October 02, 2006

10 000 ! - and the low-down on Bujumbura

Last night, my hit counter went over the edge of 10,000 visits !

Thanks everybody.

Ok - about Burundi (I have SOOOO much stuff to do. I should TOTALLY be working right now.)

It's a nice country. I like the Burundians. It's green. Food is good. Potential for partying is exponential compared to Aceh.

When I arrived at the hotel, I settled down in my 2-star bedroom like it was the Ritz-Carlton. What I like best about my room is the view outside on the beautiful flamboyant tree:



Flamboyant tree

We had dinner that night and even had a dancing session. It hit me then that all the Nasi Goreng I fed on in Aceh had taken up residence in my tummy and my hips. So green salad and exercise it is for me. This is getting ridiculous. Looking fabulous will be a nice bonus.

On my second day (a Saturday), my friend/colleague and I went to Club Tanganyika, by the namesake lake - we could see the congolese mountains looming over us.

View of Bujumbura and Lake Tanganyika

The week was spent working hard on budget analysises, getting to know the staff and figuring out my surroundings. There were several pleasant dinners at various restaurants, during which I held my word and had salads and green stuff. One of the restaurants that really struck me with gorgeous vegetation and actual wildlife roaming around (only birdies though) was the Flamboyant.


Grue couronnee au Flamboyant

We had another wild night of clubbing this last weekend as it was my friend's birthday. Boy. It's nice to be able to have a bit of fun - at least i'm not going totally wonkers with boredom.

Click here for the entire photoset of pics from Burundi.

In a few days I'll be going to France to attend a family event before I get back to BUJ and work like a madwoman again. This is getting pretty hectic, and it's great. I would not want to be less busy.

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

9 comments:

Saur♥Kraut said...

Good luck with losing the weight! It's an endless struggle, isn't it? After my final breakup 3 1/2 months ago, I lost a lot initially (and got all sorts of comments) but lately I've been too happy and it's creeping up on me again. :P

Salt Water said...

Good luck with the dieting idea, but it sounds hard with all the dinner parties you blog about. My suggestion is you add and create a more adventurous diet by asking directly for what you want rather than ordering from the menu. I recomend anything sour with pure protiens as a coupler. Sourkrout and scrambled eggs is a great meal, easy to fined and very adventurous. In short, avoid sweet, eat sour. As for Burundi, please bounce the name Peter Zoni around any oldtimers you run across. He was a Xaverian Missionary Priest I knew who helped creat a written language for Burundi. It is nice to see that beautiful tree. I enlarged the picture. It sure is a butte. Thanks. PS. the spell checker is gone. I'm in big trouble now. sorry.

Anonymous said...

Hola guapa!
I'm very surprised with your pics: Burundi is beautiful! The idea I has in my mind was it'd be a poor, dry and depressing place (maybe due to war images on TV) but I'm glad to see it has nice beaches :)

Cuídate y no te obsesiones con la pérdida de peso: lo importante es estar sano y encontrarse bien!

Bisous!

Beaver said...

Saur, I think I could safely say I seriously lacked discipline these last few years. I guess it's the downside to having a boyfriend you are crazy about and living in a place where there are no mirrors, no scales, and where exerting control over what you eat and the exercise you do is limited.

Salt Water... SAUKRAUT AND SCRAMBLED EGGS? Sorry honey, I don't eat my online friends, even on a bad day. LoL. As for that cabbage based side dish, I don't think it's available here in Buja. Its a good idea though to go out of the trenches at the restaurant. I've completely given up starch-based side dishes - typically here you would have rice or potato as a side. Giving it up and insisting on green beans or salad really helps.

Gemma darling, that is so sweet... but I don't feel good about myself right now. This whole break-up thing has been an eye-opener. I'M FAT. ME FAT = ME UGLY. ME UGLY = ME UNHAPPY. No wonder the idiot dumped me. I ended up looking like an over-grown balloon. A smart, funny, over-grown balloon with a great personnality, yet depressed by its horizontal expansion. Unfortunately, being the ugly but nice girl has never been my thing. So I need to turn back into a bombshell again - for ME.

Beaver said...

Hey Mim's ! Cool to see you - tis been a while my friend.

No, I have no news from Kate - actually tried to email her but it bounced. I'll check with 007 and let you know.

*geez guys, I'm sorry - I really seem to have gone wonkers right there. I'm feeling better now. I'm still chubby but I think I'm still attractive. Cheech. I need to lighten up sometimes.*

Anonymous said...

Hi Beaver! I am a Foreign Service Officer who is posted to the embassy in Bujumbura. I am currently in DC and won't arrive in Burundi until early February. A friend of mine sent me the link to your blog. Thanks for the great pictures! I can now point my Mom to your beautiful photos and prove to her that not all of Burundi is war-torn and desolate! I look forward to seeing any more pictures that you may have. If you happen to stop by the embassy, please give my regards to my new colleagues, most of whom I have yet to meet! I can't wait to arrive in Bujumbura! Thanks for the sneak preview, Caren

Beaver said...

Caren, you're very welcome. I know how scary it is to leave home and all you know for a strange and foreign country, but you did well with Burundi.

Let me be very honest though: electricity here is every second day, and running water runs so fast sometimes you wonder where it is. But you will meet here some fine expats with whom to go out to dinner on your black-out nights and your sundays by Lake Tanganyika will be highly relaxing.

It's one of these places where if you accept minor discomforts, you can be happy.

I'm leaving soon but you're very welcome to email me and I'll connect you with some old-timers I've met here.

Take care and welcome to Buja.

Beav'

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Anonymous said...

Hello Beav,

I got the link from a friend of mine.
I'm happy and glad that you took these wonderful pictures. That shows how beautiful Burundi is. Your pictures give an other image to those who always hearing only bad news about that country.
Buja me manque avec ton son ambiance...
Can't wait to be there next summer...

Yves-Diallo (Montreal -Canada)