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Updated Information
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Date |
Camp Site or Accommodations |
GPS |
Distance Today:
176km |
Meals
Chicken
tikka masala |
Weather |
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Somewhere in the bush, Mali
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02 March
2004 |
Camping Paris-Dakar |
15°01.792’N
11°37.093’W |
Odometer:
8932km |
Sunny & hot 98(F) degrees |
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We woke up this morning to a beautiful
sunrise. Our tents were facing east, so all we had to do to enjoy it was
to zip open the screen and lie in bed watching the sun come up. After
breakfast we started down the track. We arrived in Kankosa, the last town
in Mauritania before entering Mali, at about noon. Yesterday we had our
carnet stamped by customs in Kiffa, today we’ll have our passports stamped
by the police in Kankosa. After a bit of wandering around trying to find
the correct police official to stamp our passports, Graham and Jen went
off to get the passports taken care of, while Witt and Connie stayed to
guard the vehicles. As usual, we attracted a crowd of children, mostly
wanting a pen or cadeau (gift). Typically the kids all gather around the
window looking inside and pointing at stuff asking if they can have it.
Our travel guide books, coffee mugs, two-way radios, GPS receiver,
anything they can see they want. One kid asked Witt for his car (“Donnez-moi
yotre voiture!”), and another asked for a bicycle. We’re starting to feel
a bit like Santa Claus (or at least the local kids seem to think any white
person is Santa Claus). Witt had some fun with the kids making faces and
scaring them away; The side view mirror on the car with it’s convex lens
was popular (they asked for it) as well. After completing customs
formalities we were on our way once again. During the afternoon we saw a
troop of baboons, a beautiful blue and black bird, and even the symbol of
Africa itself, the Baobab tree. Graham and Connie were surprised to see
them this far north. Witt and Jen don’t know enough about Africa yet to be
surprised. We camped under one of these stately giants and were treated to
another beautiful sunset. |
Kids in Kankosa ganging up on Connie. It’s difficult to get pictures of the kids, since doing so would be met with demands for payment. Witt took this
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Updated Information
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Date |
Camp Site or Accommodations |
GPS |
Distance Today:
146km |
Meals
Pasta with packet sauce |
Weather |
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Near Kayes, Mali |
03 March
2004 |
Bush Camp |
14°28.852’N
11°16.379’W |
Odometer: 9078km |
Sunny & hot 101(F) degrees |
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We awoke this morning to yet another beautiful
African sunrise. Witt and Jen got a good night’s sleep after having been
exhausted by a full day on the piste yesterday. We have noticed a marked
difference between villages on the Mauritanian side of the border as
compared to those on the Mali side, even though there is no physical
separation between the two. The Mali villages seem more prosperous and a
little cleaner. The women’s dress is more colorful and less modest. Women
in Mali carry stuff on their heads more often. We drove the remaining
three hours in Kayes, where we stopped to buy motor insurance. This
insurance (a “brown card”) is compulsory and cost us thirty euros for 20
days worth. It’s highly doubtful that it would do you any good if you got
into an accident, although not having it may well land you in jail. We
stopped at a police checkpoint to have our passports stamped, but they
couldn’t do it there. A guy volunteered to ride with us to show us to the
customs office (to stamp the carnet) and to the main police station (to
stamp the passports). We were dubious of our guide, wondering what he
would want after helping us, but in the end he directed us to both offices
and didn’t ask for anything in return. Graham gave him a small screwdriver
(the kind that looks like a pen) in thanks. The police headquarters was
located inside one of the old French colonial buildings in town. It was
run down and dirty looking, but it was obviously not African in design.
These buildings with their European architecture seem like an anachronism
from a bygone era, which they are. After the formalities were completed we
drove a short distance out of town to see some waterfalls on the Senegal
River, a recommendation of Phillip, an American Peace Corps worker whom we
met at the bank. After a very late lunch at the falls we drove out of town
on the road to Bamako, and camped after about 20 miles. Tonight is the
first night it hasn’t really cooled down after sunset. We expect more of
this as we continue into the heart of the continent. Connie made up alternate lyrics to “We
Three Kings” while driving. We hope you enjoy our entertainment,
although you’ll have to sing it for yourself:
We two Land
Rovers camped in Atar
Then in the
desert under the stars
Grasshoppers
leaping
All of us
freaking
Who knew
they’d be out this far
Noo-oo
We don’t
want a camel ride
And we don’t
need a guide
No cadeau
No stylo
Go away, our
nerves are fried
After the
desert, to Nouakchott
There our
Mali visas we got
Traffic jams
Money change
scams
Our favorite
place this was not
Noo-oo
We don’t
want a camel ride
And we don’t
need a guide
No cadeau
No Stylo
Go away, our
nerves are fried
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A French colonial building at the Medina outside Kayes
A French colonial building at the Medina outside Kayes
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Updated Information
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Date |
Camp Site or Accommodations |
GPS |
Distance Today:
399km |
Meals
Mexican concoction |
Weather |
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Near Doubabougou,
Mali |
04 March
2004 |
Bush Camp |
14°10.8’N
8°4.285’W |
Odometer: 9477km |
Windy, dusty, cool 80(F) degrees
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We awoke this morning having
arranged our tents to face east hoping for another great sunrise, but the
wind had picked up overnight, and all we got was dust. The scene looked
exactly like fog, and the sun had been up for an hour before we could even
see it. We packed up and hit the road by 815. The first few hours were
fast on good tarmac until the town of Diéma. There we stopped and bought
some deep fried dough with sugar (yes, just like doughnuts. Mmmm
doughnuts.) on it from a woman cooking under a tree. We wanted to fill our
water containers, but there was a line of about seven donkey carts waiting
to fill barrels, so we drove on. The road after this point was horrible.
It was well made, and if they would grade it once in awhile, you could
actually drive on it. As it is, only trucks and busses (not really busses,
rather trucks with a passenger compartment) use the actual road. Cars use
the tracks that wind along the side of the road. These are pretty good,
allowing about 30-40 mph although the driving is stressful because of the
frequent irregularities in the road. We saw numerous wrecked vehicles
along the road, many of which seem to result from trucks alternating
between the road and track trying to find the best surface. One of
Graham’s front shocks blew out (the result of a poor installation, he
believes) and we took a long lunch to replace it with one of the spares.
We drove this road all afternoon until about 5pm, only (we hope) about
10km from pavement. We should be in Bamako by tomorrow. |
Doughnut shop, Mali style Replacing a shock absorber
Doughnut shop, Mali style
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Updated Information
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Date |
Camp Site or Accommodations |
GPS |
Distance Today:
215km |
Meals
Meat
sandwich with fries at the hotel |
Weather |
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Bamako, Mali |
05 March
2004 |
Hotel in Bamako |
12°36.768’N
7°58.464’W |
Odometer: 9692km |
Windy, & dusty 85(F) degrees
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When we woke this morning it was still very
dusty. We had breakfast of bread and coffee, then hit the road eager to
leave the horribly corrugated road behind. After about an hour we did, and
were in Bamako by noon. Bamako is a very large city, and driving there was
very similar to other large cities we’ve been to. Our motivation for going
into the city was to buy food (packaged stuff we couldn’t get in the
markets in smaller villages), check our email, and use Mali’s only
international ATM machine. At some point on the corrugated road from Kayes,
Jen and Witt’s car had developed a severe judder in the steering which
needs to be fixed before continuing on. We found a place to park in the
center of town and walked to the ATM machine that unfortunately was not
functioning. Central Bamako is a beehive of activity with people selling
all manner of goods on the sidewalks. There is very little room to walk
amongst all the people and wares for sale, and you are left with a choice
between the sidewalk where you must constantly stop to wait for people or
dodge stacks of flip flops for sale, or the street with it’s constant
traffic of cars and motorbikes. At some point we picked up a “friend” who
was showing us where to change money, etc. We tried to change some cash,
at a bureau de change, but the rate offered for 20 dollar bills was lower
than that offered for hundreds, so we decided to walk back to the bank
with the ATM machine, our friend following us wherever we went. We noticed
a couple of tourists leaving the machine, so we decided to try again, and
sure enough it worked! We each took out a large amount of cash, knowing
that we wouldn’t find ATM machines often until we get to Cameroon.
Fortunately, all of the countries on our route through Gabon use the
Central African Franc (CFA), so we won’t have to adjust to a new currency
for awhile. By this point our “friend” had turned into a “guide” and
wanted money. He followed us all the back to our cars, arguing the whole
time. Eventually we gave him a cigarette to get him to go away. We felt
bad about rewarding his behavior, but at least he left feeling we owed him
more. At this point we were eager to just get out of the city, so we
abandoned our plans to use the internet and headed out of town. Soon we
noticed a yellow Camel Trophy Land Rover Discovery tailing us, and pulled
over to have a chat. Mary and Walter are also traveling to South Africa
and showed us to the hotel they were staying at. It was expensive but
nice, and we enjoyed the hot showers. Graham located and fixed a loose
panhard rod on Witt’s car which was the likely culprit of the shuddering
while Jen and Connie did laundry. Afterward we had a “meat sandwich” at
the hotel restaurant (which was surprisingly good) and exchanged some
information with Mary and Walter. We also listened to some Malian music
being performed at the hotel for the benefit of a Canadian documentary
film maker. |
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The preferred way to transport
goods |
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Mali, page 2 |
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