Bokin
Bokin is in North Burkina Faso.
Understand
Located at the center of the Mossi Plateau, Bokin is a strictly Moore village, with the occasional Fulfulde intruder. Bokin has lots of millet and people and not much else. If Gaoua is the armpit of Burkina Faso, then Bokin is its hole.
Bokin is the home of former president Thomas Sankara.
Bokin is also home to the finest collection of Burkinabè fous/folles. These include but are not limited to:
- The Passport Folle
- The Digging Fou
- The Muppet Fou
- The Traveling Fou
- The Bad Fou
- The Prospector
- Mr. Congeniality
- The Toothy Fou
- The Old Fou Who Just Sits On a Log and Stares At You
- The Topless Folle
Get in
From Ouaga take the first transport that leaves the Gare de Tampouy to arrive before nightfall. It leaves Ouaga at about 1:30PM and arrives in Bokin by 4:30PM
To leave Bokin take the early morning transport, which leaves at about 7AM. The cost is 1500 CFA each way. On marché (market) days you can also take the camion to Yako for 750 CFA.
Get around
See
Do
Video club across from the marché is guaranteed to please, as long as you appreciate Kung Fu movies and Champions’ League Football.
Buy
Marché
Large and in charge and once every three days.
Boutiques
All surrounding the marché, quality and selection changes but you can always buy toilet paper, sardines, pasta, couscous and NIDO.
Tailors
Ali does good work. Normal prices, and he can do anything. Located after the Total station on the left.
Eat
Restaurants
Sometimes, sometimes, you can get an omelette sandwich at the kiosque. They’re kinda oily, but damn cheap.
Street food and snacks
That is the only food to be found. Brochettes, porc au four, samsa, fruit, coconut, salads, rice, dried fish and all other types of normal street food are plentiful.
Drink
Lin Ti’s I & II are the two mainstays of any Bokin-region Volunteer’s life. Lin Ti is a 3-pagne tanti who will treat you right.
Bar Wende Konde (a.k.a. Vulture Bar) was nice for about two months, and sometimes comes through in the clutch, but in general is not as nice as Lin Ti’s.
The Post Bar, according to Raoul, a primary school teacher, is “more romantic”.
Sleep
The (now former) Winans’ house (PCVs house) (owned by Sahel Solidarité, which can provide other lodging as well)
Connect
Post Office
Located on the hill by the antenna. Hours: Monday – Friday: 8:00-noon, 15:00-17:00; Saturday 8:00-11:00 You can take money out and receive packages but be forewarned that the postal clerk is rather disgruntled.