We are in Timbucktu

After driving 11,000km from London, we have made it to Timbucktu. We are on one of the world's slowest connections so apologies for the lack of detail. Yet again it is really hot here - it cools down massively in about two weeks when the rains start. This morning we all got rather grumpy due to dehydration, lack of blood sugar and as we are literally the only tourists in town we are a magnet for every single "guide", hack and rip-off artist in town. After we managed to shake off all the hangers-on, we toured the mosques (all about 14th century but unfortunately can't go in now) and saw some of the historical libraries that are sitting around in family homes here. The town is rather unimpressive compared to Djenne but the history, the challenge of getting here and the views out deep into the Sahara keep it magical.

Journey to Timbucktu

Dogon country - Teli

Dogon country - Djiguibombo

The Dogon country in central Mali is a great place to go hiking, as long as it isn't the single hottest week in one of the hottest countries on the face of the planet. So rather than trekking we took a guide and some friends along in our car to check out the villages. The Dogon country is perched on a stunning escarpment, with former Tellem (pigmy) villages in the cliffs many with burial grounds accessible only with ropes and a scattering of Dogon villages at the top and bottom of the cliffs. The heat (a recurring theme here) was quite extraordinary so after some limited exploration we all collapsed back into the air conditioned car. The Dogon have interesting carvings (especially doors) based on a complex mythology - more available here.

Djenne

We were lucky in Djenne and were able to go into the Mosque which isn't meant to be open to the unbelieving public since an Italian photographer took a few liberties with the place years ago. Fortunately the Imam's son has a taste for the high life and so for a generous fee we got to look around inside. It was beautiful, as well as being a nice escape from the heat

Djenne

The journey from Djenne to Bamako was long but well worth it. The mosque was rebuilt in 1907 out of mud bricks and it is absolutely stunning! We were there on market day so we walked through the absolute craziness in 110 degree heat. Brain sizzling... Bought a blanket from a local co op and met an awesome English couple who decided to join us on our journey all the way up to Tomboctou!! The town was very dusty and the architecture of the houses was primitive yet pristine. All in all it was an amazing day!

We are in Mali

We arrived in Bamako the capital of Mali on Friday evening. Saturday we checked out town, visited the National Museum which has a great collection of West African cultural antiquities and braved a number of the markets.

Sunday we head out to Djenne and Mopti (check out the mosques here and here) before carrying on up the Niger river to Timbuktu. We will also go through the Dogon Country and if it isn't too hot (unlikely) we may go trekking.