LAICO l'Amitie Hotel Bamako

... by the opposition leaders in the capital Conakry. Details are still sketchy as to the whys and how many but the army opened fire on a crowd of 50,000, killing at least 157. Women were raped in the streets by uniformed men. <br>All volunteers were put on stand-fast, which basically means we can't leave where we are and we need to keep in contact with Peace Corps everyday. There was no more extreme violence but small banditry continued. The Malian ambassador was mugged. The ...

... out http://sixdegreesrecords.com they have a bunch of cool artists on their site and I think his is available for purchase.<br><br>Vieux is already famous , at age 28 he is going to become increasingly so as his musical legacy grows. the techniques of the master have been handed down to him and I think his playing and singing which is already really good is only going to get better.<br><br>what again was extremely ...

... lovely, air-contioned!) museum, where the people at the door decided I should join a little conference that was going on concerning the future of the town of Djenné... so I sat in on that and understood very little! My spoken French is awful at the best of times but with African accents, it's a proper mission to understand (Yes, yes I am most definitely going to go to France with a crazy Scottish-African hybrid ...

... amused at the time. <br><br>The campsite at Bamako had air conditioned rooms so I booked one for the night. Arhhh, private shower, toilet and air conditioning. Most of the group followed the lead and took rooms as well. Very good idea. By 2.20am it was time to make my way to the room, the bar had run out of beer, I don't think I've ever know that to happen at a place I've been to.<br><br>The next couple of days were for ...

... home. I have mixed feelings about my adjustment when I get back home. I have so many thoughts right now about how much is enough. This whole trip has really changed my view of Am**ican society. I am v**y appreciative and proud to be Am**ican but now think that maybe we focus too much on "stuff" aft** seeing how oth**s must put all en**gy into basic survival ev**y day. I will nev** forget this trip or the people of Mali. It has changed me forev**.

... who had obviously paid a nice sum. First stop was the post office for those expecting deliv**ies from friends and family. Unfortunately most didn't arrive which was a real shame, especially knowing that they would pretty much nev** been seen again. Whilst waiting poor Sarah was feeling poorly, probably from the dodge cold chicken, so she had to race out and vom in front of the locals. Hahahaa poor thing, not the best start to the day! I headed off with ...

... and shrivelled vegetables on board, we drove for an hour or so, passing sometimes a lone camel chewing leaves from a tree or herds crossing the road. Donkeys are still ever present... either rolling in the dirt, lugging a person, cart or both. Pulled off road for lunch. Nice spot. Really starting to heat up now. Think its about 27. Lovely! Kate raised the option of having a free afternoon chilling in the bush or powering through ...

... 14th or 15th century, carving their villages out of the sides of cliffs. I must have drifted off a little at this point because the only thing I vividly remember hearing is, "you will walk for six hours...bring comfortable footwear". Much much more to come...this week will have multiple updates!! Time Elapsed in the Crocodile's Back: One nights sleep - Literally.

... un sms pour qu'on se capte pour prendre un thé ensemble, mais pendant trois jours le message n'a pas abouti. Bon courage mon ami. A historia deste mano so dias mais tarde me fez chorar quando a transcrevia para o meu « diario » de viagem. E um enorme autodidata, cedo largou a escola e como so aqui se aprende essa lingua, teve de aprender sozinho a falar francês sem gramaticas nem aulas em audio. Se isso não é suficiente para vos impressionar então saibam que ele aprendeu ...

... stops in Mali changed. Women's heads were now piled high with mangoes, coconuts, tomatoes, plaintain, sweet potatoes. Just before dusk, we arrived in Kita, the last big stop before Bamako. The train stopped for over an hour, as we waited for the other train (coming from Bamako) to pass us. By this stage, we were happy for any delay, just to be sure we didn't arrive in Bamako before the morning.  Eventually, at 9am on Monday morning (that's 47 hours after we ...