We never thought we would say this but Mali is one of the friendliest and most interesting countries that we have ever been to and we love it here. Despite being the fourth poorest country in the world, the fascinating and culturally diverse population is mostly incredibly welcoming, relatively hard working and eager to develop. What makes them so poor unfortunately is the historical lack of natural resources, the inability of the land to support the growing population and the gruelling heat that hits them in the dry season coupled with the sometimes devastating nature of the wet season. Historically poor leadership goes without saying. The visible history in Mali is remarkable and yet unfortunately for the people, the lack of tourists in the dry season is equally so. With the 45°C+ dry heat that we've had everyday, we understand perhaps why.
We arrived from Morocco in the middle of the night to face the slightly daunting debacle of Bamako airport and in particular passport control which we had heard had the reputation of being quite ruthless. Luckily the hassle we went through of obtaining our visas in Brussels in advance paid off and we were granted entry with what almost looked like a smile. Since the day that we originally decided to go to Mali, Dan had been dreaming about going 'clubbing in Bamako', the home of West African music and sure enough, that was the first thing on the agenda. After making a few enquiries, we heard that Malian legend Toumani Diabaté was playing in his own bar on our first night and so that was where we headed (for those of you that haven't heard of him, shame on you). Despite appearing to be a fairly seedy and empty place at the outset, we soon realised that everyone was working on Africa time and a 9.30pm start meant 11pm for the sound check and midnight before it really got going. The eleven piece band of kora, guitars, djembe drums, random percussion and singers was electrifying and Dan was in heaven. This was also our first insight into the importance of music to the everyday lives of Malian people.
Having seen most of smog-filled Bamako from the back of a scooter in a mad search for cash (a commodity surprisingly difficult
for a westerner to come across), our first destination was Djenne. Whilst this small town, situated on an island in the Bani River, has an interesting past and also the best weekly market in Mali which we were lucky to see, it is the incredible world's biggest mud brick mosque which is the real draw. Declared a UNESCO world heritage site several years back, one can't help but look at it from every angle in awe. It takes four thousand people one day each year to reapply the mud after the wet season to ensure the building survives.
Next stop was the Dogon country, a place firmly rooted high up in the list of things to see before you die and it is easy to see why. The best way to experience and learn about the Dogon people is on foot and we spent six days with a local guide, walking and clambering across rocks on all fours from village to village.
The villages follow the 150km long and several hundred metre high Bandigara escarpment, some on the top, some towards the bottom, but most half way up the steep cliffs. The villages are filled with small thatch-roofed granaries made of mud which are used to store the year's supply of millet (the staple diet of the Dogon) and the views from them across the red sand plains are stunning. Even more spectacular however are the dwellings of the now non-existent Tellem people (former inhabitants of the villages many thousands of years ago) built in completely inaccessible places in the vertical cliffs. 
The Dogon believe that the Tellem had magic powers and could fly whilst the non-believers think the climate at the time to have been more tropical with vines covering the cliffs and acting as natural ladders. What makes the Dogon people so remarkable is their complex and elaborate culture including religious mask ceremonies and intricate rituals. Two of the more unusual traditions we came across were firstly, the court of law practice of leaving two piles of peanuts out overnight for a fox to reveal whether the person in question is guilty or not (apparently the fox never touches both piles), and secondly their sacred treatment of the crocodile - one village we visited had a pool of crocodiles near it with no real fence surrounding it. Whilst we were assured this was not dangerous and that the crocodiles regularly walk through the village with no problems, neither of us were interested in staying too long to find out.
After the Dogon country, it was time to head for Timbuktu which meant travelling cross country in a 4x4 vehicle with the journey culminating in a 200km stint off-road through the desert in the blistering heat of the day.
It soon became apparent to us that Timbuktu really is in the middle of nowhere and hence the reason it is a byword for the place at the end of the earth. The history of Timbuktu is fascinating, a town that became incredibly wealthy in the 15th century as the main trading post for gold, salt and slaves between Europe and West Africa, thanks to its location on the edge of the Sahara and at the top of the bend in the Niger River. As the years went by and European ships began to circumvent the trans-Saharan trade routes, the town fell into decline and exists today as a sprawl of shabby buildings with streets filled with sand blown in from the desert. Whilst the journey to Timbuktu was definitely one worth making, a big part of it is certainly the 'having been there' rather than there actually being much to see anymore.
After a night spent in the desert with a Tuareg family and a couple of camels, we left Timbuktu by pinasse (motorised canoe) for a three day journey down the Niger river to Mopti, 350km away. Having heard many stories about how horrendous the journey can be, it turned out to be rather civilised with lazy days on board spent watching village after village and hundreds of waving children go by, and nights pulled up on the river bank. Lunch and dinner consisted of the fish that seem to present themselves to us as we sailed along by literally leaping on board.
Our final stop was the sleepy colonial town of Segou where the streets seemed to resonate to the sound of the djembe drum day and night. We came across some incredibly talented musicians and Dan was lucky enough to play with a few of them on the roadside, although keeping up proved to be somewhat of a challenge.
Having travelled over two thousand kilometres around Mali, we arrived back in Bamako today. To see some more of our photos from Mali, click on the album cover below.
Although sad to leave, tomorrow we head for Ethiopia where we look forward to spending the first few days with our friends Gavin, Lizzie and baby Isabella in Addis Ababa before heading north into the Simien mountains and beyond...
Many many congratulations to you Luke and Charlie on the birth of baby Iris!
Good luck and lots of love for your wedding day Laura and Reuben!
Happy 30th birthday to you Caroline!
Keep all your news coming.
Lots of love
Susie and Dan x
We arrived from Morocco in the middle of the night to face the slightly daunting debacle of Bamako airport and in particular passport control which we had heard had the reputation of being quite ruthless. Luckily the hassle we went through of obtaining our visas in Brussels in advance paid off and we were granted entry with what almost looked like a smile. Since the day that we originally decided to go to Mali, Dan had been dreaming about going 'clubbing in Bamako', the home of West African music and sure enough, that was the first thing on the agenda. After making a few enquiries, we heard that Malian legend Toumani Diabaté was playing in his own bar on our first night and so that was where we headed (for those of you that haven't heard of him, shame on you). Despite appearing to be a fairly seedy and empty place at the outset, we soon realised that everyone was working on Africa time and a 9.30pm start meant 11pm for the sound check and midnight before it really got going. The eleven piece band of kora, guitars, djembe drums, random percussion and singers was electrifying and Dan was in heaven. This was also our first insight into the importance of music to the everyday lives of Malian people.
Having seen most of smog-filled Bamako from the back of a scooter in a mad search for cash (a commodity surprisingly difficult
for a westerner to come across), our first destination was Djenne. Whilst this small town, situated on an island in the Bani River, has an interesting past and also the best weekly market in Mali which we were lucky to see, it is the incredible world's biggest mud brick mosque which is the real draw. Declared a UNESCO world heritage site several years back, one can't help but look at it from every angle in awe. It takes four thousand people one day each year to reapply the mud after the wet season to ensure the building survives.Next stop was the Dogon country, a place firmly rooted high up in the list of things to see before you die and it is easy to see why. The best way to experience and learn about the Dogon people is on foot and we spent six days with a local guide, walking and clambering across rocks on all fours from village to village.
The villages follow the 150km long and several hundred metre high Bandigara escarpment, some on the top, some towards the bottom, but most half way up the steep cliffs. The villages are filled with small thatch-roofed granaries made of mud which are used to store the year's supply of millet (the staple diet of the Dogon) and the views from them across the red sand plains are stunning. Even more spectacular however are the dwellings of the now non-existent Tellem people (former inhabitants of the villages many thousands of years ago) built in completely inaccessible places in the vertical cliffs. 
The Dogon believe that the Tellem had magic powers and could fly whilst the non-believers think the climate at the time to have been more tropical with vines covering the cliffs and acting as natural ladders. What makes the Dogon people so remarkable is their complex and elaborate culture including religious mask ceremonies and intricate rituals. Two of the more unusual traditions we came across were firstly, the court of law practice of leaving two piles of peanuts out overnight for a fox to reveal whether the person in question is guilty or not (apparently the fox never touches both piles), and secondly their sacred treatment of the crocodile - one village we visited had a pool of crocodiles near it with no real fence surrounding it. Whilst we were assured this was not dangerous and that the crocodiles regularly walk through the village with no problems, neither of us were interested in staying too long to find out.After the Dogon country, it was time to head for Timbuktu which meant travelling cross country in a 4x4 vehicle with the journey culminating in a 200km stint off-road through the desert in the blistering heat of the day.
It soon became apparent to us that Timbuktu really is in the middle of nowhere and hence the reason it is a byword for the place at the end of the earth. The history of Timbuktu is fascinating, a town that became incredibly wealthy in the 15th century as the main trading post for gold, salt and slaves between Europe and West Africa, thanks to its location on the edge of the Sahara and at the top of the bend in the Niger River. As the years went by and European ships began to circumvent the trans-Saharan trade routes, the town fell into decline and exists today as a sprawl of shabby buildings with streets filled with sand blown in from the desert. Whilst the journey to Timbuktu was definitely one worth making, a big part of it is certainly the 'having been there' rather than there actually being much to see anymore.
After a night spent in the desert with a Tuareg family and a couple of camels, we left Timbuktu by pinasse (motorised canoe) for a three day journey down the Niger river to Mopti, 350km away. Having heard many stories about how horrendous the journey can be, it turned out to be rather civilised with lazy days on board spent watching village after village and hundreds of waving children go by, and nights pulled up on the river bank. Lunch and dinner consisted of the fish that seem to present themselves to us as we sailed along by literally leaping on board.
Our final stop was the sleepy colonial town of Segou where the streets seemed to resonate to the sound of the djembe drum day and night. We came across some incredibly talented musicians and Dan was lucky enough to play with a few of them on the roadside, although keeping up proved to be somewhat of a challenge.Having travelled over two thousand kilometres around Mali, we arrived back in Bamako today. To see some more of our photos from Mali, click on the album cover below.
 |
| Mali |
Although sad to leave, tomorrow we head for Ethiopia where we look forward to spending the first few days with our friends Gavin, Lizzie and baby Isabella in Addis Ababa before heading north into the Simien mountains and beyond...
Many many congratulations to you Luke and Charlie on the birth of baby Iris!
Good luck and lots of love for your wedding day Laura and Reuben!
Happy 30th birthday to you Caroline!
Keep all your news coming.
Lots of love
Susie and Dan x
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