Something is happening.

So I woke up this morning to the phone ringing. It was Atumbo. He seems to really love me. So warm and friendly is he. Mr. Adam this and Mr. Adam that. He proudly tells me that the deal is all set and this will be just the beginning as I am now a personal friend of the President. Cool. Finally he gets to the point. He needs money. To protect the land title from a rival political group who have heard about the COLTAN. Uh oh. Between rival groups of sinewed and armed natives driving pick up trucks with machine guns mounted on the back. Yes, thats where I want to be.
I then suggest that maybe we should delay the deal till things quiet down. Like after the elections..or after the coup or the anti-coup or the re-coup or the merci beau-coup. Timeline unknown. What I was really saying was "im outta here!". He repeated his request for some money, $5000, I stalled for time and told him to meet me for lunch tommorow at the Kapisnki. He agreed. I hope I can get a flight out today. I have made several mistakes and have lost all in all around $25000. What to do? At least i'm alive.
I was on my way to the hotels travel agent to book a flight when that spooky guy Paul passed me and this time he turned around and said "hey, Adam good to see you." He suggested we get a coffee and we went into the restaraunt. After some chit chat he tells me that there is alot of instability right now. I asked flatly "Who do you work for?" He says that he in the "private sector but with a government contract". I assume he is with Blackwell or Stategic resources Inc. one of those mercenary sub-contractor multi-nationals. I tell him what I have been doing and he says he has heard and that "everyone knows about the coltan and that it is very dangerous for you right now as both sides think you are more than you are". He tells me that the "opposition" is convinced that I work for the Saudi's. I asked him where did they get that idea and he shrugged. A shrug like he knew but couldnt say. As he left his parting advice was " Maybe your leaving Burkina Faso is a good idea".
I agree. Right now I am waiting for the travel agent to come back from lunch and then hopefully I can get a flight tonight.

The Palace Please

Yes it rolled out of my mouth as I entered the taxi. The driver seemed to love hearing it. I loved saying it.
Off we went. After a 15 minute drive through the worlds worst slum or was it the through Burkina Faso's finest neighborhoods? I couldn't tell. As we came up to the gate the guards were dressed in a pompous and silly costumes that would have brought loads of laughs except for their AK-47's cradled in their multi-color peacock like uniforms. As a white man there is always an element of deference in Africa. So all I said at the gate is "the President is expecting me". They saluted and I went in. A functionary was there to meet me and showed me inside to a changing room where I can put on the local dress I bought last night at the night bazaar, more like the night bizarre as there was nothing for sale except some grain bags that said " a gift of the people of the United States of America". The outfit I bought was reccomended as perfect for a palace reception. It was 6 different colors, all bad. Happily there is NO picture. So I entered the grand reception hall looking like Enrico Caruso doing Pagliacci. After 20 minutes sweating and waiting, in strolled the man himself. He was in Armani it seemed. I felt ridiculous. After 10 minutes of small talk about Boston, where his kids go to school, Harvard of course, he asked me about my plans. I rattled on nervously about my great plans for the land and its coltan removal (a metal used in cell phones and found only in Africa) followed by a mixed development of offices and storefronts and I hope anchored by Burkina Faso's first Starbucks. He seemed impressed and I felt that this man was on MY side. I hoped the meeting would end soon before I said the wrong thing....as usual.
I was on my way out of the palace feeling giddy and confused as to what just happened, when a man approached me and said " the President is very impressed with you and would like to suggest that you consider investing in a private project of the Presidents which details will be forthcoming". I left the palace to find my taxi driver still waiting and he beemingly opened the door for me. I returned to my hotel and am writing this before considering my dinner options. The choices being bad, worse or really bad. I think I'll choose the really bad.

I woke up at noon with a bad headache and strange woman

I hoped she was the cleaning lady. I hadn't seen her before but there she was in my room acting like she belonged there. Attractive she was not. She did open up the the balcony doors and let the steamy heat ooze over me. Yes it was HOT very Hot. She was the cleaning lady. She was making the bed as I went into the shower. After breakfast of stompo ( a fish filled pastry) and coffee I took a taxi to the US embassy to ask a few questions.
The commercial attaches name was Annette Funora and of course she was from the Bronx. We talked pizza and Yankees for a few minutes..mostly pizza. I think this country needs pizza actually...maybe that's my calling. Well Annette told me that dealing with property was relatively straight forward compared with the rest of the continent but that I should be careful of a few local legal issues. There are 3 titles for owning land. One is the national title, the 2nd one is the tribal title and the 3rd is issued by the neighborhood religious leader. The last title is the most difficult and the most important as it is a clearance that the spirit ghosts have not taken up residence on your land. Basically you need to pay around $200 donation to the what seems like a church/clubhouse/bar. With that clear I left to get some lunch and go back and take a nap. As I was leaving I saw Paul the guy from yesterdays party coming in. He seemed to have something serious on his mind and didn't even notice me. Strange as we had spent 12 hours together only yesterday. Off to Lunch. I had some more local food. A glass of ooroga, a coconut milk and coffee mixture that some people make at home as a fermented drink but can be drunk non fermented. A rice and beans mixture with a piece of pork fat (I hope it was pork fat) and a thick stew of mixed vegetables and fish tails. I ate it. That's my food review. I am back at my hotel now and i am exhausted. Time to read the ny times i downloaded and take a nap. Tomorow I go to the palace. I must go out later and get some local clothes as local dress is requested for non formal palace meetings.

The party

At 10am Momoga sent his driver for me. The car was already filled with Jayapal, an Indian businessman, Paul who says he works for an NGO but I think works for the US embassy, Armin, a German Doctor and Diane who works for AMFAR (a relief agency) and off we went. I didnt know it but we were off on a 4 hour ride to Momoga's home village deep in the back country. The road was very bumpy and we were delayed for an hour because of a protest by some farmers who were upset because a government car had run over some of their livestock earlier in the day. Later I found out that it was the Presidents entourage's vehicle that had done the damage. We arrived at a seemingly ramshackle village only to pull up to a ornate tall steel gate and a formally dressed guard came out of a guard house saluted us as the gate opened for us. The driver parked the car along side around a dozen newer vehicles mostly German but a few American cars too. We then entered the house thru a large wooden carved door thru a reception hallway out to the back yard to what looked like a typical hotel party set up around a very large pool with uniformed servers and a well stocked bar. There was around 80 people mulling about and around 10 security people off to one side. A man came up to us and introduced himself to us as Mr. Sokura and he welcomed us and suggested we get some drinks. Yes was the general consensus and we headed to the bar. It was mostly Africans and us the token westerners. After several drinks Momoga showed up with a beaming smile and a big hug and brought me inside the house to meet someone "special". The President knew my name. Yes I am a celebrity whore and my ass kissing began immediately. "Oh, I love your country." and "Momoga has told me how great of a leader you are.", well it went over very well and he invited me to come see him at the palace on tuesday. I accepted. Momoga told me that I was very lucky and a invitation to the palace was very special. I guess the $1500 payment really was well received. After a while the President and his entourage left and people started to relax and drink more....much more. It turned into a drunken bacchanal. The food was decent, the vodka was cold and my new friends were funny. Jayapal fell into the pool and was extremely embarassed as he couldnt swim. Neither could anybody else it seemed till Diane jumped in and saved him. Indians cannot hold their liquor it seems. At midnite we all got back in the car and instantly I fell asleep only to wake up around 4am as we arrived at the hotel. Right now I feel like crap and Im going to sleep.

Taking it easy today..

So I spent most of the day in my new room at the Flora del Mar guest house, its 5 minutes walk to the Kapinski hotel where I just returned from having some drinks at the bar with some friends I made. My new room has a great view and an actual breeze when all the windows and doors are open. The room is clean and has room service and some cute backpackers down the hall who like my music.
The guys I met at the bar gave me the low down on the local politics. The President, Blaise Compaoré, is relatively stable after surviving a coup a few years ago. He is incredibly corrupt but in a honest way. "When he is bribed he stays bribed" ahh maybe my $1500 will be a good investment. I am a little star struck because my NBF (New best friend Momoga) is going to introduce me to him at a coming of age party for his daughter on saturday.
Well I must go because they are about to turn off the generator.

I am ill.

Well, dinner was an experience.
Who knew that Burkina Fasoans ate lasagna.
It looked like lasagna. It didn't smell like lasagna. It surely didn't taste like lasagna.
It was meatless. It was also vegetableless. Unfortunately it wasnt tasteless.
I ate, I swallowed and I just finished throwing it up.
Before the food I was having a nice time. I was introduced to the whole Momoga family.
Either he has alot of daughters or a lot of wives but my impression was that he might not care which was which.
He served me a whiskey and we toasted to our future project. His connection to the President he stressed was very good for business. He suggested that a payment of $1500 would smooth all the title and legal issues.
Before I said yes the food arrived.

My 2nd day...

My new best friend Atumbo (thats him on the right) has invited me to dinner at his family compound in Mabilisi a suburb 30 kilometers from here. I have accepted. Before I get ready to go let me talk about the day so far.

1) There are incredible opportunities here and I have come at the right time.

2) I have met the right people. Atumbo is related to the President and is part of his tribe.

3) I will switch hotels and move to a guest house in the morning.

4) I am researching coltan as it seems that the property I am going to see has alot of it underground. I am interested in this particular property for its location near the new airport but I like that it has residual value.

5) I met some of those journalists I met on the plane and will go visit them tomorrow night at their hotel bar.

6) It is 5pm here and its 130 degrees.

From the couch to the floor.

I finally arrived at Diebougou, Burkina Faso's International Airport, I wouldnt exactly call it an airport more like a long parking lot with homeless people wandering about. At 2nd look the homeless people are actually the guards or army....They have weapons and they seem to be looking for a reason to use them.. Since the plane was late and the curfew was still on we had to stay overnight in the terminal. They gave us small airplane blankets that were very old..How old? Well the Braniff Airlines logo kind of gave me an idea of the age...and it seems when they were last washed. My floor mate had a blanket with Peoples Express printed all over it. They then came by and served us brown liquid that I thought was weak coffee but was really just water. After a sleepless and frigid night the sun came up and at 6:30am it must have been 120 degree's. Off we went in a caravan of broken buses to the hotels of our choice. The first stop was the 5 star hotel and out went a few journalists and aid workers that I met on the plane. Those aid workers seem to travel first class. After 3 stops I was unloaded at the Burkina Inn, a place I found on the internet, they seem to still be waiting for that elusive star and by my guess it aint comin. The room was passable especially after 32 hours of travel. SFO - London - Angola - Ghana - Burkina Faso. I slept for 12 hours to wake up to a very large bug or very small rodent crawling up my leg..no problem.... Curfew was back on again so i couldnt wander around unless I wanted to be shot, extorted or both, so I stayed in my room and watched what seemed like Burkina Faso Idol or something,..I couldnt even decipher what language they were speaking...It could have been a government spokesman telling the masses to rise up and kill all foreigners. Either way it was a catchy tune. At this point I was starving. The restaurant at the hotel had eggs so I thought it being the safest bet it would be my dinner. Actually they were quite good. They seem to be speaking french here also so maybe that has had a culinary influence.
Tomorrow I meet with Mr. Atumbo Momoga, the real estate guy I found online who inspired me to come in the first place. We shall see what he can show me and I will also meet with a lawyer to check about ownership and titles etc etc...Its fun to finally be out in the real world looking at real possibilities!!!
I am posting this from the hotels "business assist center" where I have finally been reunited with that 9600 baud modem I threw out in 1990.
I will keep you all informed!!

xo