Chad - day two

Travel is a relational event; one conversation leads to another, one contact opens the door to two more and so on and so on until the network within any given place becomes a sophisticated layering of connections. Such has been the case in N’Djamena, Chad.  With a driver from Africare at our disposal again today we traveled from Le Meridien to an appointment with Director of Operations at Esso Exploration and Production in Chad who encouraged us to drive another three blocks to visit a successful patisserie known for 24 years in N’Djamena as L’Almandine and to meet the owner, Colette. One of the most difficult places in Africa if not the entire world to do business is Chad (it ranks 153 out of 154 African countries); and in the middle of N’Djamena, L’Almandine continues to thrive.  Chadians, French, expatriates and American visitors were part of this afternoon’s crowd.  We visited with Colette and here, too, at her shoppe is where we ran into an acquaintance from the day before: the Attache of Economics and Commerce and his Japanese (one of four Japanese in the entire country of Chad) wife.  Dinner reservations at Le Central down the street from Le Carnivore and not far from the Nigerian Embassy on Ave. Charles de Gaulle brought us together with our new friend from Esso and his wife (a Texan employed by the Embassy to teach French); Colette was here, too, and her husband.  Indeed, we are learning that travel is a relational event; one conversation leads to another, one contact opens the door to two more and so on and so on until the network within any given place becomes a sophisticated layering of connections. We are comfortable here enjoying the moment of a warm Sahelian welcome.