.. Ah, so you're in Bamako? What is the city like?
Well, as every big city in Africa actually all mopeds seem to be accummulated. Space for pedestrians is basically non-existent meaning: all the time constantly watching yourself damn good.
Wonderfully it goes all well if you consider that here on the street are porters with their handcarts, street vendors walking with their trade on their head (!) and goats -but of a special kind, with large horns, a kind of rams - are tied. These poor creatures are the doomed when the Tobaski (slaughter) party will begin. They are so common in the streets that they are even shown on huge billboards haha.
... The river Niger! (before Kouremalé, Guinée)
So to answer your question: Bamako is village like. Of course there are huge avenue with a lot of traffic but it is actually an exploded village. And there are of course the marchés [markets]!. Everything you seem to find there, you have a marché especially for books, hardware, fruits, clothes, electronics ... The concept of supermarkets, hardware stores / Ikea / Gamma and shit like that does not exist here. Everything here is on the street. Everything.
What do you mean by `everything`?
Well, all the small craft is on the street: bicycle mechanics, tailors, shoemakers. If you have an egg sandwich with a delicious nescafé you're sitting on a bench thirty centimeters from a busy avenue where all traffic from Bamako seems to drive. If you want letting your hair done chez Fanta [a voluptuous woman crawling through your hair] it is on the street, so everything basically is on the street.
... And were you still all the time bothered by penny finders, people who want to sell their shit to you, muggers etc.?
Not really. I'm still amazed about that. I had heard/ read all kinds of wild Indian stories about harassment but maybe it has also to do with the part of town where I am. I am once again in a "maison catholique", an oasis of calm in a village like` neighborhood. The people are sitting outside during the evening playing cards, or some elders dressed in dzjallabya like beautiful colored cloths are sipping from their tea made on bois carbonise (charcoal) although gas cooking is also used.
The children, and then the smaller ones I find the most difficult: if I wander towards the evening wander in the sandy street I hear the 'toebaboe' quacking, and a whole mess comes to hang at me wanting to grab my hand.
.... Just kick them !haha. "Just be dominant and assertive!`` Do not argue with it, do not reason with it, Dominate! ".
Yes, but if I kick a child`s ass I get the whole neighborhood against me, so I take the last part of your advice to heart :).
THE most important means of transport in Bamako. Stuffed green collectivos, with cut-out windows.
Right. Ok then. Did you meet any interesting people in that beautiful city ?.
Ha, yeah, quite funny yes .. two Quebequois (Guillaume and Remi) working for a Canadian NGO here to do a project. They just have arrived in Mali and are like me in the maison Catholic [Catholic mission]. It is nice with them. But otherwise I have not really met other people. I just wander around through that city and the contact with the locals is actually limited to greetings, ask something [directions] or to buy food..
Are you persisting in strolling around in circles in your `little tiny neighborhood` or did you dare to explore other parts of the city also?
Well, 'dare' is a big word though. Its ok here, you can go wherever you want sans probleme [= without any problem] or threatening situations. A big difference actually with a country like Colombia where you all the time had to talk to locals to find out whether a portion of the city (Medellin) was safe to go [or not].
Two days ago, for example, I was half the day trying to find out where the Embassy of Niger was (They recently have an embassy in Bamako). I wander - after having crossed the pont des martyrs over the river niger- through an embassy district of the city, all buildings surrounded with high walls and barbed wire, armed 'gardiens' in front of `em but a funny city tour!.
And finally I found it! And the visa was no problem. Mardi a 10 heures du matin [Tuesday at 10 O`clock in the morning]. So I am forced to stay here for a while but such period of rest is actually not so bad. Spiritually it is beneficial too: at some point you really want to continue your journey, leaving this doomed city behind you haha.
Soso, a visa for Niger? What itinerary will you actually take? Are you going to the Touaregs?
I'm planning to follow the Niger River more or less north to Tombouctou. Cities I want to pass are Segou, Mopti, Djenne, Timbouctou of course, after Gao and Niamey in Niger.
Sounds cool. But there are a few snags on this route eh?
It [the north] is Tuareg territory and rather unstable. Minbuza [the dutch ministry of foreign affairs] advises not to go if there is not a compelling reason to be there. But they [Minbuza] give such kind of advise on almost every country in western Africa a kind of copy paste. Following their advice means: buy an airplane ticket today, fly home, rent a video documentary on Africa, close the curtains and watch the video!.
But it is true that there is an Al Qaeda group [Al Ansadine] operating and targeting westerners in the north of Mali. Anyway I will try to stay well informed on the current security situation [by speaking with locals, following the local news ] and if my itinerary is truly too dangerous I`ll just take another road no problema!.
Well, keep us informed. And don`t call me if a ransom [to get you free] has to be paid haha ...
huhu ...
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