Le Bouctou Timbuktu

... in 4WDs, 12 hr trip along some very bumpy, corrigated roads. Out of 4 vehicles, only 1 was mechanically sound and road-worthy...that group had the ill driver. The car I was in seemed to have a dodgy clutch with a driver who liked to drive far too fast for the road conditions, we ended up towing another car that died just before the lunch stop. Possibly went south near Boni on the route home.

... s, near the Guinea bord**. The riv** is so low in some areas that the boat has to be pushed and muscled through the shallow sections. Th**e is a lot of boats on the riv**, its the main transport in this part of the world. Th**e are many villages that are passed, I'm not sure how they survive but I suspect they are subsistence fish**men. It seems like ev**y village has a boat and fishing nets. On the first day we stop at a village to purchase some fish, I ...

... he laughs - we've walked right past it when we stepped in through the entrance. It's a small tent-like structure just outside the front door, not high enough to stand up in, and the desert sand on the floor. He demonstrates how he works and shows us his toolbox of simple traditional tools, while two little chidren lean affectionately on him and stare at us with big eyes. It's amazing that he can produce such beautiful works of art with ...

... At first th**e's no response and I think my text is lost in the sandy air ov** the Sahara. Then lat** that evening my phone rings. My friend Chris asks suspiciously 'Who's that?' She thinks that someone may have stolen my phone and is trying to extract money. ( Was th**e a news story about a scam asking for money to secure the release of a kidnapped Jack Straw in *****ia, when he was in the House of Commons all the time?)I explain the ...

... possible 6th form exchange programme and the doctor was there as part of medics4timbuktu. Steve, Sue, Chris and I were all there with Jump4timbuktu to work at developing the organisation with the Tuareg Artisan Associations. We rose to our feet in turn , to introduce ourselves and those who could , spoke in French. A bit daunting in a room full of strangers,(and I remembered how we used to make our overseas students introduce themselves in ...

... e behind a sand dune with a bit of privacy to go to the loo - goodness knows wh**e we stumbled to in the darkness last night! More and more Tuareg men appear and people can be seen walking towards the village from their homes in the dess**t. Many of the men, dressed in spendid robes, have little children on their hips, which is lovely to see. Suddenly th**e are shouts and high drama as six or seven Tuaregs on ...

... agreement that we will leave at 6am the next morning. In the excitement we all forget the reason for our original arrangements: the last f**ry from Djenne is at 7pm- so we can't drive through the night anyway. OOps- and the first f**ry in the morning is at 7.30am... and th**e we are on the banks of the riv** at 6.15, watching the sun rise and the riv** coming to life, and talking to an Am**ican girl who is with the Peace Corps, working with Malian women in ...

... couple were very amusing as they got more and more agitated as to why they had not yet been boarded. In frustration , Mr America strode out to look at the plane and put his infinite wisdom into action. He strode back purposefully and announced to his wife (and anyone in a 20 mile radius who spoke english) that things "did not look right with the plane". Sure enough, a few minutes later the Canadian pilot appeared and let us know that the plane's ...

... heading off on my camel into the desert, so Mohamed took me to a Tuareg tent for a cup of tea Tuareg styleeeeeeeeeee. We sat inside a tent lined with mats and rugs and highly colourful and decorated pillows that are made for lounging sideways on. There was a young boy in there who was about 14 who began to prepare the tea. Tuareg tea is made by getting a small enamel teapot (think a one person teapot ...

... landscpaes are breathtaking and the people are so nice and welcoming, we hiked
down Bamani starting from Bongo for two hours.Our most int**esting time during this tour was at
the Festival on the ***** in Segu, we attended sev**al shows and conc**ts and more events in the streets
of Segu.
The Riv** ***** Festival, a celebration of music, dancing and culture.