THE ROAD TO MALI

We drove 10 hours today from central Burkina hoping to make the Mali border before 5pm when it closes for the night.   The road we had planned to take is now off limits as too dangerous due to banditry, and as is often the case in Africa, we improvised and adapted to an alternate plan.  We drove over bumpy, mostly hard-packed dirt; more a path than a road, and went through very remote and desolate country, where few foreigners or locals pass. 

We made it only as far as 45 km from the border.   It is absolutely against all advice to travel the roads at dark.   As dusk had already set in, we set up camp along the road, exhausted, filthy, and covered in dirt.   The truck’s air conditioning – open windows  – is barely enough to keep us from fainting.   The temperature is well above 100 degrees.   I need three wet wipes – both sides- to clean the filth from my face only.   My clothes are beyond washable and my hair is matted and dreadlock-like.  I look like a bag lady.

I sleep incredibly well in the cool night air, gawking in astonishment at the sky through the tent’s netting.  

The next morning we are the first ones at the border crossing – and probably the only customers this day . . .or maybe even this week, as this post is extremely remote and not on the generally preferred overland route.  My customs form is bounced back to me as “too messy” but other than that we sail through and are in Mali – exotic, mysterious, ancient Mali, where the annual Festival du Desert takes place each year in Timbouctu.   Where the Sahel, the southern edge of the Sahara, touches the northern regions of the country, and where the Djenne mud temple, the largest in the world and a National Heritage Site, is the background for the Monday market.   Mali is also home to the Dogon people who have been living in caves in high hills since the 11^th century, and amongst whom we were to trek for 3 nights and 4 days.   All of which is the reason I chose this particular trip.   But Timbouctu, Djenne and the Dogon Country, are off limits to us.   For two years now there have been kidnappings for ransom, beheadings, and other nasty stuff performed by our friends, Al Qaeda in the Mahgreb.  (The Mahgreb is the Muslim world in northern Africa, west of the Middle East).   The entire group is downtrodden and depressed.   We are so close  - only a few hours’ drive.   We did think of signing waivers and getting our own transport, but decided against it.    I will just have to return to Mali when the risk passes.   What an enormous disappointment.