GOLF as you've never seen before

Yes - come one come all to the exotic golf vacation resort in Niger, known as Rio Bravo. Bravo is a good name for it as you need some bravery to golf here. Niger is of course mostly desert but that is no reason to not play golf, at least not for the carzy Frenchman who built the course.

Rio Bravo is the one and only golf course in the country, it is an 18 hole par 70 golf course and it is located about 40 minutes drive from Niamey. Rio Bravo has special extra rules for obvious reasons and you will soon find out. The regular golf words/terms are still used despite not being quite the same, for instance the putting “greens” are called greens despite that the only speck of green on them is the painted sign adjacent to them, the greens themselves have no grass!

10 reasons why Golf is better in Niger

(in reverse order)

10) No problem with sprinklers in the way as there is no need for them since there is no grass.

9) Easy to find your ball on the fairway! On the flat brown rocky surface of the fairways, you can see your orange golf ball from more than 100 meters away.

8) You get assigned not one but two personal professional caddies who know the course, and their caddie fees are only $2 each for the whole game (or more if you want). . Your 2^nd caddie goes ahead of you to help spot your ball and to sweep a path for your ball on the putting greens (kind of like curling).

7) Unlikely to be rained out! Niger has not a drop of rain for 9 months of the year and it is usually sunny.

6) No lost balls in water traps (or unlikely). Each water trap (they only contain water during the rainy season) is equipped with some African kids to help out. For 20 cents, they will wade and swim into the water trap in order to find your ball and give it back to you.

5) Sand traps are no stress! (a) Being in a sand “trap” is no worse than the fairway which is mostly sand as well (b) you can whack your ball out of it onto the “green” with your putter since it is hard packed rocky sand;

4) Only your first two putts are counted! Because of the bumpy dirt surface of the “greens” (the greens don’t have a speck of green) you are allowed to count only 2 putts even if you took 20.

3) Your ball always has a perfect lay in the fairway as you are required to replace your ball on top of the portable artificial turf that you carry with you (see photo) for each shot. Always an excellent surface to play off.

2) The “rough” is no rougher than the fairway, it’s the same hard packed sand with almost no bush nor grass. Another perfect surface to play off!

1) The next time you play golf in Canada and are tempted to complain about the conditions of the grass, remember Golf club Rio Bravo in Niger, and you will be happy to have grass!

Looking for a new place to play golf? Now you know where to go, Niger is waiting for you!

Adventures in Taxis

(Note that all photos shown here are a form of taxi!)

Taxis usually come in two forms: car or motorcycle, but could be a van or truck if you’re going into the bush or even a long canoe! Here in Niamey, taxis are cars. If you go to big port city of Cotonou, Benin, the best way to get weave through the congested streets is by "Zim" or motorcycle.

Taxis come in many states of repair or disrepair. Door handles that only work from the outside, modified door handles made out of clothes hangers, holey seats with the foam poking through, the metal skeleton of the vehicle showing, shattered windshields held together with packing tape, windows that don’t open completely or close….

The average taxi serves multiple clients at the same time (like a private run bus). “Just squeeze in. There’s always room for one more!” Babies and small kids can go on their mother’s lap or maybe even on your lap. “Hello there. What’s your name?”
Don’t expect private door to door service unless you have a hotel taxi or want to pay quadruple the price of a regular fair x two! Expect to share your taxi with at least 3 or 4 or more others.

Taxis also serve many unusual and everyday purposes! Commuting to work, going to the market, carrying your groceries home from the market, moving house, moving construction materials or agricultural supplies.

The trunk of a taxi is very versatile. It can hold anything and everything: freshly caught, fish, 50 kg bags of rice/corn/millet/potatoes/onions, pots and pans, precariously placed bowls/buckets of fermented porridge, open baskets of fragile tomatoes, small furniture, bags of manure for the garden, live chickens or goats with their feet tied, or entire legs/thighs of freshly butchered beef piled so high the trunk must be strapped down!

Some items just don’t fit in the trunk. Construction materials such as metal or wood poles may have to lay the length of the taxi and stick out of the window next to you. Once we were in a taxi where the driver hauled two HUGE truck tires on to the roof of the little old taxi. We were seriously concerned the roof would cave in on us!

Normally the taxi driver drops people off in a logical order (first come first served or whoever’s stop comes first on the way). Be prepared though to make a few detours which may bring you far away from your destination or lead you through bumpy side streets, narrow alleys and garbage dumps. The taxi driver decides where he will go and when. He may need to buy some gas along the way, or get a drink, or do a personal errand, or stop to make change for the 2000 CFA bill (worth about $5) you gave him.

Getting around town by taxi is pretty inexpensive. One average distance fare costs 200 CFA (about 50 cents). Carry plenty of little change in your purse. Don’t expect the driver to have much change for any bills no matter how small the denomination unless you happen to catch a taxi near the end of the day!

Taxi drivers are generally polite and very friendly. If they stop to buy a bottle of water, they usually buy extra and offer their passengers a bottle too. They open the door for you if you have a heavy load. Sometimes they are considerate to pull over well off the road so that you don’t have to get out into busy traffic. Generally, though, when you tell them to stop, they put on the brakes immediately. No warning to the cars behind. No gradually slowing down. No pulling over to the curb. No pulling over at a more convenient and safe location. Lesson: give the driver ample warning regarding where and when you want to get off.

Taxi etiquette: always greet the driver and EACH of the passengers when you get in. Failure to do so is very rude. Several times, I (Christine) have been reprimanded by ladies who have felt snubbed because I failed to greet them properly. Africans are very social people. They find Westerners rather antisocial in comparison. For instance, they can’t understand how Westerners can walk along a busy street without even greeting a soul or making eye contact. There will be times when the taxi driver wants to listen to radio or the other passengers are equally as tired as you, but generally it’s polite to carry on a small conversation throughout your drive. It always impresses people too if you can greet them or carry on a small conversation in one of the local languages. When it’s your stop, wave a friendly goodbye…

“Fofo. Kala han fo.” (Thank you. See you another time.)

The 10 Most Indespensible Items on Long Bus Trips (in Africa)

10. A headscarf or ball cap! To keep your hair from being blown to pieces when the windows are wide open (most often on bush taxi rides).

9. A sweater or jacket! For when they turn on the AC full blast! (or for cooler evenings). It also doubles as a pillow to catch your weary head wherever you might be waiting (see item 1). In fact, a small bedroll would be rather nice! African women often just take off one of their many outer skirts/shawls, place it on the ground and lie down for a nap. You could also just bring along a small straw mat with you or your prayer rug (like many of the Muslim men).

8. Your own eating utensils AND SNACKS that your digestive system is familiar with!
Our suggestions: a pocket knife, a set of plastic cutlery, a Frisbee (works well as a plate), ziplock baggies, tea bags, milk powder (unless you like sweetened condensed milk in your tea and coffee), peanut butter, “Vache Qui Rit” cheese triangles, washed fruit, and trail mix or granola. If you forget to bring a plastic cup or bowl, be resourceful like Tim and cut off the bottom of an empty water bottle for your cup/bowl. 

7. Dental floss or tooth picks! Meat in Africa tends to be very fibrous and chewy and gets stuck in your teeth!

6. Personal entertainment for the long ride. A book, a card game, MP3 player, a pen and journal.

5. Earplugs! To block out the snoring behind you, the loud and violent movie, the roar of the broken AC fan above you, or the annoying music that is repeated over and over again because the bus driver only has 1 CD to play.

4. Hand sanitizer or travel wipes!

3. T.P. (toilet paper) or Kleenex! Have a handy supply available for pit stops at the side of the road. Don’t expect it to be provided or available, even in the nicest of restaurants.

2. Lots of bottled WATER! It’s a very useful liquid and solvent for staying hydrated in a dry, and hot climate (unless you like to stay dehydrated until the road trip is over like Tim), for washing your hands, for refilling the radiator, etc!

And the # 1 item is: PATIENCE! Be prepared for delays! From poor road conditions, detours, road construction, many stops along the way, flat tires, and other vehicle problems. You name it! The bus could even be several hours or even a day late in arriving/leaving! Very little advance warning or follow-up information is given. Customer service is rather lacking in most businesses. The response to your question regarding when they expect the bus to leave will most likely be answered with “Il faut se patienter.” (One needs to be patient.)

Of course if you’re even planning a trip within Africa, you most likely already have a sense of adventure and a good sense of humour. Bon Voyage!