okay so i'm writing this from a guesthouse in ouagadougou and i need to get something off my chest - the heat here isn't just hot, it's actively hostile. my laptop fans are going crazy and i'm pretty sure the wifi router is sweating more than i am. welcome to my life i guess.

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Q: Is this place worth visiting?
A: honestly? only if you want real africa, not the sanitized resort version. ouaga has soul but you gotta work for it. the people are incredible, the food will change your life, but the weather will test your will to live. i'd come back but i'd definitely plan it for november through february like every other smart traveler.

Q: Is it expensive?
A: super affordable for a capital city. i paid about 15 bucks a night for a decent room with ac, food runs maybe 3-5 bucks if you eat local. western tourist prices exist but you can avoid them easily. as a budget-conscious nomad, i was pleasantly shocked.

Q: Who would hate it here?
A: anyone who needs ac to function, anyone who wants instagram-perfect everything, anyone who thinks 31 degrees is "a nice warm day." also if you need constant entertainment or structured tourist activities, you're gonna get bored fast. this isn't a resort destination.

Q: Best time to visit?
A: november to february, no question. the harmattan winds cool things down to like 25-30 and it actually feels survivable. march through may is brutal and i made the mistake of arriving in what i now know was the worst possible window.

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so yeah, the weather data they gave me says it's 31.25 degrees but feels like 32.44 because humidity is at 47% and the pressure is doing something weird at 1008. i don't know what sea level vs ground level means exactly but i know my brain is melting and the local guy told me "you came at the wrong time, friend" which felt like an understatement.

i landed here because a friend of a friend said ouagadougou was "underrated" which in travel blogger speak usually means "no one goes there and there's a reason." but honestly? there's something refreshing about being in a place that doesn't cater to tourists at all. i couldn't find a single english-language blog when i was planning this, which should have been my first clue that i was in for an experience.

a bunch of comics are spread out on a table

*the wifi situation is basically a game of how desperate are you. most cafes have it but it's spotty. i found one coworking-type place near the central market that was decent - paid about 5 bucks for the whole day and they had decent coffee. the owner spoke some english and told me most digital nomads who come here are either NGO workers or "very adventurous." i told him i was the latter and he laughed in a way that suggested he didn't believe me.

> locals told me the best food is at the night markets near the grand mosque but only after 8pm when it actually cools down enough to eat

one thing nobody warns you about - the dust. there's something called the harmattan and it's this dry wind that comes from the sahara and gets everywhere. my phone charging port is full of it. my nostrils are full of it. i think i swallowed some earlier and i'm still processing that.

i've been working remotely for a tech startup back in lisbon and the time difference is actually perfect - 4 hours behind means i start my workday at 2pm local time which is when it's hottest anyway so i might as well be inside staring at a screen.

safety wise - i felt fine. more fine than i expected honestly. the worst thing that happened was a guy tried to sell me a fake designer bag and when i said no thanks he just laughed and walked away. someone told me before coming that ouaga is one of the safer west african capitals for travelers and i'd agree based on my two weeks here. just don't be stupid with your phone in crowded areas like you wouldn't anywhere else.

the food though. oh man. i wasn't expecting to gain weight but the street food here is insane. grilled meat on skewers, this thing called riz sauce that i can't stop eating, and these little fried dough balls that are probably going to kill me eventually but whatever. a local recommended i try "le chez maurice" near the railway station and it was maybe the best meal i've had in months. total cost? like four dollars. i tipped extra because i felt guilty.

i met another traveler at my guesthouse - a photographer from berlin who had been here for a month doing some project on markets. she told me the best time to shoot is early morning when the light is soft and people are actually moving around. she showed me some shots and i realized i'd been sleeping in and missing all the good stuff. note to self: become a morning person in one of the hottest places on earth. great.

the tourist thing is complicated here. there's basically two versions of ouaga - the one locals live in and the tiny bubble of french tourists and aid workers. i tried to stay in the first one. the national museum was interesting if you're into history - not gonna lie i didn't understand most of the french plaques but the textiles were beautiful. a guide approached me and offered to show me around for 10 bucks and honestly it made the whole thing way better than just wandering around confused.

here's the thing nobody talks about - the language barrier is real. my french is terrible and while some people speak english, it's not the default. i learned to say "je ne comprends pas" (i don't understand) very quickly. google translate became my best friend. hand gestures became my second best friend. i think i successfully ordered food about 70% of the time which is probably better than it sounds.

i heard from another nomad at the airport that bobo-dioulasso (the second city, about 4 hours away) is actually cooler - literally and figuratively - because it's higher elevation. i'm thinking of going there next week if i can survive another day in this heat. the weather forecast shows no relief anytime soon though so maybe i should just accept my fate.

practical tips from someone who learned the hard way:

- bring a good power adapter (european plugs here)
- don't rely on credit cards - cash is king and atm fees are brutal
- learn to love the afternoon rest because everything closes between 12 and 3
- the red laterite soil stains everything so don't wear nice shoes
- always negotiate prices but do it with a smile or you're an asshole

i'm writing this from a cafe that has actual air conditioning and it feels like heaven. the barista speaks english and we had a whole conversation about how he wants to learn coding and move to portugal. i gave him some resources and he said when he gets good maybe he'll remote work here too. the circle of digital nomad life i guess.

final thoughts? ouagadougou won't be for everyone. it's dusty, hot, confusing, and there's not much to do if you need constant stimulation. but there's something here - some energy, some authenticity - that i haven't found in more "popular" destinations. i feel like i actually lived somewhere instead of just visited. does that make sense? probably not but it's how i feel.

i'm staying another week then heading to see if bobo is actually as good as people say. if you're thinking of coming, come in winter. seriously. learn some french first. bring patience. and maybe don't come alone if you're not comfortable being uncomfortable sometimes.

that's it. my laptop is overheating again and i need to go find lunch. if anyone from my startup is reading this - yes the wifi is working, no i haven't died, and yes i'll have the report done by tonight.

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links for the curious:

- some tripadvisor threads on ouaga hotels: https://www.tripadvisor.com
- expat forum discussing living in burkina faso: https://www.reddit.com/r/IWantOut
- yelp-style reviews for restaurants (limited but exists): https://www.yelp.com
- lonely planet's burkina faso page for more context: https://www.lonelyplanet.com
- a blog from another nomad who did this route: https://www.nomadicmatt.com
- wikipedia for basic history if you're that person: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouagadougou

Ouaga in the Dry Season: A Digital Nomad's Heat-Fueled Meltdown in Burkina Faso

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