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...