11/20/97
6:36am
Road to Niamey
The leaving of Fako was abrupt and lonely. The site work was done, the pit was empty and looked like a crater blast. It was rimmed with white jackets and plaster rubble.
Two of the tents were already down, one truck already loaded, Allison had inventoried the kitchen. I won’t see InGall again probably. I would have like to say goodbye to the Aborza family, and given "Mama" a Chicago T-shirt. Arali, maroon FLA shesh draped around his neck sits in next to me the passenger seat. His hair cropped short, curly, wooly like a sheep. He is quiet and so am I.
On to Agadez, Gadoufaoua, and the next phase of the field season…