned ASAP, one country at a time.Leratohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15786224352341594698noreply@blogger.comBlogger121100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538266679878184983.post-14506724008073153362009-01-11T04:50:00.000-08:002009-01-11T05:35:00.999-08:00

Thursday afternoon in Essakane, 50 ks out of Timbuktu. I heave my way up a dune, looking for a drink and maybe cool company when this guy leaps up to me, makes me take a sit, puts a glass of Johny Walker in front of me and invites me, Belle, to sit with him and his crew.No sweat. A middle aged crowd to ease the pain of my teens and youth hovering around me.And, obvisouly, not going to try seling

Leratohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15786224352341594698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538266679878184983.post-82039818388728709362008-12-19T03:52:00.000-08:002008-12-19T04:10:12.639-08:00

O.M.G I am shocked at how hard the men here work to get a woman they think has money.That woman is primarily caucasian. Though, don't forget Stella, she of getting her groove back, was a muntu. Ghana is hook up land. Old and middle aged white women dating guys old enough to be their kids (illustrating not judging). The women are the money, and boy do they keep the dosh coming, and the brothers

Leratohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15786224352341594698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538266679878184983.post-45345250287264095802008-12-19T03:37:00.000-08:002008-12-19T03:45:40.858-08:00

They include meeting Kristina aka Bingy. She is like so many of my sisters- stylish, fun, sassy, funky, fearless, hot inside out, runs and own a restaurant. She is Ghanaian, been here in Abidjan a year and even thinks in French now.She had a baby at 14 and asked if she was not freaking out she said nope, she discovered at five months, went to have an abortion but it was too late and there was

Leratohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15786224352341594698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538266679878184983.post-73471797274581898212008-12-19T03:31:00.000-08:002008-12-19T03:37:40.401-08:00

The new ager in me used facebook status updates to channel the experience. So that I would be bored as ever, stuffed into an office that could barely contain the furniture let alone the four people sharing it.One of those updates was Lerato is marching around Dogon Country, Mali. There will be no marching but there will be Dogon country, come January.Africa is romancing me. And I loves it. Come

Leratohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15786224352341594698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538266679878184983.post-50778445820567263272008-12-19T02:53:00.000-08:002008-12-19T03:30:53.144-08:00

As I head to month six on Dec 23....My eyes are blinking faster than normal, heart doing the double espresso marathon thing becoz I still cannot believe it. I am here. Someone pinch me. I am in Le riviera, Abidjan and calling this a cyber instead of internet cafe. Breakfast is demi, half, french bread with butter. I used to think they are being rather heavy handed with the butter even after I

Leratohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15786224352341594698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538266679878184983.post-40237185803928021052008-12-18T02:05:00.000-08:002008-12-18T02:32:01.810-08:00

I am having breakfast- atchieke, a piece of fish, sliced chilli, tomatoes and onion, with a sprinkiling of maggi seasoning if you are keen. So I am chowing this in a very make shift shack of a restaurant that has three walls, two tables, four long benches, a potholed floor that is already covered in the fish bones that people spit out as they eat. I am here when the radio plays Brenda Fassie's

Leratohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15786224352341594698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538266679878184983.post-84274079081747777122008-12-16T05:03:00.001-08:002008-12-16T05:15:15.529-08:00

Are rather too easy to get. I have been offered coke in Accra, Ghana, at Kokrobitey the fishing village and Danquar Circle, Osu , by people who drop in the whole, Oh I can hook you up with drugs if you want them, line in between regualr chit chat.Fancy escaping the madness to deal with more madness around me.Last night was a classic offer. Was hanging out with a friend I really suspect of being a

Leratohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15786224352341594698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538266679878184983.post-79092047063279398082008-12-13T11:35:00.000-08:002008-12-13T11:40:07.561-08:00

I arrived in Senegal at 3.30 am not speaking a french, not knowing a soul, no hotel room-agent forgot to book!-and a very thin budget. I faked being a guest at a five star hotel, could not hide my relief when they said fully booked. Got ready to cry about the manager making a plan for me (it was his hometown), got taken to another hotel. Room available. At that price FORGET it. More calls, room

Leratohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15786224352341594698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538266679878184983.post-38350011995170546842008-12-13T11:22:00.000-08:002008-12-13T11:35:18.045-08:00

Bravery has little to do with this. This is the easiest thing I have ever done in terms of getting around and feeling safe. I have never been threatened with violence.Just so you know and because I want to clarify the bravery issue. Being here is a leap of faith, a measure of curiosity and conviction and being so bored with your routine you will give up the comfort of that routine for a prolonged

Leratohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15786224352341594698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538266679878184983.post-20328909330104482522008-12-13T11:00:00.000-08:002008-12-13T11:12:36.262-08:00

Before you ask and to avoid misunderstandings.I am not in Africa. I am in West Africa and I am writing this a restaurant called Portsmouth in Le Riviera 2, Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Africa is too vast to call traveling around one of four regions that make up the continent being in Africa. That statement also distances South Africa from Africa. Of course I have issues with any discourse that puts

Leratohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15786224352341594698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538266679878184983.post-15818926507960656662008-12-13T06:42:00.000-08:002008-12-13T06:50:12.620-08:00

The blog that is. And just as well because a lot has been happening since I left home on June 23. Some of it even made me book a ticket back home six weeks into the experience.I will share as I go. For now, I am just giving you the quick down low. I have so far been to Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana and and typing this from a cyber cafe in Le Riviera, Abidjan Cote d Ivoire.I hope you have

Leratohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15786224352341594698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538266679878184983.post-6212948024294571382008-12-13T06:11:00.000-08:002008-12-13T06:42:11.668-08:00

To my Africa. A continent that many of us are past hating, yet still know very little about because most of what we see, hear and read remains traditional-if it bleeds, it leads-news material. Boogy in Africa is about heart, soul and emotion. It is about my travels around West Africa, a trip I consider a starter in getting to know Africa like the back of my hand. Very soon.If you believe that

Leratohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15786224352341594698noreply@blogger.com2