Tuesday, February 10, 2009

The Adventure That was Mali

Oh, well hello there! I haven't posted in so long I'm having trouble getting going here. Right off the bat I'd like to say that I'm fine and doing well (I know I always say that, but really it's the truth). Everything in The Gambia has been groovy, nothing to big has been going on, just keeping up my work and trying to do a little good.

Recently though I was on a three week trip to Mali. My friends, Ted, Tim and I left Basse, The Gambia on Jan. 7th and traveled all over Mali until the 27th. It was really a terrific trip all around. The first obstacle was getting there. That was accomplished by driving overland for three days to Bamako (Mali's capital and biggest city). Despite what you might be thinking, especially if you read the blog about my guinea trip, the drive to Bamako was flawless, relaxing, and really quite enjoyable.

Somehow the moon, sun, planets and everything else aligned in out favor and we were able to get car after car without any problems, long waits or break-downs. It is really unheard of to have the kind of luck we did with transport. So finally we made it to Bamako after three days and are planning to take the bus up to Mopti the next morning. Ted was originally a Mali volunteer so we all went out for drinks with some of his buddies who were in town. It was really nice meeting them but the best part was when they told us there was a Peace Corps transport going up to Mopti the next morning! This was unreal, I couldn't believe our luck. So we quickly rushed back to the bus station, refunded our tickets and got our seats secured in the Peace Corps car. Jackpot!

We reached Mopti just fine and on the following day went down to see the mud Mosque in Djenne. It was actually really cool to see because its all made out of mud and wooden palm beams. It's one of a kind , which is probably why its a world heritage site. To see pictures of the mosque and the rest of my trip just click on the link labeled pictures on the right of the page.

From there we went to a wedding in Hombori. It was actually two Mali volunteers that were getting married. Ted was invited to the wedding since he knew the bride and groom so naturally Tim and I came also! The great thing about Hombori is that there are rock formations everywhere. Just think of the American southwest and you'll get a good idea of what this part of Mali looked like. Really dry and dusty with lots of red rock, tall buttes, and big spires of rock. It was here at a place called "The Hand Of Fatimata" that we did a bunch of rock climbing. For those of you who didn't know I did a little bit of rock climbing back home in Washington so I was especially excited to get a chance to climb in Mali. To say the least, it was amazing, by far the biggest highlight of my trip.

After the wedding and the rock climbing we traveled further north to a town called Gosi. Here we went and saw elephants in the wild. Apparently they migrate north from Burkina Faso (another African country) up into Mali. This was so unexpected because before we left for Mali we had no idea we would be seeing elephants. Then after talking to the Mali volunteers we found out about the elephants and decided we couldn't pass it up. So we went! There were four males in the group that we saw. It was really nice, we walked out to the area where they were feeding. I felt like this was less intrusive than bringing a four wheel drive vehicle out which would have stressed out the animals even more because they got this weird metal thing buzzing around them.

Immediately after seeing the elephants we walked to this village and paid to ride camels. I wasn't sure if I wanted to fork over the money because I'd already ridden a camel in Egypt but in the end I caved and decided to go for it again. I'm so glad I did too because it was incredibly fun. We didn't ride them for that long but it was really neat because it was only us giving the camel commands, there wasn't anyone leading you around like they do in a lot of places. Oh and FYI, camel breath is probably the most foul, raunchiest, dreadful smell that you will ever encounter. I had the pleasure of standing in front of the camel when the owner decided to open its mouth for some reason or another. That smell is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Next stop Dogon country. Dogon is a region near Mopti that is known for its cliff side villages and in some cases cliff dwellings. There are many villages in Dogon, so we hired a guide, Samba, and hiked with him for four days inbetween some of the more picturesque villages. We also got to try some of the local foods like home made millet beer and then this food that they call Toh. Toh is interesting because it tastes disgusting but the Dogon people eat it for almost every meal. It is the staple food in Dogon and much of Mali so I suppose if that's all you know you probably think its pretty good.

After hiking in Dogon our trip was basically over. We were homeward bound, and by home I mean The Gambia. Transport back to The Gambia wasn't as good as on the way there but all in all, decent. There were a few times when we had to wait an hour or two for the car to show/fill up but other than that I don't have much for you. Tim, Ted, and I, the three T's, made it back safe and sound. Oh and by the way, we did all of this, food, transport, lodging, and souvenirs for $500. I know its great, I was surprised too!

OK all, be sure to check out the pictures after your done reading. Oh and if you want to hear more about my Mali trip, your out of luck! You'll just have to wait until I get home! Cheers.

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