Well after a mad 4 hour taxi ride playing tag team with a the other taxi (driven by a boy racer who would not be out of place in the "Speed Racer filn - complete with wacky driving and running into other cars) we nade it to Nouachott the Capita; of Mauritania.

Mauritania.....JUST!

The Crossing into Mauritania was amazingly fast! Rather than take the main border crossing which requires queing with all the trucks and then catching a ferry , we zigged over to a smaller crossing leading into the local national park. From arriving on the Senegal side to clearing Mauritanian customs - 1 hr 5 mins a veritable record! And now its off to Nouakchott the capital of Mauritania....

Well perhaps not!!

A little over 5 km into the park and "Tonka" out trusty overland truck was required to swerve off the road by a few feet. Unfortunately the area it needed to do this was only soft clay and whump! we were bogged up to the axles at a delightful 45+ degrees (somewhat like those wonky houses at the fun fair) so it was out with the sand mats. Only this was not say it was high grade clay closely related to "super glue"

• So a quick lunck and some exciting digging........
• several metres of mud later, Dinner and an early night
• Goody we awoke to another day of digging (I'm beginning to beleave that thick gloopy clay is created denovo proportionally to how much you are able to dig out)
• Dinner came again (my turn at cook group and being in a national park with no currency - we had only just crossed the boarder - it was frankfurts and beans o'Truck)

Well after almost two days it was time to move on and hope that the trck would be able to follow later. So after a delightful 4 hour cram in a taxi we made to to Nouakchott and another capital to explore.

Actually it looks like a small town and while it is near the coast it's focus is really the feel of the desert...

Which is where we head next...

Northern Senegal

Well amqzingly the visa to Maritania was remarkably easy. It does help when you hit a very helpfull embassy official who was willing to do it all in one day. The old addage of throw money at the problem still holds. 65 Euro later ad I'm on my way (or at least able to leave Dakar)

We had spent the day at iLL Goree an idealic little island off the coast that had theta quaint 17th century charm (that is if you ignore the fact that it was one of the first transport hubs for the then burgeoning slave trade - it amazes me how so many could be cramed ito such a small space - interstingly here in west Africa the blame for the slave trade is shared with the Europeans and is not seen as purely an external issue)

So azay from the bussle of Dakar (frankly not much to say about it other tha it is a bigish city with some fantastic street husslers .
"I have a new baby, can I have money for it" - from a well dressed male
"I am a religious student, give me money"
or the old favourite
"give me money!" the latter works must work on some people, but unfortunately not on me - they are however surprised when you simply demand money back from them.

St Louis is the former capital of Senegal and frankly must have been elegant in it's hay day. Build on an island in the middle of the river it is made up of grand old houses with terraces and balconies. This was also the main hub for the AEROPOST airmail service from Europe down west Africa and on to South America (the Pilots must have been sterdy stock as the distances were great and the support services somewhat few and far between - no Freeway service centres here!) Unfortunately while the ambiance of the place still exists it has really seen better days with only a few of the grand houses still managing to stay up and not surrounded by rubbish. The neighbouring fish village was a hive of activity with several hundred fishing boats coming back with the days catch to be imediately transferred to what had to be several hundred trucks waiting to wisk it off to the various inland markets.

St Louis is know for it's Jazz scene so it was off to hear the funky tones of west african fusion......

That would be the dulcit tones of Britney Spears, ACDC, Robbie Williams etc.

That in a town known for it Jazz there was not one bar playing the stuff :-) turns out that it is known for it's jazz but only during the jazz festival which as you can guess is not at this time of year.

Oh well at least the Beer was cold (expensive yes, but cold)

The Stqrt of a New Adventure

Well a mere year latter and I'm back in Africa to finish my West Africa jolly . So after a very long set of flights (Sydney to Singapore to Milan to Bacelona (a nice day had - even if by then I seriously could have needed a shower & shave but I digress)

Unlike last year my luggage thankfully decided to join me on the trip so arriving at 3am with luggage in tow and having a hotel room actuallly booked was a nice surprise.

Now off to pick up our passports for Mauritania now so more later!
ps I hate French keyboards!!

From "the Venice of Africa" to The Capital of Mali

Well from the delights of Dogon country it was back to Servre and Mopti 5the latter being seen as the venice of Africa - perhaps on a really really bad day in northern Italy?) for quick shop for food for the next couple of days of bush camping before heading out into the wilds of Mali and the blat across country to the Capital Bamako. Best that can be said for the drive is that the road was paved (not often the case and relatively fast - we actually got to 50kph @ times!!
Bamako is actually the first capital that I've seen in West Africa that actually feels like a major city! it is crowded, busy (especially as we are here on a week end) dusty, spread-out, full of moterbikes and frankly there is not a lot here form a tourism perspective.
The Artisan market allowed you to see the making of the various carvings/drums/jeaery etc but the raw skins drying on the pavement were something else! Especially as some of the recently deceasd had spots big teeth and hung out in trees purring a lot. Yep fresh leopard skins complete with feet and sinue happily drying in the sun!
of more interest was the fetish markets. usedin traditional medicine
monkey heads; dried turtles, chamiliones, fox heads poccupines you name it ! it was on sale for the local witch doctors to cure your ills!
(apparrently the Islam is for show and behind closed doors the Animistic practices of the past still win through)
The local National Musuem was very well done but small (but had a cafe that served real ham on the baguets!!! - it's amazing how simple things make a difference :-)
The Hotel is quite a bit out of town (1.5hrs walk to be precise) but the pool is nice, however it is obviously a local hangout as you cant move for locals trying to show their swimming prowess (as they plunge to the bottom) to the girls (many of whom are not there for time away from work ;-)

anyway it is now a 5 day trek to Senegal and Dakar so more on arrival there...

We Survived....

As the title indicates we survived the trek through Dogon Country! Infact it was not that long or hard just very hot!!! Temps were in the high 40s for most of the way but at least it was cool at night.
Day1: A nice 5km walk along the top of the escarpment then a quick pluge over the edge following the water courses from the wet season. The drop probably no more then 400-600 m but very steep (discovered that my boots were not quite as large as I thought as I continually stubbed my toes on rocks - gory details to be censored at this point!). Once down a quick walk to the nearest village where we were to spend the night sleeping on the roof of the local "hotel" (a loose term but at least it had cold beer and soft drinks).
The local women offered to put on a dance for us (for a price) but frankly most were too exhausted to want it. So they put it on anyway and he ended up with the entire village dancing away around us (any excuse for a party)

Day2: This was the hard one with a nice 12k walk before lunch (it is hot by 8am) and it was some what taxing. However after lunch the high point of the trek, the initiated boys of the village put on a Mask dance which frankly was amazing. Twirling and sweeping the ground with the masks to honour the ancestors (Dogons are Animists). Some of the masks were 3m high so apparently they have to have very good teeth to hold on the masks and not have them fall backwards.
Managed to buy my self a copy of the Dogon Grainery doors which have the story of the dogons so was pleased with that.

After lunch another 6-7K along the bottom of the escapment to the village of Irrelli which is the "picture post-card" village and the best example of the Tellem people who predated the Dogon (yes lots of pictures were taken). A funeral was taking place up on the cliff with gun fire (flint lock rifes) and drumming right through the nigh and for the following 3days.

Day3: Started nicely with a walk up to the Tellem ruins which were extremely interesting (the dogons copied the tellem for the style of the villages) then another 5k along the valley to the lunch stop. (and a deserved rest before the climb back out). While the climb out was a more trodden path (almost steps) it was straight up and everyone was completely exhausted by the time we got picked up by the truck. However a shower at the hostel and a beer and life returned (so much so that we were dancing with the locals at the bar)

more later...

To Timbuktu and back again....

Well once again the limitations of Internet access has imited the ability to post an entry, but here goes....

I finished the last post in Burkino Faso with riots in Quagodogou and then on to Bobo-dilasi which was a much more laid back place and felt more french colonial (my lack of french is showing through big time) The old village there was the epitomy of the mud construction towns and is still populated in the same manner as it has been since the 1400s (the smell from the open seweres proves it :-) The mud mosque was a good 700 years old but frankly as they they rebuild the mud houses every year it is not quite the same building :-) Was able to get on the roof and have a look at how they are built, very cool (and it was! at least 5 to10 degrees cooler in side than outside). Bobo is known for it's sacrifical ponds where they sacrifice chickens etc to the fish that live in it. mind "live" is a relative term as frankly the river was more open sewer than a fish pond; how they survive is anyones guess (can you say "cholera waiting to happen!")

From Bobo it was off to the Mali border for what (for Africa) was a quick transfer, it only took about 4-5 hrs to get across the border! Every official wants to prove their importance by scrutinising the documentation as often and as slowly as possible. but finally we were in Mali!!

First stop was D'jenne (ponounced "jenny") to see the largest mud structure in the world! The Mud mosque in D'jenne as well as the Monday market. Unfortunately being a tourist in Mali seems to equate to "please try to rip me off as soon and as often as possible please" as the touts and the prices being quoted for things are just silly money. I was quoted over 250 dollars for some thing bought for about 30. So haggling is thename of the game (it gets a little tiring I must admit)

FRom D'jenne it was on to one of the highlights heading to Timbuktou!! rather driving the excellent multilane highway to timbuktou (if you believe that may i sell you this wonderfull twareg knife) we went to old way. Sailing up the Niger river fro, Mopti (actually the river is so low at the moment that we needed to start 75k further up and even then we were grounded several times)
the Niger river is not what I expected and for the most part is huge! easily a good 300m wide but only about 1-2m deep (in rainy season it gets to a almost 2km wide in some places.
Actually crusing up the river was a very cool way to get there and actually very relaxing just watching the West Africn world sail by(the river runs up to the Sahara desert and then heads back down to the gulf) we had a local cook who travelled with us and we camped ashore each night. But if any one says that it will be pleasntly warm at night in the desert§ DO NOT believe them!!! it was freezing at night and I was very pleased for the artic sleeping bacg I brought with me (45-50 degrees during the day (degrees at night!)

After 3 solid days of puttering up the river we came to the docks for the final 10km stretch to Timbuktou. Frankly it isnot really anything to write home about and has definitely seen better days. The place if teaming withTwareg who will happily pester you to buy something at outragious prices before they need to head back to the desert with their caravans;

"My Friend, My Friend! look here I have special Twareg artifacts for you"
>>"I'm in the toilet!"
"My Friend, My Friend! Special price - do not tell others...."
>>"Go away!"
"My Friend, My Friend! is twareg symbol/is twareg hat/is twareg necklace/is twareg ......"

you get the picture......

But I did weaken and probably spent way to much but hey how often do you get to Timbuktou???

Because I was not able to do the Mauritania/Morroco legs of the trip I splashed out on a camel trek into the desert to watch the sunset (a 2hr trip out into the desert).

NOT!

Our Twareg camel caravan had other ideas! We got about 500m from town when camels down and....

"My Friend, My Friend! is twareg symbol/is twareg hat/is twareg necklace/is twareg ......"

yet once again it was the hard sell! Once they relised we were not buying it was an hour & half wait for the sun to set then 15mins by camel back again. needless to say we had discussions on the price (orginally about 20USD but we ended up paying somewhat less) and they will never be used by Dragoman again. So they lost out there!

Having got to Timbukto the nice way, the return was via the road from hell but surprisingly we only had to dig the truck out once as it buried itself in the sand.Howevey we did have to come tothe rescue of a 4-wheel drive who had been going to fast and managed to shred a tire.

Now back in Severe getting ready for the trek to the Dogons tomorrow. next update on my return...