Mali Travel Diary 2004
The following morning, Monday 19th January, we woke at 6am, had a great breakfast (focussing on crusty fresh light French-style bread, with just a touch of sand) and set off at 7:30am for Djenné. Djenné is one of Mali’s ancient cities, and is built almost entirely from mud bricks on an island in the Niger River. Its focus is a huge Sahel-style mosque, the world’s largest mud brick building. The 130 kilometre journey took about two hours, made slower by a punt crossing over the Bani River just before Djenné (the Bani is a tributary of the Niger). Punt crossings are always fascinating in Mali for being able to observe at close quarters the cars – many of them look like escapees from a car wrecker’s yard.
Actually, the town itself was also very interesting in its own right. Built almost entirely of mud brick, the buildings had very few sharp angles – everything seems to flow and bend. Except for a handful of wider streets that can take traffic, the streets are narrow laneways that are restricted to walking. But even walking without cars can be hazardous. We were warned by Sory to stand clear if any of the overhead pipes start emptying liquid into the street because most of them are connected directly to people’s toilets. The stench of the green rivers flowing down the middle of every street and laneway confirmed that diagnosis! As you can imagine, the aromas of the streets near the markets, with their open drains, animals, spices and people was quite a mixture that will be long remembered.
The second stop was at a Dogon village at the top of the escarpment, near Bandiagara, called Songo. This village has a circumcision grotto which Sory is keen for Andrew to see (Andrew seems a bit “iffy” about this one). We began our visit, but the battery on Andrew’s camera failed (he had taken so many photos at Djenné), so it was agreed that we would cut the visit short and return the next day.
The Hotel Campement, our destination for the evening, is the only establishment for miles around that has electricity, as it has its own generator. I guess that makes it the best hotel in Dogon Country, even though the electricity is only turned on between 5:30am and 10:00am, and 6:00pm to 12:00 midnight. We had missed lunch in Djenné, so were glad to have the plat de jour – onion soup, chicken with couscous and sauce, and mango for dessert – not bad value for $A8 each, and that’s hotel prices.
Monday the 19th of January: Dad let me sleep in a bit this morning after had had his shower. After breakfast, we met Sory at 7:30 outside the hotel before driving the 2-hour journey to Djenné. Here it was market day. It was very amazing to see a huge mass of action and confusion with the backdrop of the largest mud brick building in the world. Dad was even happier because the lighting was good. We walked all around the market and the mud brick mosque. I also learnt that Sory wasn’t just interested in the hygiene of my hands when he kept asking if I wanted to wash them. He was in fact asking me if I had to go to the toilet. Dad told me this later in the day when I asked dad “Dad, why does Sory always ask if I would like to wash my hands?” After the markets which dad will probably go into more detail than I just did, we drove 6 hours and 20 minutes to Songo. On the way there, we were passing a high school when dad simply asked Sory for conversation how many students were in the school. It seemed that he really wanted to stop because he straightaway said, “I don’t know. Let’s go and ask the principal!” I was quite confusing having just gotten out of the car, going into the principal’s office and then listening to very fast French being spoken rapidly that I didn’t understand for about 10 minutes. When we arrived in Songo, we were about to up the cliff-face for a view of the village but my camera batteries ran out so we will go there tomorrow. It was then just another hour on a dirt road to reach Sangha, which is one of the larger Dogon villages that are right at the top of the escarpment. When we got here it was in a fair bit of darkness so we simply checked in and had a three-course dinner that was very large and has now made be feel quite full. It was onion soup for entrée that was very nice. The main course was a stack of couscous with some chicken followed by a sliced mango for dessert. We’re staying in the only hotel here that has electricity but it’s shut off from 12am to 5am. The beds here are quite interesting; they look quite solid but when you lie in it for a short time and then get up, you find that you’ve left a big hole in the middle of the bed. Since I’ve got to get up at 5:30 tomorrow, I’d better get to sleep. Good Night!
Monday, 19 January 2004
Day 7 - Mopti to Djenné and Dogon Country, Mali