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 9, Sunday, November 25, 2007 Niafounké [2]
Continue with landing in Niafounké. Third night in the tent.
Charles planned a rejection letter to Gloria von Turn und Taxis, because he lay awake in the tent at night and had to think about it.
Geneviève thought she had a tick, but that wasn't true, it was an abrasion.
The day is a little cooler and also overcast; the sun didn't really come through. We stopped to buy oil for cooking. In this small town, tourists were already surrounded by children. Our boat held 90 degrees to shore. Since it was cooler today, hardly any of the children went into the water to scout the boat for bottles, fruit, BICs, etc. In front of the bow and under the roof there was a large cluster of faces that would actually have made a beautiful picture. Not only oil, but also kitchen knives could be obtained.
Later we ended up at a washing place where some girls, already more developed, were bathing. A little later we also saw the men's and boys' bathing place.
Where there is no irrigation, the thorn steppe can be seen. There is still surprisingly little traffic on the Niger. Once I saw a water bottle that someone later fished away. Also only a few aquatic plants, much less than in the Mekong Delta.
We found a rather poor place to camp in the evening. Later another boat came along. We fought mosquitoes and then the frogs croaked, too. An irrigation pump ran for a short time. In the distance you could hear the muezzin of a village, maybe 3-4 kilometers away.
Day 10, Monday, November 26, 2007 Arrival in Timbuktu
Further on the Niger. Observed hippos twice. Shore leave in Diré to buy meat. Arrival in Tombouctou. There to the Hotel La Maison. Farewell trouble with Mohammed (“méchant”). Short evening walk in Tombouctou, Wild West atmosphere.
Very cold morning. Charles said: “Write down: have seen hippos!” We drove around them several times. It wasn't without danger because the cows don't like it when they suspect that the young animals are threatened.
Hard headwind. We also take in more water by bumping over the waves.
Rice fields; Mali produces more than its own needs. German agricultural scientists helped in rice cultivation projects, as Germany is a leader in rice cultivation ( //sarcasm off).
Stop in Diré for shopping, walk through the market. There was hardly any wind here and it was hot again. Finally I saw how the children are wrapped in the cloths and then tied to the backs.
Some women wear foot tattoos that look like the soles of shoes or short socks.
Another good meal, then a detour to a beautiful beach, behind which the steppe begins.
We're fooling around about the title of a novel/movie about Timbuktu:
The Hunchback of Timbuktu
Treason in Timbuktu
Who wants to die in Timbuktu? [4]
Bankruptcy in Timbuktu
Tombouctou, mon amor
Bonjour, Tombouctou
Het ziekenhuis van Timbuktu
and about 30 others.
Then the trip ends rather quickly and we waited for the ride into town [3], which is again overpriced at 20,000 F, up to 5000 F would be appropriate. We go to La Maison, which is a bit upscale, but has very nice, large rooms and the landlady is very nice. She originated in the French Jura near the Swiss border. We are already receiving important information. Mohammed is harassing us, he probably realizes that he can't take us any further.
The moon over Timbuktu – photographed by Charles. I wanted to go to bed.
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] Niafounké or Niafunké [2a] is a small town of which there isn't much to tell, but … it's also the home town of Ali Farka Touré [2b], who is a famous musician, not only to world music adepts, but also to people interested in guitar music as he has been listed in different lists of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. He died only one year before we reached Niafounké.
[2a] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niafunk%C3%A9
[2b] Ali Ibrahim "Ali Farka" Touré (1939-2006) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Farka_Tour%C3%A9
[3] Timbuktu always has been close to the Niger and some arms and a canal reached the outskrits of the city. Nowadays only large floods ocaisionnaly fill some of the arms. So the boats call at Kabara, which is about 8 km south of Timbuktu. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabara,_Mali
[4] Close to: Who wants to die under palm trees? (Wer stirbt schon gerne unter Palmen?) It is a two-volume adventure and romance novel by Heinz G. Konsalik, published in 1972. More trash than literature. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wer_stirbt_schon_gerne_unter_Palmen%3F_(Roman)
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