http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Bjorndahl/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Bjorndahl en-us Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:39:02 +0000 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:39:02 +0000 It is always interesting to return to a place you have been before.Knowing exactly where to go and to do it with purpose always confuses the hangers on.Killing time now14.5hours to go.Then back to North America.and sometime in New York City. http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/blog-430168.html Okso again I lose everything I wrote...What I really want when using all these computer labs is a nonfrench keyboard that doesnt have keys that stick down but also keys that can be pushed down.Anywaysgot Ouagadealt with the normal tourist tricks bullshit that I am really getting tired of. The hotel you want to go to is always full but they know one the taxi driver which is cheap and not full.An http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/blog-429531.html The title says it alllots of kilometers done on a 110cc mopedlots of funa few problems with the bike but other than that I am just really tired.Saw a lot of monkeys. Went for a boat ride on a lake. Ate a delicious meal in Banfora. Almost got in trouble with the police because I didnt have ownership papers but I think my lack of french saved me.Got sunburnt even though there were lots of clouds http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/blog-428965.html So I arrived in BoboDioulasso last night thanks to a Dutch Father and Daughter. They drove me from Djenne. No public transport necessaryEverything is greener here. Which also means lots more fruit and vegetables. That makes me happyOk an updateWhat doesnt make me happy is the guy i was supposed to rent my motorbike from didnt show up this morning and i turned down all the other people who http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/blog-428590.html So I took a boat to Timbuktu.Not alot happenedWe got into the boat fought for our places almost won a very large section and then lost half of it but only because we decided being jerks to a nice Spanish couple wasnt the best way to start a 3 day boat trip. Good decision they ended up being really nice people.There were also 3 Catalonians and a hand full of French people AND lots of locals. L http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/North-West/Timbuktu/blog-427336.html Roughly what is in my journalJuly 29 Road To MoptiWow met up with Maarte. Saw him walk by my restaurant shortly after writing my last joural entry. We went to the National Museum in Bamako but not inside because the ticket guy wouldnt give us change. I showed him the markets and in general just did some catching up. He was sick also ad had only started to recover. I feel almost completely reco http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Dogon-Country/Mopti/blog-426110.html tourism in Mali this is a good and bad thing.I have had a long break from this thing for multiple reasons. The main one being I have been very busy.I spent 4 days hiking in Dogon Country which was amazing could be heaven on earth.Also spent two days on a crappy bus for what was supposed to be a 7 hour bus ride.And today I spent all day in Djenne where the world famous Great Mosque made of mud http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Dogon-Country/Mopti/blog-425691.html Hello from BamakoWow was it ever pleasent and hellish to get here.No good direct transport through Guinea so I had to hop bush taxis.First one was really easy Conakry to Mamou.Only real stories from this are the asshole cops who want bribes threaten me with arrest for holding someone elses passport they said i didnt look like my picture and there were lots of police check points too.The same d http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/District-of-Bamako/Bamako/blog-422387.html Looks like I will be here another night because my VISA for Mali won't be done until the afternoon.I guess that is ok it might be worth it to walk around the city a bit feeling healthy for the first time.It poured rain last night like really really hard rain.The most rain I have ever heard or seen before.I had a really delicious meal of fish and pasta for dinner before wandering around the stre http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Guinea/Conakry/blog-421417.html In Conakry So I went back to Senegal.Had my VISA card retained in Ziguinchor.Crossed into GuineaBissau and spent the night on the floor of a friend's from the bus house for free.Got into the city center the next day and enjoyed myself as much as possible.Would have had to wait until friday to go to the Bijao Islands which was my plan so decided it would be better to just continue on Guinea http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/blog-421082.html Ok so Travelblog just attempted to autosave my really long update but then the browser crashed and there was no saving. Lame. So I won't be rewritting all i just wrote.Left Dakar at 6am avoided most of the traffic jams but not all.Car broke down in Kaolak and so I got to see a bit of an untouristy Senegalize city. It was ok. Still children everywhere asking for money.Crossed the border w http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Gambia/Western-Division/Serrekunda/blog-419431.html So I got another ride from the Spanish foursome and their fun van but they were a little less fun this day because they spent the night at the police station because of some trouble with the locals first the girls then the boys.And they had to pay a bribe to not be sent to jail.If you combine that with the bribes they paid at the border and each police checkpoint you could say it is much more http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/blog-418907.html Got to the border in a very small car with 11 passengers including myself.At the border I ran into a van filled with 4 spanish guys who gave me a ride to Saint Louid for freeGood dealIt was nice to ride in the back of the van with the doors open and the countryside turning very quickly from desert to savana.Slowly all the light blue robes of the moors changed into the colourful dresses of the bl http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/blog-418240.html Arrived in Nouakchott after a 6 hour ride in a small car with a soldier and some older funny men.Learned more about the history of Mauritania by reading my history section in the Lonely Planet I have been carrying around.This country is Desert almost completely so far.I hear it gets a bit more interesting on the border with Senegal.I have been thinking more about my last two major kind of adventur http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mauritania/Trarza/Nouakchott/blog-417447.html So I have finished up my time in the desert with a camel ride in the Sahara around Chingetti.Left at 5 am and arrived in the nice quite town for about 7am. Was waived through all the checkpoints because our guide is a popular man as he told us when he first met us.Spent most of the day relaxing and getting to know our roomates Olie from England and Corey from Calgary.They were there to checkout http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mauritania/Adrar/Chinguetti/blog-417282.html Well quite the experience.First I had to wait 6 hours at the train station because the shipment was behind schedule and it was more important than the passengers makes sensen.Then when I finally got on the train I began to experience the dust...My god.Lots of it.In my eyes hair ears mouth.In all of my luggage.12 hours.BUT it was a lot of fun.The train was an amazin experience.Now I am in At http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mauritania/Adrar/Atar/blog-416171.html WowSo I thought I was going to go into some kind of internetless void for a week or so because I was going to be too busy traveling and being tired. But then luck fell on meSo last night it looked like I was going to end up paying 350 Dirham to get to Nouadhibou which takes 7 hours of driving plus border time. Martin and I were debating whether or not to try and hitchhike or take the offer fr http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mauritania/Dakhlet-Nouadhibou/Nouadhibou/blog-415196.html So Laayoune ended up being a great city at nightStreets were full of people.Food and Coffee were cheap 3 course meal was about dollars good coffee was 50 cents. Lots of fruit and amazingly colourful dressed people.And people didnt pester you trying to sell things for crazy prices.Sat on the bus today for almost 10 hours.Lots of checkpoints. I think 6 friendly police today many smiles and hel http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Western-Sahara/South/Dakhla/blog-414853.html Well not too much exciting stuff has happened.Got my visa for Mauritania in Rabat after lots of politics.Had a good time in Rabat but then spent almost 24 hours in Transit to make my way to Laayoune in the Western Sahara.Didnt spend any time in Marrakesh as planned because I met a new travel companion who had already been there. I decided that it was more important to travel with someone into Mau http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Western-Sahara/North/Laayoune/blog-414496.html OkSo Fes was awesome.Spent my last day wandering around the Medina stopped at my favourite coffee place and said goodbye to everyone.Got to the train station. On the train. No problem.It was getting off the train that was difficult.I had my nice seat because I got on at the beginning of the train ride.When I tried to leave I realized that I had to try and squeeze through the aisle that was fille http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Grand-Casablanca/Casablanca/blog-413116.html