Sat here beside the pool, another lazy day, but more of that later.
Christmas Eve was lots of fun at the campsite/hostel in Bandiagara. lots to drink and general messing around. Christmas Day we had the pig and it was very tasty, a few more drinks but generally well-behaved because of the trip the next day.
Early boxing day we got up for our trip to the Dogon Country, a highlight. But i felt a bit of a cold and felt like staying in bed. Also felt stubborn so didnt take any drugs, decided to fight it. After an hour on a bumpy ride in minibuses we got to the start of the 4-day trek. The area is beautiful, lots of escarpments, cliffs, trees, plateau, forests and smiley happy locals. We were a bit behind schedule so ended up walking in the midday sun, whereas the idea was that we would only walk in the morning and late afternoon, chilling out in village restaurants during the hottest past of the day. Anyway i was ok, except my cold was making it a bit hard to breathe. We walked down crevices and across logs that had been placed between rocks with long drops if you slipped! Finished in the dark which was fun and a bit hairy. Slept on the roof with beautiful views of the valleys and rocks.
Day two was similar, but after lunch my stomach went funny. We had all been drinking treated water but i think thats what made a couple of us sick. I was exhausted by the time we reached the end, another night under the stars. Had to get up a few times in the night and all very messy and unpleasant especially when your torch stops working! but you get used to it. Sarah was busy vomitting everywhere too. In the morning I felt terrible. At least there was the option to leave that day, but via a 1.5 hour walk followed by a 1.5 hour uphill walk. Considering i had pretty much lost control of my bowels and couldnt really stand up for very long, it seemed like Sarah and I were in for a long day. Fortunately our local guide arranged for the two of us and two injured people to take an ox and cart for the first part of the trip and i managed to vomit in front of the group just in case they thought i was taking the easy way out! The ox and cart was a blessing even though a wheel fell off one of them and we had to wait a while for the guys to fix it. And when the ox suddenly decided to lie down, the driver bit its tail and it squealed and got up again. And some locals ladies started singing and dancing behind us. I know it sounds like a cliche but they are so friendly and love to dance. While the others had lunch i led and down for a couple of hours and sweated profusely and the imodium was helping. After lunch we went to see a mask dance which was great, forty or so dancers, some on stilts, lots of music. Although i missed some of it cos i fell asleep. Next was the climb up and out of the valley. I felt awful as we started but we took lots of short breaks and i actually felt better as we went on and it took about an hour to reach the top and then a short walk across the plateau to the minibus home. The imodium was still working that night but the next day i had horrible stomach cramps most of the day, which was me feel sick. Luckily we stayed there until New Years Eve and i was mostly ok by then.
We spent NYE09 in no mans land between Mali and Burkina Faso. The last few hours out of Mali, the scenery was beautiful. There was pretty much a full moon and it was above us at midnight. It was quite amazing being out there, bushcamping in the middle of nowhere, self-sufficient, in terms of food and shelter etc.
Now in Burkina Faso. Camped in the hotel car park. The city seems quite 21st century compared with where we came from. We are stuck here for various visa reasons that i wont bore you with but perhaps we could have seen something of the country while we wait. The swimming pool and the aircon restaurant are nice but not the reason i came to Africa. One of the guys is leaving for the UK cos he is bored of sitting around. And i can kind of see his point. We have only done a handful of actual activities. I always understood that we would spend a lot of time on the bus but we havent done much outside of the main cities. e.g. I was talking to a lady from another trip and she has beeen to voodoo ceremony in Togo. I asked our guide and we are just "transitting through" Togo. Why? I am keeping the faith for now but really it has been pretty straightforward so far.
A couple of nights ago, Mayumi, Sarah, Gav and Dan and i hit the town. First we got a cab (six in one taxi) to the cultural centre where there was some local music and artists. Unfortunately we got mobbed and surrounded by local guys who wanted the girls, beer or to buy their trinkets so we didnt stay long. But one of them was ok and he took us down some dark dusty streets to a proper local nightclub. We were the only westerners there but they were pleased to see us and we tried our best to dance like them - it turned out to be a great, fun night.
So, anyway, hopefully there is more adventure to come and not so much relaxing. I'm off for my afternoon dip.
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