by phil | Mar 19, 2014 | Stories
Bit of personal news here. I recently got engaged to Ms. Bintou Sagara. That goes towards explaining the light posting. That and the running a restaurant thing. Will share some more details in the coming weeks. No wedding planned yet, but for the relatively exclusive...
by phil | Jan 31, 2014 | Mali
I am back in Mali after almost 7 months in Abidjan, the longest break since I first starting coming here in 2010. I tried to come back sooner, but the restaurant took over and I repeatedly postponed the trip. I am here now, savoring the last days of Mali’s...
by phil | Jan 8, 2014 | Stories, W. Africa
The year began with death. According to Arouna, Maimouna was killed by “cold air.” Whatever happened, it was an inauspicious start to the year. And then Ansar Dine arrived in Konna and France went to war in Mali. During this time, state television station...
by phil | Dec 18, 2013 | Biz, Cote D'Ivoire, Stories
Here are a few observations and lessons learned from nearly two months of running a full service restaurant in Abidjan. Running a restaurant is a great way to meet people. Among our regulars, we have the captain of ASEC Mimosas (Cote d’Ivoire’s most...
by phil | Nov 6, 2013 | Biz, Cote D'Ivoire
Around the end of each month, you start to see a few more armored trucks than usual rolling around Abidjan. They are filled with cash and on their way to supply banks and ATMs with the monthly salaries of workers who find themselves in the formal economy. Some people...
