We went to Dogon country one of the nicest places I've ever visited.
It was two nights of hiking, riding oxcarts, fording streams and scrambling over rocks in Dogon Country. It was a journey of extreme contrasts - sublime views and maddening insects, warm hospitality and unimaginable poverty.
The
Dogon homeland is beside the 200 kilometre Bandiagara cliff that
sticks up from the desert in the centre of the country.
The Dogon travelled to this hot, dusty, remote area in the 15th
century when they were Animists - who believe that the sun, the
wind, trees and o
ther natural objects have souls- and were losing
battles with the larger Muslim community. Islam, however, still
found them and these days the 250,000 Dogon are mostly Muslim or
Christian with only a few Animists remaining.
Although the area is infertile and inhospitable Mali's Dogon people have developed some of the best art in Africa and a unique system to water their vegetable fields. They also construct exceptional mud buildings, bury their dead in caves in the cliff, and perform traditional dances while wearing grotesque masks.
Segou was a bit of a disappointment. As they like to say about movies: the book was a lot better.
However, we took a trip from Segou to Niono and that was really worth it. Niono is dubbed the African Venice, I guess that is a bit of an exaggeration but it is nice to crosss the water in a pirogue. The mud walled mosque is the major sight in town. Some way the mosque in Djenne is even more impressive, well, we will have to see!
We're there.
That's about all I want to say about the train ride.
Bamako seems like a friendly place, but I need some serious rest before I can say anything about it. Catch me later.
Ever wondered where the guy who sells fake Rolex watches in New York or Paris comes from? The answers is Touba. Almost all these street sellers are member of the religious sect of the Mourids and Touba is their capital, both religiously and economically.
Wandering around the streets of Touba it becomes clear that the worldwide trade of fake watches is a very profitable one. I saw more new Mercedes cars in one day than here than you'd see in a week in Dakar. Some people call the Mourides the first African multinational trading corp, and there may be some truth to that. In Senegal they run a state in a state. And the Mourid stat seems to be the most successfull one.
The 
Ile the Goree is a must see. It's on old slave fort built by the Dutch and a colorful town. It was used during the days of the Slave trade to 'store' the slaves. It is impressive to realize that thousands and thousands of Africans waited in the dungeons before they were transported to the new world. Incredible.
After doing the sights of the island I played soccer with the locals on the town square. It was a lot of fun. We won and I bought my team mates a drink in the local shop. They were so happy.
After the match one of my team mates took me to a place where some Djembe players hung out. Theyse guys know how to beat them drums, I tell you.
This was really a cool day trip.
W
e arrived in Dakar. It is a real city! In Mauritania we mostly saw sand sand sand, even Nouakchott was a very dusty place with few buildings worth seeing (but a good beach), but Dakar is a real, big city. I like it already. It has nice restaurants, nice hotels, colonial style building and it is a very big, lively place.
We will visit Goree this weekend. It is an island just off the coast where you can visit an old slave fort.
St. Louis is two cities: the colonial capital of Senegal is located on an island - this is the place to go if you want to see what French colonial African looked like. The African town of Guet Ndar is on the main land. A 500 meter long bridge connects the two worlds.
Rosso is a busy town. This is where the Arabic world meets Africa. A Bac brings people from one side of the river to the other.
There isn't anything to see here, but the atmosphere is wonderful. It's like a cultural watershed. Go south and you are in Senegal, in black Africa, go North and you are among camel herding Berbers and Arabs. Stay here and sip coffee. Relax!
Sand sand sand.
Lot's of sand. And somewhere in the midst of the sands there is this old town, Chinguetti, a great little gem, with 1000 year old manuscripts in small libraries, a center of the cross Saharan trade, hundreds of years ago.
Today it is a little town no one ever visits. And the sands are closing in. They are threatening the town. 10 more years and the town will disappear under the sands....
No description yet.
do
eat
sleep
drink
know
see
