http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Dogon-Country/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Africa , Mali , Dogon Country en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:09:45 +0000 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:09:45 +0000 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 Back in Mopti after a five day hike through Dogon Country with Anil and our guide Ibrahim1 JulySo this lazy day was spent in the pool talking to unattractive British girls and getting soaked in the rain. Anil and I met Ibrahim in the evening. We finalised our plan. Wersquoll be traveling with two French girls. Sweet Right2 JulyWhen we got to Bandingara there was no sign of the French girls. W http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Dogon-Country/Mopti/blog-415597.html Well another night out with Yousouf and Arnaud last night. Met a Colonel in the Malian Army who seemed to like me and hooked me up with contacts in Timbuktu. Also hersquos a good contact to have. Yousouf finally let me pay for a round not that I was trying too hard to and also gave me a CD. An early rise a bit rough and I was on the bus all day. I actually met Anil on the bus which was good http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Dogon-Country/Mopti/blog-413517.html The Dogon is incrediblehellip Irsquom not going to waste time trying to explain the awesome hiking adventure we had there. Words cannot do this magnificent beauty justice. So Irsquoll let my pictures do most of the talking Our basic schedule from Sunday afternoon until Tuesday Afternoon composed of hiking the land visiting the villages meeting the locales sleeping on rooftops watching t http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Dogon-Country/blog-395412.html Our mission for Saturday was to merely make it back to Moptihellipjudging from past experiences that was all we could feasibly accomplishhellip and plan our next move from there. Earlier that week we had gotten the phone number of a reputable Dogon Country guide from the Peace Corp volunteers we had met on the bus to Ouagadougou. While we were still in Mopti waiting to get to Timbuktu I had http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Dogon-Country/Bandiagara/blog-395157.html In the morning we woke up for breakfast and met up with Souleman to head to the Dogon country. We took a horse cart which literally was a horse pulling a flat piece of wood on wheels that we all sat on. As we were driving out of Bankass and through other villages little kids would run out of their houses screaming and waving at us as we were driving. I felt like we were in some sort of parade. It http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Dogon-Country/blog-394396.html The ldquobusrdquo to Koro wasnrsquot exactly what we were expecting. It was more ofhellip I wouldnrsquot even know what to compare it to because we donrsquot have anything like it in the US. Itrsquos a little bigger than a short school bus and the seats are very similar but go all the way across so they fit like 5 or 6 people in each row. And of course no AC. I was sitting next to http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Dogon-Country/Bankass/blog-394393.html The road to Mopti was...eternal Yeah that's a good word for it Long and hot dry and dusty. We soon found that the further north you go the more expensive water got...which is kind of a no duh statement since we're traveling into the Sahara desert...hmmmm... At any rate crossing the border was a pain not because of any large amounts of paperwork but because of the excessively spread out p http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Dogon-Country/Mopti/blog-394293.html After 3 days of pleasant sightseeing in Bamakoall the old sights but many newwe moved on. We were luck as well with visas. After 4 hours of searching Annie and I found the Niger Consulate and obtained a visa in less than a day. We followed with a Nigerian visa in 2 days. All in all a successful time. After 1 night bush camping we reached Djenne with its world famous mud mosque. Most towns in Mal http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Dogon-Country/Mopti/blog-391936.html I settled down to write a long entry chronicling the myriad things that have happened since my last post but now that Irsquom at the keyboard I feel like that task is too dauntingmdasha lot has happened Instead I feel more inclined to give just a brief look back at the past three weeks. In that time Nora and I went to the Festival on the Niger had Norarsquos parents and brother visit us http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Dogon-Country/blog-375282.html Well this is my third day back in Bamako and though I have felt compelled to write since Irsquove been back itrsquos been a bit of whirlwind. First things first though. On December 23rd I took the bus to Sevare which is a small city next to Mopti and is the main starting point for Dogon country expeditions. The day started out smoothly. My taxi driver arrived on time 6 am. The bus left http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Dogon-Country/blog-360276.html Hellooooya ya ya I suck at writing blogs whatevs. Im just going to apologize now for any grammatical errors cause I dont know how to work these dang french keyboards here in mali1 But I will try my best.Sooo we meaning hayley and i to a nice clean fairly cheap place in mopti a bigger town. There are maaany stories but i must be quick. I will tell u my 2 favs thus far. So we went through Gh http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Dogon-Country/Mopti/blog-358007.html Thursday 13th NovemberI am now a regular and pay an early visit to the cybernet cafe to find out what has happened to my fellow travellers. Geoff is in Mopti and might call today to Sevare. Mark is making progress and should be in Sevare tomorrow and Migo is still stuck in Ziguinchor. As time is starting to run out for me I decide to head into Dogon country one of the main reasons for coming this http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Dogon-Country/Bandiagara/blog-348843.html Tuesday 11th NovemberI leave Djenne in the early morning and recross the river Bani on the ferry. I travel through rice fields across the causeway to join the main road to Gao to arrive in Mopti late morning. Mopti is also surrounded by rice fields. In between yes you've guessed it. Millet and cattle The good surface continues but as it's only 120 miles I don't have time to get bored. There i http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Dogon-Country/Bandiagara/blog-348839.html Monday 10 NovemberIn the cool of the morning you dig four holes in the earth put in your poles tie up an awning put up your table and your are ready for business. Even at 0700 the Monday market in front of the Djenne mosque is alive with trucks traders tourists and very worried sheep. Armed with the camera I shoot anything that moves. I'll never have the time to process a fraction of these.J http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Dogon-Country/Mopti/blog-347880.html Saturday 08th NovemberAfter a coffee and an indifferent bun at the overpriced patisserie we leave Kayes. The dust is just as bad in the morning as it is in the evening. We cross the Senegal river which is alive with activity. People washing small piroques getting ready for the day it seems like all human life is there. If it's not on the river it's on the bridge which starts with a sand trap.The http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Dogon-Country/Mopti/blog-347287.html first of all and i hope not to deceive anyone here im still alive and fairly healthy. that being said where were we...oh yes dogon country. I spent four wonderful days in that wonderful land out of time with yakou a real raster and possibly the best guide you can find in mali for the dogon land and now someone I count among my friends. and the four days where wonderful.we walked a lot we sw http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Dogon-Country/blog-317563.html Pays Dogon. Dogon Country. Beautiful. Spectacular. Surprising.Our trek into the Dogon Country started early from Bandiagara with a drive to Djiguibombo delightfully pronounced Jiggyboombo. After a brief tour of the town we started our walk to the edge of the Falaise de Bandiagara Bandiagara Escarpment and then down the escarpment to the plains below. Our group of two had grown to four http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Dogon-Country/Bandiagara/blog-275777.html Sohellip here it goes and continueshellip about a month later Sorry.. Irsquom trying to catch up on the lack of communication hereSo.. after the whole Dogon Country thing.. we decided to take a relaxing day off in Bandiagara at a hotel a bit out of town. We had the biggest pile of laundry ever to wash Good thing for us.. we met a Ghanian Burkinabe woman.. who was all excited to meet us an http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Dogon-Country/Mopti/blog-237112.html