A Different World

We have now left Mali (sadly) and crossed the border into Burkina Faso yesterday, however my last blog post was so brief i will back track a bit....So we left Nouakchott in Mauritania and attempted to drive the 600 or so km's to Ayoun el Atrous the town before the Malian border in one day, we were doing well and enjoying the changes of scenery, from the dust, sand and dunes the landscape became more savannah like, endless....occasional rolling hills, the roadside littered with dead cattle in various stages of decay, cows and goats drinking from waterholes, huge herds of cattle crossing our path....it was like being in a nature programme, just needed David Attenborough's voice to narrate, it was perfect. We had about 90 km's to go to Ayoun when my bike ran out of petrol, we filled it up from one of the the jerry cans and were all ready to set off again, but the bike wouldnt start, battery dead....again! Jump-started the bike and continued for a bit but the long day was beginning to wear on us and luckily within a few km's we saw an Auberge on the side of the road and quickly turned into it and tucked ourselves into the tent for the night.
Next morning, we jump-started my bike again and decided the bike needed to be looked at before we went much further. We drove into Kiffa where some very handy mechanics, looked and listened to my bike, all agreed it was the battery and promtly removed it, bought a bottle of new acid, emptied the old and re-filled! Within about half an hour, new acid charged the bike was running again!!! Not sure thats how we do things back home, but who cares!
So back on track after lunch, and off to Ayoun, where we stayed for the night.
Next day we crossed into Mali with no problems at all. All of us of course very excited on entering the next country and all before lunchtime! Well the excitement was rather short lived - 50km's from the border and about to take the turn off to Bamako we were stopped by the police and invited to the customs to show our vehicle documents and buy the Lasse Passe (a kind of passport for the vehicles)....no problem we thought, we had had to do that in every country so far (just not 50km's into the country). What we had not thought about was that it was now friday lunchtime.....prayer and rest time for most muslims....the customs man in charge will be back at 3 we were told! Ah well, Bamako would have to wait another day.
So after getting our vehicles stamped into the country we drove into the town of Djema and found a place to stay - and we were now in Mali, they had cold beer- heaven!
What they also had hopping around the courtyard and into the rooms all night were frogs! My irrational fear caused quite alot of laughter all night and finally had Palli sweeping our room with a broom after one was seen hopping under the door!!

The following morning we set of to Bamako, a good road for most of the way, except for 40 km of red dusty gravel, which was challenging to say the least but we coped ok and stopped for a bite of melon afterwards in a lively village along the way, where we became (as usual by now) the spectacle, being the only whites to be seen around and our motorbikes as always attracting much attention!
We arrived into the city just before dusk and the shock of being in a city was quite something after driving through empty countryside and quite villages for weeks. Mopeds everywhere, crazy driving and smog. After settling into an auberge on the edge of the Niger river we re-gathered our energies and headed into the nightlife of Bamako to find some great Malian music.
We went from groovy bar, then listened and danced to a great Malian salsa band (Haukurs dancing caught everyones attention!!) and then a Malian club with singers, a great night and where we met 2 malians who invited us to listen to some African music the next day, which we did.
Abdroman (one of the guys) also invited us to let him be our guide to the Dogon villages.
So we headed off with him towards Dogon country, stopping in Segou and then Djenne - the most beautiful town that can only be reached by boat and with the largest mud built mosque and then onto Bandiagara and the Dogon villages.
This area is truly amazing and beautiful, the people are wonderful, friendly and charming, children holding our hands all day... we have all found it very hard to leave. I never thought a place or people would have such a profound effect on me, and has certainly thrown up alot of questions for me. People live here with no electricity, no clean drinking water, no medicine and totally live off the land and away from any Malian laws or rules. It is very humbling to see and experience life like this. We helped to treat 2 people, (with some antiseptic and bandages that we have with us) with terrible sores on their legs and i can only wonder how many other people needed such treatment.
We visited 4 villages, did some climbing and some rather adventurous off roading in sand....and then agreed that Burkina and the rest of the trip was beckoning, so we left Dogon said our goodbyes to Abdroman and have arrived in Ougadougou, in Burkina Faso.
We will stay here over the weekend, maybe take a visit to the crocodile lakes near here tomorrow and then go to some embassies on Monday and Tuesday for visas and answers to some question we have. We have some big desisions to take about where to go next, time is ruuning out to get to Gabon and we must choose the safest, quickest and of course most enjoyable route we can.
Will keep you posted!
xxxx