Farafenni

We arrived at our hotel which I was informed was very nice. The driver Peter made sure we had rooms reserved that morning. Peter walked me down a dark sweltering hallway (no power) opened the door to a what he touted as the executive suite where many people are willing to pay double for the room. I don't know if Peter was playing a cruel joke or if he just doesn't like me. If I stand in the middle of the room and outstretch my arms I am only about a foot from touching all four walls. There is a tiny television that didn't work inches from a fan that was mounted below a bare light bulb. So with the fan and light on at the same time it created a wonderful nauseating strobe effect. I felt like if I sat down the walls would fall in on me. Peters room was twice the size of mine. So Thor and I went for our customary walkabout. Within second we had friends, a young boy was carrying around a baby baboon which he was willing to sell me for about $20, tempting but I had visions of Thor and Moose parts strewn across the yard once it got older and meaner. We also befriended a young man who called himself Spice, sporting a Rasta beanie cap and American flag Rayban sunglasses. He gave me and Thor a tour of his town for the next couple hours just like Mo did here in Fajara. Returned to the hotel, still no power, sweltering hot decided to go for a run. Here was a fat, bald Toubab soaked to the bone in sweat, weaving donkey carts and cattle on the road receiving looks like I was a one-eye one-horn giant purple people eater...Maybe the power is back on now...make it back to the room just before Hurricane Farafenni hits..hosed off and read under the strobe light for 2 hours till the power shut off again. On the verge of sleep the megaphone outside my window fires up and the evening prayer call which is a static laden yodeling in Arabic I think (apologies to the muslims) which lasted for TWO HOURS..damn you Peter.  Shake the mud and Hep C off the covers and try to sleep till 4:30am when the megaphone outside my window begins again. (oh yes, TWO MORE HOURS). Hurricane Farafenni bids us farewell as we pull out of town.