Foosball over an open sewage
Day 28
Sun Aug 14
Mopti, Mali
The day after Hassimi dropped me off at Sevare, I chose to explore Mopti a bit; just a fifteen minute taxi ride.
Mopti is the main transport up for upcountry travel. This by bus or by boat, as it lies in the junction of the Niger and Bani Rivers. Tourist boat trips to Timbuktu are common, while bus trips for to other sites usually begin here.
The highway into town divides the town actually into three parts. Ahead of the highway is the vibrant port where fisherman come in everyday, and boats loaded with cargo are shipped to Timbuktu or Bamako. Passenger boats take off frequently when full and can take up to three days to reach Timbuktu.
To left of the highway is the Old Town where very few tourists actually explore. This is where I got lost for a few hours. At the entrance of Old Town is one of the largest mud mosques in the world, although just a day's journey away in Djenne is one bigger. It was built in 1933 and every year they must repatch the lower parts with more mud. The older part of town still has open sewers going parallel to the streets and occasionally you would see women pouring their dirty-water into the sewer, directly in front of their steps. Kids playing foosball are also common, with the game running parallel, and on top of, the open sewers. Kids are on both sides playing their respective teams. I later noticed that the highway the Peace Corps house was on, also had a foosball table - this time on the medium between the two sides. Kids played with no regard for the passing cars (granted, not alot) and the parents didn't mind.
To the right of the highway is the newer part of town with the countries slowest [maybe] and most expensive internet connection [fact]. I didn't know that until afterwards.
When waiting for the car to fill up to head back to Sevare I noticed another car pull up with goats on top. They all looked like they were dead, heads hanging low and swinging to the motion of the car. It wasn't until the driver was pulling them off that I realized they were alive - they had just given up. Pulled by their feet they only 'baaah' when their foot was stuck or when it was an akward position and was in pain.
It was also during this wait I noticed some of the little things between Mali and The Gambia. For one thing: Peanuts. In The Gambia the woman sell the peanuts on the street already shelled. In Mali you have to shell them yourself. When telling the car to stop in The Gambia they take a coin or some metalic object and tap the window. Here they pound once or twice on the roof or side.
When I got back to the Peace Corps House a new addition occured: a VCR! We could now watch a movie. Electricity is very rare in The Gambia for upcountry and so I'm still amazed that in other more 'upcountry' regions of Africa there is reliable power. Goes to show it's the country and not the continent.
Weekly budget report:
Week four ended in spending $238 this week, averaging $34/day (out of budget) within the week, but $18/day (within budget) for the trip. What caused the huge expense for this week? The Visa for Burkina Faso ($50), paying for the hostel staying at Bamako ($24), transport ($20), plus the guide to Dogon Country ($100).
Sun Aug 14
Mopti, Mali
The day after Hassimi dropped me off at Sevare, I chose to explore Mopti a bit; just a fifteen minute taxi ride.
Mopti is the main transport up for upcountry travel. This by bus or by boat, as it lies in the junction of the Niger and Bani Rivers. Tourist boat trips to Timbuktu are common, while bus trips for to other sites usually begin here.
The highway into town divides the town actually into three parts. Ahead of the highway is the vibrant port where fisherman come in everyday, and boats loaded with cargo are shipped to Timbuktu or Bamako. Passenger boats take off frequently when full and can take up to three days to reach Timbuktu.
To left of the highway is the Old Town where very few tourists actually explore. This is where I got lost for a few hours. At the entrance of Old Town is one of the largest mud mosques in the world, although just a day's journey away in Djenne is one bigger. It was built in 1933 and every year they must repatch the lower parts with more mud. The older part of town still has open sewers going parallel to the streets and occasionally you would see women pouring their dirty-water into the sewer, directly in front of their steps. Kids playing foosball are also common, with the game running parallel, and on top of, the open sewers. Kids are on both sides playing their respective teams. I later noticed that the highway the Peace Corps house was on, also had a foosball table - this time on the medium between the two sides. Kids played with no regard for the passing cars (granted, not alot) and the parents didn't mind.
To the right of the highway is the newer part of town with the countries slowest [maybe] and most expensive internet connection [fact]. I didn't know that until afterwards.
When waiting for the car to fill up to head back to Sevare I noticed another car pull up with goats on top. They all looked like they were dead, heads hanging low and swinging to the motion of the car. It wasn't until the driver was pulling them off that I realized they were alive - they had just given up. Pulled by their feet they only 'baaah' when their foot was stuck or when it was an akward position and was in pain.
It was also during this wait I noticed some of the little things between Mali and The Gambia. For one thing: Peanuts. In The Gambia the woman sell the peanuts on the street already shelled. In Mali you have to shell them yourself. When telling the car to stop in The Gambia they take a coin or some metalic object and tap the window. Here they pound once or twice on the roof or side.
When I got back to the Peace Corps House a new addition occured: a VCR! We could now watch a movie. Electricity is very rare in The Gambia for upcountry and so I'm still amazed that in other more 'upcountry' regions of Africa there is reliable power. Goes to show it's the country and not the continent.
Weekly budget report:
Week four ended in spending $238 this week, averaging $34/day (out of budget) within the week, but $18/day (within budget) for the trip. What caused the huge expense for this week? The Visa for Burkina Faso ($50), paying for the hostel staying at Bamako ($24), transport ($20), plus the guide to Dogon Country ($100).
posted by Mike | 5:39 AM
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