One of the most ubiquitous questions I get when people learn of my travel bug is, “So what has been your favorite place to visit?” Internally this questions usually makes me all queasy and stressed. The thought, “How dare they ask me to name just one!” creeps into my mind and then I typically expel a…
It has been exactly 2 months since I concluded my 62 day adventure to West and North Africa and Europe. I arrived home Saturday, November 27th at 11:30pm. Dutifully my dear girlfriend, Dianne, picked up her jet-lagged friend at the airport and somehow we shoved my 54 lb-stuffed-to-the-brim-34″-roller duffel and overloaded backpack into her gold convertible, hard top BMW. Once…
This morning as I went for a walk along the banks of the Niger River here in Bamako I said some of my final “A ni ches” (hello in Bambara) to the people of Mali I passed. My flight to Algeria is tonight (actually at 1:25am on Friday morning…but I am going to the airport at…
I have just completed a day of pure laziness…and it was wonderful! My biggest outing was this morning when I decided to walk to the muslim cemetary (incredibly uneventful except I got lost). After about an hour winding through the streets of Segou relatively unharrassed by people wanting to sell me something (which I considered a…
My original plans for tonight was to write about my last destination, Mopti and Sevare….but I had such a FANTASTIC experience today I wanted to get typing about the unique events I witnessed today. First of all, I don’t think I can stress enough how much I enjoy this little town of Segou. Since I…
***Note: I started writing this post 2 days ago, but TONS of internet connectivity issues prohibited me from actuallly posting it until today. The good news is that I have stable internet access for the next 3 nights….which means I will be doing some catch-up work.***** Before I start sharing the majesty of Dogon Country…I…
I have decided money passes through my hands here like the sands of the Sahara…..very easily. I was a bit astonished looking at my bank statement just now….counting backwards from 10 now…..10, 9, 8….and this is only day 10 of this 2 month trip….7,6,5….. I also just got done bargaining with my 2 guides about…
Yesterday was just a day of waiting and white knuckles. I waited for most of the day for my ride to my next destination, Segou….a 2:30 leave time changed to a 4pm leave time but we ended up actually leavng at 5:30pm (patience is definitely a virtue in this great nation). It gets dark here around 6:30…and the drive to Segou…
Today as I was walking over the “Old Bridge” in Bamako I told to my new friend, Samatha from Seattle, “I don’t know how I am going to be able to tell people back home about the things I see here.” Everything here is so raw….humanity at its purest and most basic. They say that…
Hakuna Matata…they actually do say that here in Mali, even though the phrase is Swahili. I am not quite at the “No Worries” stage :)….but working on it each day! So I write this now from a little hotel called The Sleeping Camel in Bamako, Mali. My room is absolutely bare minimum in its decore and furnishing….but…
