Let me tell you about Joe...

No, not Joe (my dad) or Joe (my cousin) or even Joe (my old radio cohost). I'm talking about Joe the Camel. No, no... not Joe Camel (because smoking's baaaaaad), but instead Joe the camel with whom I recently spent some time. Let me explain:

Instead of basking at a tropical beach this spring break and me and some friends decided to hit some sand a little farther north: the great Sahel of Burkina Faso. We visited the cities of Dori and Gorom Gorom, where the roads are sand and the air is hot. But there's also interesting stuff there: diverse and "exotic" ethnicities, beautiful arts and crafts, yummy dates and... CAMELS! So what better way to see the north than by camel? I don't know either, so that's exactly what we did. We rode 12km by camel to a great big sand dune near a teeny little village, camped out then returned the next morning. Now you may be asking yourself, "Self, how long does it take one to go 12km by camel?" Good question! And the answer really depends on how lazy your particular camel may be. On the way in, Joe (my Camel whom I named) was a little worn out and stretched the journey to 2 1/2 hours. Now, I don't know how many of you have traveled by camel but that's a loooong time. My rump and back are still hurting. But the trip itself was definitely worth it. I had a great time. And hell, when else will I be able to wear my turban??

So now it's time to return to Bourzanga. My last (!!!) trimester begins this week and will end sometime in mid to late May. Can you believe it? Crazy. Things are really moving along. I'm even finalizing travel plans home. After some time in Ghana and Morocco, I should get back home on July 2 or 3, just in time for fireworks and a cook out. Yes! I'm also looking to travel around the country for a few months starting in August. Could I visit you?? If so, drop me a line at karatierney@gmail.com