Good bye Mali

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Well,

What can i say about Mali other than what a wonderful little country it truly is!

Yes, it may be one of the poorest in the world, with a sadly high infant mortality rate and low life expectancy, but the people are friendly beyond their means and make the place what it is... truly wonderful.

To start with lets just get rid of any bad things you hear about Timbuktu... if Bob Geldof said "is this it" when he visited then he obviously didn't bump into any friendly Toureg. We were fortunate enough (as it turned out) to arrive in Timbuktu (by Land Cruiser... the staple vehicle over here - sorry landrover, none of your lot in sight) the day before the Islamic festival of Tabaski (where each family kills and eats a goat/sheep). This meant one of two things... that everything was closed and people were too busy getting ready to hassle us.

However, whilst trying to get money changed i started talking to a very friendly chap named Eesac who it turns out is one of the conservators at the Timbuktu National Library and so has been to study and Cambridge and worked in the British Library in London learning his craft. He is a Toureg, and so invited us over to his tribes rented house to enjoy some traditional Toureg tea.

The morning of Tabaski was therefore spent wondering around the relatively quiet streets (excellent for photos) and everyone we saw was dressed up in their best robes. We came across Eesac in all his splendour and he showed us the Mosques and the little plagues stating where the first Europeans to find Timbuktu (and live to tell the tale) stayed in the 19th Century.

We enjoyed Toureg tea and were even shown how they make the knives and jewellery that you often see peddled in places like Bamako.

It was a very nice way to spend the day and gave a sense of life that you don't usually get to see.

We then headed South (again in the land cruisers) to Bandigara so that we could set out for the Dogon country. A fascinating place that hasnt really changed for hundreds of years. The people are still subsistance farmers and extremely friendly. The local children find the sight foreigners most amusing and run around trying to hold hands, more often than not asking for bonbons.

We spent three days walking through the little villages (stopping for lunch from 12 until 3 to avoid walking in the heat) and i enjoyed it grately. Some people found it hard work but that was probably due to them not drinking enough water.

Christmas (my birthday) was spent in the campsite near Bandigara and was enjoyed by all. Instead of Turkey we had a hog roast! Secret santa gifts were given and recieved by all along with much merriment.

Mali truly was a highlight of the trip so far and definately worth visiting if you want to experience a time forgotten by the west.

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