You can tell by my smile I was having fun.
My mates, Jenny and Andrew.
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Here are a couple of pictures of a rock I would love to go back and climb. I will try to include a geotag with the coordinates if anybody can identify the rock. We will write a climb guide and be famous.
Latitude-North 13 degrees, 53.898″
Longitude-West 4 degrees, 31.017″
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/l6hfATcfgzoyHi9Zhe_CGw?feat=directlink
On the road to Timbuktu, literally.
Kahlil, our guide for the day, shows us around Timbukto.
And of course, they had the best view.
Toureg men can have up to four wives. Now I see why.
They say a good women is worth 100 camels. A couple of these women look worth that, plus a few goats.
Considering the women do all the work, this sounds like a deal.
Mali has a few areas where slavery is condoned if not actively pursued. And that is not something to laugh about.
The wildlife of Mali is primarily concentrated in the capital of Bamako, is nocturnal and usually ends up in one of the tourist bars.
Domesticated animals abound and are found along the roads outside of cities and villages. They usually cluster in the middle of the road with this amused and content look on their faces as we fly by them with horns a blaring.
” Dude, you’re such the poseur sporting the Reebok label!”
OK, the crocodiles were kinda creepy, out of nowhere we come across this pond…
How do these guys survive?
I noticed the goats were a bit skittish in the area.
I normally don’t fall for that line. But I have to say, it was fine looking ass at that.
Of course this was to get me aside and sell me some jewelry. 
Or tea.
I made it back just fine. Alive and well and full of tales to share.
That being said, the trip was not without it’s share of excitement. Of which, nothing actually materialized.
This Mali travel alert was relayed to us from our tour provider while asking if the group wanted to abandon the trip. The state departments of our individual governments had issued similar warnings. And the word had gotten to GAP, the booking company and passed down to our in country tour company, Continent Tours, that some tourists at the festival had requested “evacuation”. No us.
I talked with the caller Brian saying, personally I didn’t want to go home, as having both just arrived and witnessing nothing but friendliness from everyone. It seemed to be the same with the rest of my traveling companions.
In fact, I felt very safe and was enjoying the bizarre/bazaar like surroundings. Some very diligent in their salesmanship.
Call me Ali Goodprice!
Looking back, had I read the warnings ahead of time, I still would have gone.
Yeah sure, Monday morning quarterback!
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- They are called the “blue men of the desert” for the staining of the skin from the indigo dyed tagelmust or veil.
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- Strip mall, Essakane style
Photo is click-able to view a larger image.
j
Oumar, best guide in Mali
From the ferry across the Niger, on the way to Timbukto.
I have to say, I felt slightly more comfortable in Al Qaeda country.
The first day we got to the festival, we got a call from the tour company asking we wanted to leave. It was announced that Al Qaeda had a presence in the area and had robbed four Italian tourists the week before.
I never experienced anything but welcome from the local Touareg.
Compare that to my experience in Arizona.
I had just touched down in Phoenix and was walking when I spotted a man with an Obama button. I commented on it and he grumbled that he could not watch the news. It was then that I realized it was not a button favoring Obama.
There I was, in McCain country. Surrounded by the enemy.
I had the chance to catch up on the inauguration and while watching I noticed I was one of only a few smiling. The one in the group sitting next to me even went so far as to say he wished Obama would be SHOT. Where is the Secret service when you need them? The same guy almost got booted from the flight for complaining about his seating assignment. The Air Marshall had a long talk with him, which I was privy to as I was adjacent to his seat. Needless to say, I did not talk politics at this point.
Also my flight to Reno was crowded with people traveling to the Safari Club convention, a big game hunter event.
Wonder if the state department’s advising travelers to avoid the region of the Arizona hill tribes. They seem to be an angry and intolerant lot.
The rest of the world is rejoicing in our accomplishment.
Go figure.
j
Hate it when you get camel dung in your sandal.
Couple of the locals just chillin’.
Goat is back on the menu.
Sun setting over the stage.
Can’t quite wrap my turban like the Touareg.
j
Notice the Obama sticker on the windshield? Thought this would be appropriate for today, inauguration day. This was parked next to our camp at the music festival. 
Am in JFK awaiting my third of four flights home, so I thought I would post a few. Really glad to be pecking away on a “American” keyboard. I’m sure the European crowd find it a little confusing to use our QWERTY layout. I never did find the exclamation point.
So here goes…
Or here goes!!!
The first village we stopped at, Margy has them entertained with photos of themselves .
Even at a young age, these hands have seen some hard work. This boy is probably all of eight years old .
A few of you have probably heard me say, I would meet my next wife cooking over a dung fire in Africa! Well, I just missed her.
But she has been busy.
Once again, more photos to come.
I ended up shooting around 1500 images, of which I’m hoping to post a very small fraction of.
I’m off to my boarding gate.
By the time I get off the plane we will have a new president!
That is worth an exclamation point!! Or two.
j
Wow, what a trip out there. Unbelievable! I truly am in another world. Amazing colors or colours, as my Aussie and UK friends say.
The locals are so quick to smile, simply beautiful.
If they could figure out the sanitation, I would be tempted not to come home.
We just got back to toilets that flush and we are dancing around.
We are heading back to the capital, Bamako over the next few days.
I am writing from the dinner table at our hotel, the first internet I could find. Actually found it in Timbuktu, but it was a dail-up connection shared by eight computers. 15 minutes for one line email.
Food just arrived. More later.
Oh yeah, I shot over 1200 images.
Can’t wait to post.
j
I guess one deserves a 8 hour layover when he books with a company called CheapoAir. At least the view is spectacular.
OK, Salt Lake Airport is not that big, then why the airport police on bikes in the airport? Funny site to see.
Now I know why they say, half the clothes and twice the money! 16 pounds over weight was $90! Ouch.
I asked what a second bag was. $ 25.
Guess what I am buying on the way home?
OK, the photograph has nothing to do with Africa at all. I just needed a little peace at the moment. Too many details are trying to run around in my brain, did I pack this, am I going to pack this, how may pair of socks for two weeks?
Ahh, bring me back to the playa and the peace and quiet..
I’m better now.
