Author Topic: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'  (Read 89566 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline gingerman28

  • Senior Amazing Race Detective
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1989
  • GMan
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #50 on: November 13, 2007, 04:13:01 PM »
Concern has been expressed by Peach to me by PM about the rainy season in Burkina Faso and whether road trips from Ouagadougou to somewhere in the southeast and on to Niamey Niger would be feasible. I have found data on the rainy season(June to September, which is certainly when the Amazing Race is there) for the south of Burkina Faso. Total annual rainfall concentrated in those 4 months is 40 inches (about what we get in the new York metropolitan area in a year. The average per day is 0.33 inches. As long as they don't get 5 inches all at once, it may not be a problem. If it were, then an option is for World Race Productions to have teams return back to Ouagadougou and take charter flights the 300 miles from there to Niamey.

Things look pretty damn hot and dry when we see them chasing camels.  Who would want to spend any length of time in Ouagadougou?

Offline georgiapeach

  • Amazing Race Admin
  • RFF Administrator
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 54196
  • TAR Detective
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #51 on: November 13, 2007, 04:50:41 PM »
I agree G-Man that it does look dry. But this was less thn 2 weeks before the worst flood in BF history which left 96,000 homeless. All of the blogs I have read have talked about how the roads become impassable during the rainy season, so my point was --would TPTB schedule a drive during the rainy season when they could not be sure teams would not get "bogged down"? It also appears to be unsafe to drive at night so am doubting a late night drive as a start. Remember only a few teams were commented on on the CDG to Ouagadougou flight? Were the others on that flight--and if not which?

Here is some other info on transport in BF: (But the good news? National drinks:
• Beer is the drink of choice and is fairly cheap.)



Main Airports
Ouagadougou (OUA) is 8km (5 miles) from the city. To /from the airport: Taxi and bus services are available to the city. Facilities: Banks, post office, shops, restaurants and car hire.

Borgo, 16km (10 miles) from Bobo Dioulasso, handles mainly domestic flights (see Getting Around).

Getting There by Rail
The only route is the international line from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, running through to Ouagadougou. However, passenger services are currently suspended.

Getting There by Road
Routes are from Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Togo, although these are often barely adequate. Regular bus services run during the dry season, from Bobo to Bamako in Mali, and from Ouagadougou to Niamey in Niger and to Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire. The road from Ghana is being improved. Bush taxis also serve most routes.



Note: Permission from the Ministry of Administration is required for the use of photo-, film- or video cameras.

Internal Travel:

Getting Around By Air
Borgo, 16km (10 miles) from Bobo Dioulasso, is the principal domestic airport. Air Burkina (website: www.air-burkina.com) runs flights between Bobo Dioulasso and Ouagadougou. Air taxis are available.
Getting Around by Rail
There is a limited daily service from Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso. Two classes are available, but can become overcrowded.

Getting Around by Road
Traffic drives on the right. The majority of roads are unpaved. In general, roads are impassable during the rainy season (July to October). It is inadvisable to drive at night, as there are few street lights and some vehicles do not have headlights.

Bus: Buses and vans are called cars in Burkina Faso. Regular bus services are operated in the dry season to all major towns and it is necessary to book at least 48 hours in advance. These buses are also cheap and plentiful.

Taxi: Shared taxis are available in major centers; fares are negotiable.

Car hire: Available from hotels in Ouagadougou. Car hire is still a recent phenomenon in Burkina Faso, and vehicles may be in poor condition. Visitors are therefore advised to lease cars for a day or two before committing themselves to a longer contract. Chauffeur-driven cars are also available.
Documentation: A temporary license to drive is available from local authorities on presentation of a valid national driving license, but an International Driving Permit is recommended.

SOURCE
RFF's Golden Rule:
Have RESPECT for each other, regardless of opinion. This of course includes no flaming/insulting other users and/or their posts.


Offline georgiapeach

  • Amazing Race Admin
  • RFF Administrator
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 54196
  • TAR Detective
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #52 on: November 13, 2007, 05:05:38 PM »
 :badhorse:

From the State Department Page updated on 10/12/07:

Quote
There continue to be frequent armed robberies and attacks on intercity roads throughout the country. Although these armed individuals and groups operate mostly at night, there have been daytime attacks. They have injured and/or killed individuals who refused their demands or attempted to drive through their roadblocks. Several attacks have been directed at intercity public buses. U.S. travelers should avoid all intercity travel at night. Check with the U.S. Embassy for the latest security information before setting out on your journey.


and:

Quote
Public transportation is not safe.  While urban road conditions are fair, rural roads are in poor condition and roadside assistance is not available.  Travelers should exercise great caution when traveling by land in Burkina Faso.  All but a few roads are unpaved, narrow, and full of potholes.  Livestock and children often dart onto the road without warning.  Road travel at night is especially dangerous and, if at all possible, should be avoided.  At night, there is a high volume of truck traffic passing through the country and pedestrians, bicycles, and carts pose a major hazard on unlit, unmarked roads.  Vehicles are often dangerously overloaded and poorly maintained.  Drivers, including motorcyclists and bicyclists, are often careless.  The police rarely enforce traffic laws and are virtually absent on non-urban roads.  Emergency services are unreliable and overtaxed.


Not to say that they won't drive of course--just that I hope TPTB took all this into account. Having travelled extensively in Africa using local transport--I can vouch for the frequently not safe part! :lol:
RFF's Golden Rule:
Have RESPECT for each other, regardless of opinion. This of course includes no flaming/insulting other users and/or their posts.

Offline puddin

  • **puddinpiepork**
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 85453
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #53 on: November 13, 2007, 05:07:15 PM »
Maybe they ride camels  :rotf:?

From our picture source --fwiw

Offline gingerman28

  • Senior Amazing Race Detective
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1989
  • GMan
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #54 on: November 13, 2007, 10:11:10 PM »
:badhorse:

From the State Department Page updated on 10/12/07:

Quote
There continue to be frequent armed robberies and attacks on intercity roads throughout the country. Although these armed individuals and groups operate mostly at night, there have been daytime attacks. They have injured and/or killed individuals who refused their demands or attempted to drive through their roadblocks. Several attacks have been directed at intercity public buses. U.S. travelers should avoid all intercity travel at night. Check with the U.S. Embassy for the latest security information before setting out on your journey.


and:

Quote
Public transportation is not safe.  While urban road conditions are fair, rural roads are in poor condition and roadside assistance is not available.  Travelers should exercise great caution when traveling by land in Burkina Faso.  All but a few roads are unpaved, narrow, and full of potholes.  Livestock and children often dart onto the road without warning.  Road travel at night is especially dangerous and, if at all possible, should be avoided.  At night, there is a high volume of truck traffic passing through the country and pedestrians, bicycles, and carts pose a major hazard on unlit, unmarked roads.  Vehicles are often dangerously overloaded and poorly maintained.  Drivers, including motorcyclists and bicyclists, are often careless.  The police rarely enforce traffic laws and are virtually absent on non-urban roads.  Emergency services are unreliable and overtaxed.


Not to say that they won't drive of course--just that I hope TPTB took all this into account. Having travelled extensively in Africa using local transport--I can vouch for the frequently not safe part! :lol:

That is exactly why I was surprised when it was determined that TAR was going to such a glamourous location this time around.  And it describes very well why we in the Foreign Service at the time considered a posting to Upper Volta as the end of the world.  Heck, in my day Bagdahd and Teheran were pretty good posts.!


Offline puddin

  • **puddinpiepork**
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 85453
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #55 on: November 13, 2007, 10:38:41 PM »
For lack of something to do -- we, peach and I think this is Jennifer as in Jennifer & Shana --from our picture source.
peach thinks its ticket sales of some sort & this is what we found so far but who knows?

psssstt peach insisted that I post it but I didn't want to  :angel:  :lol:


Offline michael

  • The King of St Olaf
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 5798
    • Facebook Profile
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #56 on: November 13, 2007, 10:47:57 PM »
interesting -- IA it does look like Jennifer -- where did you find that though?

Offline puddin

  • **puddinpiepork**
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 85453
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #57 on: November 13, 2007, 10:48:57 PM »
interesting -- IA it does look like Jennifer -- where did you find that though?
:naughty:

Offline TARAsia Fan

  • TAR/TARA Updater
  • RFF Donor
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 8748
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #58 on: November 13, 2007, 11:35:47 PM »
interesting -- IA it does look like Jennifer -- where did you find that though?
:naughty:
:lol3: :lol3: :lol3:
Just here to visit.

Offline georgiapeach

  • Amazing Race Admin
  • RFF Administrator
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 54196
  • TAR Detective
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #59 on: November 14, 2007, 02:09:25 AM »
Quote
psssstt peach insisted that I post it but I didn't want to   :angel: :lol:

Yeah like that is right! :lol3:

Figured one of you sharp eyed Detectives might find something?

Maybe Ouagadougou ticket sales? Bus/train/taxi?  Although passenger train service is disabled apparently...
RFF's Golden Rule:
Have RESPECT for each other, regardless of opinion. This of course includes no flaming/insulting other users and/or their posts.


Offline georgiapeach

  • Amazing Race Admin
  • RFF Administrator
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 54196
  • TAR Detective
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #60 on: November 14, 2007, 02:45:02 AM »
Okay..time for the next theory!

The Flight into Ouagadougou doesn't arrive until about 5 I think? And all teams must be on it or have to wait till the next day for another flight.

Since I think it is too risky for them to travel very far that night --what about if the task actually was nearby and occured at night?

We have the shot of the 3 girls in the dark--and we have the web clue which references hip shaking....
Quote
PLEASE LORD, GIVE ME MILK!
The severe pain of a hernia attacks one Racer at the worst time as one of the older men on the Race falls under the spell of two young, feisty, hip-shaking female Racers. Struggling at a Roadblock, one panicking Racer drops to her knees in tears while her Teammate helplessly looks on.

So what if  there is some sort of a  tribal dancing task?

This video labelled Masks of Wolokoton and Desso Burkina Faso shows some masked dancers--and we still have to fit in our masks from the original vidcaps.


And look for the pink haired dancer--the goths are gonna fit right in here! :lol:


RFF's Golden Rule:
Have RESPECT for each other, regardless of opinion. This of course includes no flaming/insulting other users and/or their posts.

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #61 on: November 14, 2007, 07:32:34 AM »
Peach,

The scheduled flight arrival is 740pm and given the distance I can't imagine them being very early. Given the position of Ouagadougou right at the eastern end of the Prime Meridian time zone (Niamey is in the Continental time zone), it is going to have early sunsets, so I think it will be dark before the time teams arrive at the airport. Also, it is close to the Equator, which would argue for year-round 12 to 13 hour days. The official sunrise/sunset tables show sunrise on July 13 for 549am and sunset at 636pm.

Offline georgiapeach

  • Amazing Race Admin
  • RFF Administrator
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 54196
  • TAR Detective
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #62 on: November 14, 2007, 08:41:56 AM »
Okay, now I am confused. I took that arrival time straight from the missionaries blog:

They also very kindly gave us a weather report:
Quote
We are happy to report that we and the Johnsons made it to Burkina Faso at around 5pm local time on Friday (1PM on the east coast).  It was in the mid 90’s and very humid.  .......We, ... were able to sleep in this morning.( 7/14) Then we had a great rain that cooled things down, so the heat hasn’t been too bad yet.  Thank you so much for all your prayers.

Also looked back--Chateau's original flight info has the arrival time  scheduled for 4:35 (interestingly, the plane also stopped in Niamey on the way down!). Is this just a case of funky hard to figure out retrospective times? I t isn't a whole different flight is it cause that would be interesting! ???

RFF's Golden Rule:
Have RESPECT for each other, regardless of opinion. This of course includes no flaming/insulting other users and/or their posts.

Offline sharkshooter

  • RFF Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 63
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #63 on: November 14, 2007, 09:09:30 AM »
I wish I could see the pictures, but alas, I cannot - only a few.  Any ideas why?  Do they require some program I don't have?

Offline georgiapeach

  • Amazing Race Admin
  • RFF Administrator
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 54196
  • TAR Detective
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #64 on: November 14, 2007, 09:38:59 AM »
sending you a PM sharkshooter....
RFF's Golden Rule:
Have RESPECT for each other, regardless of opinion. This of course includes no flaming/insulting other users and/or their posts.

Offline puddin

  • **puddinpiepork**
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 85453
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #65 on: November 14, 2007, 10:53:45 AM »
Good idea on the dancing peach :elvis: !!

Ron has the hernia fwiw "will Ron's hernia cost him the race?"  :res:

[attachment deleted by admin]

Offline Mrs Shrek

  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Sr. Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 449
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #66 on: November 14, 2007, 11:10:50 AM »

Quote
Public transportation is not safe.  While urban road conditions are fair, rural roads are in poor condition and roadside assistance is not available.  Travelers should exercise great caution when traveling by land in Burkina Faso.  All but a few roads are unpaved, narrow, and full of potholes.  Livestock and children often dart onto the road without warning.  Road travel at night is especially dangerous and, if at all possible, should be avoided.  At night, there is a high volume of truck traffic passing through the country and pedestrians, bicycles, and carts pose a major hazard on unlit, unmarked roads.  Vehicles are often dangerously overloaded and poorly maintained.  Drivers, including motorcyclists and bicyclists, are often careless.  The police rarely enforce traffic laws and are virtually absent on non-urban roads.  Emergency services are unreliable and overtaxed.


Not to say that they won't drive of course--just that I hope TPTB took all this into account. Having travelled extensively in Africa using local transport--I can vouch for the frequently not safe part! :lol:

In the screen cap above, the sisters are both in the back seat, so maybe they have cars + driver to get around?

 :hello2: I'm new by the way. I'm a long time lurker who is amazed at the job you guys do sussing out the routes

Offline TARAsia Fan

  • TAR/TARA Updater
  • RFF Donor
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 8748
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #67 on: November 14, 2007, 11:20:43 AM »
Hi Mrs. Shrek

:welcome2: :welcome: :waves: :waves: :waves:

Nice to have you here. I'm relatively new here myself. The people here are great.
Just here to visit.

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #68 on: November 14, 2007, 11:38:04 AM »
Peach:

I believe some reports of people traveling on planes with the Amazing Race teams stated unequivocally that Donald and Nicholas were father and son as a result of talking to them during a long flight. You can't believe all such reports, but retropective airline flight information from reliable sources can usually be taken to the bank. In order to arrive 2 hours earlier and stop in Niamey, that flight would have had to depart no later than 130pm from Paris. The listed departure time for flight AF730 of 1640 checks out. The current Saturday nonstop flight from CDG to OUA is AF730 departing CDG now at 1630 and arriving OUA at 2105. That could be due to time change back to standard time for Europe. There is a flight AF732 which departs CDG for OUA multiple times per week but only on Tuesdays, thursdays and Sundays. It leaves at 1130am with one stop somewhere and arrives at 550pm.

Offline Chateau d If

  • Captain of the Obvious
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4733
  • Feel the Bern
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #69 on: November 14, 2007, 01:05:11 PM »
I still think it is AF 732.  It meets all the known criteria.  Airwise says it was active on July 13th for what that is worth.

And, Apskip, you need to check your timeline because we have that teams arrive in Dubrovnik on July 19th.  Not on July 18th as you have indicated.
« Last Edit: November 14, 2007, 01:08:21 PM by Chateau d If »
Bernie Sanders:  "We only go around once, we may as well make history as we go around."
Hold Me Closer Bernie Sanders


Offline hound 109

  • RFF Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 62
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #70 on: November 14, 2007, 01:50:57 PM »
Concern has been expressed by Peach to me by PM about the rainy season in Burkina Faso and whether road trips from Ouagadougou to somewhere in the southeast and on to Niamey Niger would be feasible. I have found data on the rainy season(June to September, which is certainly when the Amazing Race is there) for the south of Burkina Faso. Total annual rainfall concentrated in those 4 months is 40 inches (about what we get in the new York metropolitan area in a year. The average per day is 0.33 inches. As long as they don't get 5 inches all at once, it may not be a problem. If it were, then an option is for World Race Productions to have teams return back to Ouagadougou and take charter flights the 300 miles from there to Niamey.

Has it been confirmed the teams travel to Niger?  (i thought i searched all threads & must have missed it.)

If not, what would prevent them from taking a charter from Ouagadougou to Timbuktu (mainly because i want them to)?    :snakes:

....& then after tasks in Timbuktu, they fly on to Europe (Florence).

Plus a charter flight (anywhere) would avoid the dangers or mud/flooding mentioned elsewhere.

« Last Edit: November 14, 2007, 02:57:21 PM by hound 109 »

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #71 on: November 14, 2007, 05:54:43 PM »
I still think it is AF 732.  It meets all the known criteria.  Airwise says it was active on July 13th for what that is worth.

And, Apskip, you need to check your timeline because we have that teams arrive in Dubrovnik on July 19th.  Not on July 18th as you have indicated.

Not quite, CHATEAU. Here is segment 6 from my latest timeline, post #22 on the SPECULATIVE TIMESLINES thread:

6. 18 FLR to FRA LH4067 0715 0855
FRA to DBV LH2468 1210 1355
Note: there is one later nonstop FLR to FRA LH4059 1010 1140, but the connection goes FRA ZAG, then ZAG DBV and arrives DBV 1635

Let me draw your attention to the "18" above which is the day in July.

No, Airwise does not say that AF732 flew on July 13. Unfortunately right now it is not saying that AF730 flew on July 13 either. I think an important input is the Air France schedules. Those schedules for July of 2008 suggest that AF732 may be the right choice, as it will be flying on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. AF730 will be flying on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. There are no flights on Thursdays. My recollection of what Airwise did say in the August 2007 timeframe about July 13, 2007 is captured in the original posts that precede the Speculative Timelines thread and that clearly stated only
AF730. My conclusion is that it could be either flight.

Offline michael

  • The King of St Olaf
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 5798
    • Facebook Profile
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #72 on: November 14, 2007, 05:55:56 PM »
Common CBS! I need more hints so I can get a good score this week =/

Offline georgiapeach

  • Amazing Race Admin
  • RFF Administrator
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 54196
  • TAR Detective
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #73 on: November 14, 2007, 07:17:11 PM »
I'm going with the missionaries. They were letting their families back home know that they arrived safely and I'm going to trust that they know when they arrived. But if there is a later flight as well, that will be interesting if the teams aren't as bunched up! And somewhere in the missionaries blog they do talk about a stop before Ouagadougou as well.
RFF's Golden Rule:
Have RESPECT for each other, regardless of opinion. This of course includes no flaming/insulting other users and/or their posts.

Offline puddin

  • **puddinpiepork**
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 85453
Re: EP3: 'Please, Lord, Give Me Milk !'
« Reply #74 on: November 14, 2007, 08:14:13 PM »
these will do for now --




more---