http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/Centre/Segou/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Africa , Mali , Centre , Segou en-us Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:26:20 UTC Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:26:20 UTC Well Thanksgiving is already upon us and I can barely believe it. I would just as soon forget that it is but Nora keeps reminding me that itrsquos her favorite holiday it took me a while but I got the hint that I canrsquot let this day go unobserved. Even knowing the month and keeping track of that has been surprisingly difficult in this backwater that is Niono is hardly a marker for th http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Mali/Centre/Segou/blog-349009.html Today is our sixth day in Niono and I must say it has grown on me. Last Tuesday Nora and I woke up at 530 in order to be ready to leave by 6am but that didnrsquot happen. We probably should have expected that given all of the delays that we had experienced leading up to that day. When the Save The Children SUV finally pulled up to our house at 715 it was a relief that the much talked abo http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Mali/Centre/Segou/blog-345877.html la brusse is how you call in african french to all those towns away from the city which you usually see in tv and look like taken out of the highetr neolithic period. well in segou I rented a bike and biked to a town nearby called segkouro or something lmike that which was the old capital of the region of segou.it was beautiful rural there was a wedding that was on its fifth day its suppoused http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Mali/Centre/Segou/blog-311645.html first off let me tell you that my eye hasnt healed yet. if you know me you will know how I love to complain so I needed to say it.whenever the eye gets better some windy day of dirty transport fucks it up again. anyway I pretty much have gotten used to looking like a pirate and not having stereoscopic vision furthermore when I open both eyes I kinda have vertigos. so much for the depth never http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Mali/Centre/Segou/blog-311635.html The plan was to take the train from Tamba to Bamako. But you know what they say about plans ... We wanted to take the train because we were ready for a different sort of transportation besides the bone jarring jampacked dusty sweaty minibus travel we have been doing for so long.After inquiring several times at the Tamba train station and having our hotel call the station we found out that http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Mali/Centre/Segou/blog-268695.html TambaSegouTom Griffith According to the United Nations Mali is the third poorest country in the world. Now I'm not sure how they come up with these rankings it tells you here but as someone from the third richest country it sure feels poor to me. So how do Malians manage to be so open and friendly I don't know. And why did the guy in the shop I just popped into offer me some of his lunch http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Mali/Centre/Segou/blog-173424.html