This travelogue is about a journey through Mali, which I made together with friends from November 17th until December 15th.
DUS - CDG - BMK - Bamako - Ségou - San - Djenné with Senossa - Mopti - Lac Débo - Niafounké - Timbuktu - Gourma-Rharous - Gossi - Hombori - Douenza - Banani - Bankass - Ende - Banani - Sangha - Bandiagara - Mopti - Bamako – BMK – CDG – DUS
Why publish this travelogue after all these years? I digitalized my handwritten travel diary and thought some aspects are also interesting to the public. Moreover this kind of travel nowadays would risk your live [1], so maybe this travelogue is already giving a historic account.
Day 8, Saturday, November 24th, 2007 Lac Débo [2]
Continue on the Niger to Lac Débo. Second night in the tent.
Herons and birds of prey flying around as I open the tent and not to forget the quiet morning atmosphere in the diffuse light.
The camp was quickly broken up and we set off to continue our journey. In the first large village it was again impossible to buy bread or knives.
Lake Débo is formed by the seasonal flooding of the Inner Niger Delta. Large regions are shallow, but are fished by the fishermen of the Bozo people who live on its banks. Some villages have two locations, one at times of the flooding and one during the dry season. The Fulani nomads and their herds of cattle regularly migrate in these areas during the dry season. Lake Débo might stretch for 320 km and is situated 80 km downstrem of Mopti and 240 km upstream from Timbuktu.
The fruits of the swamp plants look like prickly pears without thorns, but are only edible for livestock. Geneviève caught a bad cold. Their tent is also too small for two people I had. At least I had been dreaming last night, which is to say I slept well.
I think I saw a hippo diving away, but I'm not entirely sure. Though the first hippo has been at the crossing of the Bani River near Djenné.
Then Geneviève had to take leave once; In the meantime I was able to take photos in the bird paradise. Charles thinks that a yellow flower is rapeseed. Rather unlikely, but I don't know and I often can't tell rapeseed from mustard seed.
Every now and then we saw women who had just crossed over and were carrying the collected wood in large loads on their heads.
Huge areas with rice near Lac Débo or the wetlands.
After crossing the lake we landed at a larger village. Then again children who stood begging at the boat and wanted things from the boat. There were about 20-25 kids in sight and you would need boatloads of BICies. So it doesn't work.
Then I saw children who had fetched green fodder for goats or sheep and were now taking it away on a boat. Women fetching water while washing at the well.
Very nice evening atmosphere, but we were too late to land. However, the place was very nice, a very high, solid bank made of clay. Insane light at night with the moon high.
Mohammed tells of his flights to Bordeaux and the “fascist” police and his return journeys in cars via Casablanca [3], Western Sahara and Mauritania. He then sells the cars in Mali. We were probably only seeing the semi-legal parts of his businesses.
Links and Annotations:
[1] The U.S. Department of State / Bureau of Consular Affairs for instance writes: "Violent crime, such as kidnapping and armed robbery, is common in Mali." And more risks are mentioned. Moreover it advises: "Draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney." https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/mali-travel-advisory.html
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_D%C3%A9bo
[3] Casablanca, Timbuktu, Sansibar – placenames, which ring with adventure and romance.
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