Hotel Les Colibris Bamako

We have attached sev**al short clips from our 2 weeks in Mali. The children from the dozens of villages we visted w**e amazing-so sweet, loving and appreciative of the little time we spent with them and our simple gifts. The level of excitement for pencils was unreal and humbling.<br> <br>One major takeaway from our visit is the the mantra of 'zip it, get it done, and no complaining'. We have a whole new respect for what hard work means particularly in challenging circumstances ...

... experience. <br><br>For a place that is so desperately poor, Bamako had surprisingly a lot on offer in terms of great restaurants, cheap food, great music and a vibrant night life. The city's locals love to dress up and have a good time. Be warned - you will feel a tad out of place in jeans and a nice top if you go to any of the city's night spots. Women and men, strut around in long flowing dresses and full suits, without breaking into a sweat, even as temperatures hit ...

An unbelievably tasty breakfast of omelets, tomatoes, mangoes, papayas (first fresh fruits and vegetables in two weeks!), bread and coffee, sitting in a open air courtyard overlooking a beautiful sandstone escarpment.... It feels surreal. Am I really in Mali?  Can this be the fourth poorest country in the world? Last night, we landed in Bamako's airport and were welcomed by a warm 34 degree breeze, a swarm of people and general scenes of airport ...

... from the locals w**e a highlight. I didn't both** putting up a tent on the shore, so each morning I awoke on the top of the boat to stunning sunrises ov** the tranquil riv**. The repetitive meals of couscous/rice/pasta with a tomato sauce did send a few nutty, but ov**all the journey was fun, more so than the 30 minutes of hell when 30+ people w**e sardine into a van for a dark, bumpy, dusty ride into Timbuktu from the riv**.<br><br>Timbuktu was und** a haze of sand ...

... had a rest and the intention of going down to the market to get some last minute things and some thank you items for Therese. I managed to eat (and savour) a cheese and vegemite sandwhich and a fanta, the first food I had wanted to eat for about 4 days. Things were looking up for the journey home. I slept the day away by accident, then saw my lunch for a second time just as Therese got home. She ...

... de l int**ieur a Bamako. Et effectvement je n etais pas en regle, j ai donc fait le visa sur place (presque 7 jours apres mon arrivée) et cela sans amende ni surcout supplementaire.. J ai reussit a trouv** de la buche de noel de bonne qualite a Bamako.

... for lunch we watched Josh work on his throwing skills, at one point hurling himself off his feet and landing on his butt. Hahahaaa. We arrived in Bamako around 4.30 and headed straight to a Lebanese patiss**ie which apparently does the best exchange rates. Unfortunately for us they didn't have enough money and asked that we come back tomorrow. This was unfortunate two fold as it meant we w**e left with a wallet full of useless cash staring longingly at the ...

... was great to drive back through waving and yelling greetings to everyone. Have to be really careful though as sometimes you get sidetracked and miss a low lying branch which comes flying through the side of the truck. Amusing so long as it is not you who gets hit. After sorting car we continued on towards Bamako passing a lot of cattle. Drove off road around 5 and found somewhere to camp. I was on cook group so got right onto cooking ...

... Ba, uma infusão feita com folhas secas, deliciosa mas também ela altamente açucarada. Depois disso enfardava muita agua e ja me sentia empanturrado quando me apresentavam o prato de comida. Vou por foto para vocês constatarem que não estou minimamente a exagerar. Duas vezes por dia tinha um balde preparado no lavatorio que vem no pacote completo com cagatorio e mictorio. A foto também sera devidamente anexada. A despedida foi dificil, isso de ficar muito tempo num sitio não da ...

Fr : Celle-ci fût ma chambre pendant plus d'une semaine. Pour étrange que cela puisse paraître, c'était vachement comfortable à l'aide des deux coussins jaunes en premier plan. Pt : Isto foi a minha cama durante mais de uma semana e asseguro-vos que so depois de chegarmos a Mauritânia onde o calor e os mosquitos entraram em acção, este aparato deixou de me conferir um conforto de habitação.