9/20/10

Today was a great distressor! It was a gorgeous day and my sister, Adama had planned to take me to visit family in Koulaba and later, she surprised me with a guided tour of the zoo! Getting to Koulaba was a trip. We had to take a citroman (city bus) to the city, a motorized wagon through the big market and a lemon up a spiraling road to get there. Koulaba is where the president's palace is located. I didn't get a good look at it, because it has concrete walls built around it, but the surroundings were beautiful. Everywhere, off the mainroad, had flowers, grass and shrubs that are neatly manicured, and statues and monuments are everywhere celebrating the past rulers. As we were walking around, the police started making a commotion and making all the cars stop as the sound of sirens approached, and we soon saw a motorcade with the president! I quickly grabbed my camera to snap a picture and I suddenly felt like a tourist and my sister started laughing at me. After Jade, the tourist, was done taking photos, we descended down a short path right behind all the marble fixtures, to a humble abode on the face of a mountain, where her family lives. As always, I felt very welcome despite my lack of understanding. As we gazed upon the breathtaking valley, we ate rice and beans with sauce and for dessert, we had bananas and oranges. I had so many vitamins today! Everything was Malian-perfect. Afterward, my sister said that we were going to the zoo. I couldn't believe it because that is one of my favorite places to go and as I told her this, Jade, the kid, came out. So, we said our goodbyes and headed for the zoo, where she had somehow organized a private guided tour! I was so excited, but as soon as we entered the zoo, my heart dropped. I saw how unkept the grounds were, how dirty the water was and how mangeled the animals looked. The image of a zoo that I had in mind was not before me at all. It was then, that I remembered that I am in a third-world country where there isn't enough money to keep the people in good health, let alone the animals. As we traversed the grounds, walking on broken stairs, climbing slippery rocks and dragging through mud, I found myself wishing I had brought my hiking shoes! I felt especially sad for the animals there. The wolves growled and the panthers hissed at me. They were pissed, but I knew it wasn't because of me. I've never experienced a pissed off animal at the zoo before and I've visited a lot of zoos. I was appalled at the state of security and sanatation of this public space. At one point, my sister had to go to the bathroom and a grounds keeper handed her a salidaga and she went off into the grass! I couldn't believe that a public place would not have a restroom. I still don't believe that; there has to be one somewhere in that place. I don't think I'll be going back.