Blogs from Bamako, District of Bamako, Mali, Africa - page 6

Heya everyone Well there certainly have been some exciting times here lately! I've arrived in Mali but I'll get to that part later. There's good stuff in the middle I think you'll want to hear about... So I finished my 3 week stint in the desert two days ago. I will admit that I was a little sad to leave, but only because I had met some great people there. Hopefully it won't be too long until I see them again! Travel the last few days has been rough, starting with a trip out in the bush where we spent 2 hours getting our truck out of the mud because it got stuck; twice. There is nothing like the feeling of scraping mud out from under your wheels with your bare hands, let me tell you. ... read more

Reuters does a great job of covering trouble spots around the world. They pay attention to things that major US media hold in their blind spot. So read the latest on the situation in north Mali with the Tuareg nomads. BAMAKO, June 30 (Reuters) - Mali has reached a peace agreement with Tuareg rebels seeking greater autonomy for their northern desert region, a senior government official and a spokesman for the insurgents said on Friday. The light-skinned, nomadic gunmen attacked army camps in the Saharan trading town of Kidal last month, looting vehicles and arms before retreating to mountains near the Algerian border, raising fears of a full-scale desert rebellion. "The demands for autonomy, special status, or the creation of local governance structures have been abandoned," a senior official from Mali's Territorial Administration Ministry told Reuters, ... read more

Bamako, with its open sewer system constantly clogged, its dirt roads in the city centre and its profusion of beggars - only outnumbered by the innumerable flies that stir up the heavy fumes - is on sanitary par with New Delhi in India. Spent five days roaming the crowded market, paying a visit to the national museum and obtaining another expensive visa. Had our first encounter with the disreputable guides of Mali. You'll find them (actually, they'll find you) in any city/town/village/junction/road or footpath in Mali. Initially they are a pester, but after you've met a few, you know how the story goes, as they pull all the tricks in the book. We left Bamako for Djenne, in what looked like a high standard bus, but after the third breakdown it was just to pull out ... read more

I've been taking it very easy for a few days, in fact I spent several days in bed! The morning after I arrived in Bamako I fell ill, with Malaria. That is despite the prophylaxis I have been taking. Malaria can never be taken lightly - it kills one million children in Africa every year. I arrived in Bamako on the evening of Tuesday 8th of February. At that point I felt fine. When I got up on the Wednesday morning I didn't feel rested. I also had loose bowel movements and felt nauseous. I went into town to find the banks - they wouldn't accept my travellers cheques and Mali's only ATM didn't like my Visa card. I wasn't desperate for money so I went to an Internet cafe. I had to give up on ... read more

One of the neat things about living in various places and not just passing through is being able to observe and sometimes participate as the local people celebrate or commemorate the principal stages of the life cycle: birth, coming-of-age, marriage and death. In Japan I was privileged to attend a wedding of a fellow teacher, and although the Western influence on the dress and ceremony was strong, the Japanese setting created an atmosphere that hinted of ancient rites and customs, unique to their culture. Similarly, at a coming-of-age ceremony which celebrated entrance into adulthood at age twenty, I saw young men dressed in Western-style suits and women dressed in gorgeous kimono with an elaborate bow tied across the back. They were eager to leave the gymnasium and begin exercising the «rights» that adults enjoy the world ... read more