 |
| The Dogon Escarpment. |
Now, we are up to number 8. Mali is an amazing country
located in West Africa. Land-locked, dry, terrorist activity in the north in
recent years, it has had its issues that’s for sure. In fact, when I went there
back in 2007 it had its issues – my flight was cancelled a few days before
because they had decided to close the airport for a week to re-seal the runway!
I can assure you that that is the only time I have encountered that particular
problem.
I flew into Ouagadougou, the capital of neighbouring Burkina
Faso, and made my way to Mali by land. I had a little less than two weeks
there, I had left a couple of days later because of the new flights, and
 |
| Rooftop sleeping, Dogon Country. |
After crossing into Mali, I went with three charming people
(two I met on the crossing) to Dogon country. We overnighted in the town of
Banfora, before begin a trek in one of the most remarkable, remote places on
Earth. The Dogon Escarpment is sort of like a big rock, well it’s a big cliff
really. It goes on for 150 kilometres, and is up to 500 metres high.
It’s a popular trekking spot in this part of the world.
Trekkers walk in the mornings and late afternoon to avoid the searing heat – I was
there in November and it was over 40 each day at the peak. There are villages
on the lower plains and on top of the escarpment, the trek goes through quite a
few, and you stay at one on the lower plain the first night, atop it the
second. We slept on a rooftop looking at the sky. Now THAT was brilliant! As was seeing village life in the villages.
Although there is a dependency on the trekkers and the tourist dollar, they
still function a lot as they have done for hundreds of years. The only lighting
is from car batteries.
 |
| pounding millet in a Dogon village. |
Climbing the escarpment was a challenge, but not as hard as
I had expected. On top we visited a village and saw a local school, being
mobbed by children. This is only the simplest of possible summaries for this
3-day trek. Three of the best days of my life.
 |
| Boat, Mopti. |
Around Mali there is a lot to see as well. In the region no
countries has as many highlights as Mali. Taking a boat on the Bani River at
Mopti. Not just the Bani river, it's at the convergance of two big rivers - the Bani and the Niger. A special place, a big riverside town, lovely spot, was one highlight, but the only place to rival the beauty of the Dogon country is Djenne.
 |
| Djenne street. |
Famous for the biggest mud-brick structure in the world,
most of the island town is made from mud. It’s an amazing place to spend a day,
with passageways, beautiful houses and more. The mosque there is crowning glory
of this town, a UNESCO-protected site, rising up in the middle. Today tourists
are not allowed inside, but from outside it is still breath-taking. To get to
the town you have to get your taxi onto a boat to get across the river. That’s
part of the fun too!
 |
| The amazing mosque at Djenne. |
 |
| Segou and the Niger River. |
Segou is another pleasant river-side town in Mali. I only
spent a day there, a very brief day, but life on the Niger River was a buzz, as
were the donkeys and it seemed like a very pleasant town. We walked along the
river in the afternoon as the sun beat down and saw the life-blood of this
whole region of Africa – that’s the Niger river which stretches through many
countries.
 |
| Bamako at night. |
The last stop was Bamako, the capital city, a sort of
sprawling ‘splat’ on the map in some ways. Capital cities are rarely a
highlight in Africa, and Bamako didn’t reverse this trend, however it still was
an interesting and lively place. If you want some decent food, or to do proper
souvenir shopping or visit the best markets Mali has to offer, you come to
Bamako. Or indeed, if you need a flight in or out of the country! It’s worth
two days.
 |
| Young artisan at the Artisans' mmarket, Bamako |
And so that’s my experience of Mali. Be aware that earlier
this year there were major issues in the north and Timbuktu – oh yes, if you’ve
ever wondered where Timbuktu was, wonder no longer, it’s in the north of Mali!
Well the French Army was fighting there earlier this year, fighting terrorists
and extremists who had taken over the place. Mali is a wonderful place, but,
good idea to check the safety situation before you go!
So far the top ten has had two countries in Europe, and one
in Africa. Next time we journey to another continent. Which one will it be?
10 – Slovakia
9 – Romania
8 – Mali
7 - ????
Kindle Writings on Mali:
No comments:
Post a Comment