The Road to Timbuktu
Day 7: January 3rd, 2007
We had a long day ahead of us, we had to get to the ferry crossing to Timbuktu before sunset otherwise we would miss the last ferry. So, we were up well before sunrise for breakfast. We left Sanga at 6 AM, and we headed for Mopti. We had to get some additional cash and we also wanted to drop off some of our baggage. Colombie arranged for us to leave our bags at the chief's house. We would be returning to Mopti on the river from Timbuktu.
The pictures below were taken as we drove through Mopti. We had a not-so-brief stop at the bank for cash [which was an ordeal of over an hour], then we made a stop at an internet cafe to send a note home to our wives. We had not been able to contact them since arriving in Mali, so being able to send an email home was nice. As we were leaving Mopti, a cop tried to whistle us down....our driver...a very independant Tuareg, ignored the cop and drove on by. He knew that the stop was simply to extort cash and he had no time for that.
We are now on the road to Timbuktu. The first picture below is the best quality road that I have seen in Mali. Their highways are typically paved, but are only two lanes with no painted lines...and often crowded with carts and other pedestrian traffic.
The fourth and fifth shots below are of a roadblock. Lots of roadblocks....our driver, Ali, had to trade his nice Tuareg blue turban for a grey one in order to pass. We told Ali that we would buy him a new blue one once we were in Timbuktu [Tombouktou in French].
Just before Noon, we stopped for lunch at a roadside cafe. If gave us an opportunity for a bathroom break as well. The first shot is a small courtyard behind the restaurant, the second is their well. The third and fourth shots are of Mike and David finishing up. While waiting by the vehicle after lunch, Mike and I were approached by a blind beggar, we gave him a couple of coins.
On the road again, north to Timbuktu. It is getting progressively drier and more arid as we go. We saw a large rock formation standing against the sky, so we had a quick stop to snap a shot or two.....too bad there was so much dust in the air.
The first shot below is the quality of road that we are now driving on....this was the road quality that we would see until we arrived at the ferry many hours later. We did stop at a small village to stretch our legs. The kids wanted our water bottles.....when I handed over an empty bottle, a group of children fought over it.
We are now getting near the ferry crossing, and we came upon a camel train that was heading north. We stopped for a few moments to take some pictures and have a brief rest break.
Now we are at the ferry crossing. The ferry will take us across the Niger River and it is another 15 km to the town of Timbuktu. It was near sunset, and there was a large group of Tuaregs in blue robes, all wearing swords. One of them came up to me and started in with the sales pitch. I ended up buying a few items of jewelry [silver bracelets and rings].....probably paid way too much. My daughter now seems to like what I got, so it's all OK.
The fourth shot below is our guide washing off the day's road dust.....I am hoping at this point that our hotel room will have a shower. After crossing the river, we hit one last roadblock where our driver and guide argued with yet another cop about a bribe. They worked it out and we were soon at the hotel.
Below are a few shots of our hotel room in the Hotel Colombie. Quite a nice room compared to the rooftops of the Dogon Country....and yes...the room has a shower. After cleaning up, we walked down the road to a restaurant for a meal of cheese-steak, beer, and sweet-potato fries. It was excellent. My guide also allowed us to call home using his cell phone.....I should have done that several days ago. I spoke with my wife to let her know that we were all Ok and having a great time....she let me know that she got my email and was pleased to hear from me.
After returning to the hotel, Mike and I went to the upstairs restaurant and there was a very well-dressed Tuareg there who had items for sale. I ended up buying a sword and a pendant from him. I had intended to buy a Tuareg sword even before coming to Timbuktu...and now I have one. It's quite ornate, and it is small....like a Roman short sword.
Tomorrow, we will see the town of Timbuktu in all its splendor.
Day 8: January 4th, 2007
After breakfast we met with the young man that would take us around Timbuktu. His name was Mohamed and he spoke English very well. We were also shadowed by another young Tuareg, who is in the second picture standing beside Derek. I am quite sure he was there to sell us something, but our guide told him to wait until he was done with the tour. Mohamed is in the fourth shot showing us a bread oven. In the morning, wood fires are built in the oven and then the coals are moved to the front and the loaves are thrown in behind the coals. The bread was very good, but it was quite sandy.
Mud bricks were made locally, and we saw them everywhere. The last shot below, there are huts beside the building....these are the homes of the Bela. The Bela are the slaves of the Tuareg.....yes...slavery is still alive and well in West Africa.
More of the streets of Timbuktu below. The streets actually had paving stones in some places. The Moroccans invaded a few centuries ago, and left their influence in the architecture. The doorway design that you see in the last few shots is Moroccan.
We then made our way to the local museum. Our guide explained that the name Timbuktu refers to its beginnings as simply a well owned by a woman before there was ever a town. "Tim" is the name for well, and "Buktu" refers to the woman that owned the well.
Many items from a time when the Tuaregs lived a stone-age existence....and of course....there's a shop for buying trinkets.
After checking out the museum, we looked around again and took a few more pictures.
In the fifth shot below, you see the sewage system that is typical in Mali....gutters in the alleyways. Surprisingly, the smell is not that strong.
After the tour, the Tuaregs invited us to tea. This was the polite preliminary for the big sell to come. They have jewelry to sell, and they want to sell it to us, but we have tea first in their tents. Our guide Mohamed, on the right in the first picture, was not feeling very well that day. We also had another guide, young Mohamed [third picture, smiling and pouring tea] who spoke no English, but was very personable. You can see that our clothing is getting quite filthy. After tea, I ended up buying a few items of silver jewelry after a 20 minute haggle session.
We then looked around some more, found a market area, looked around...then went back to the hotel for some lunch. There were still Tuaregs following us, trying to sell us some knives. They were still waiting for us outside after we left the restaurant two hours later. These people were very persistent.
In the first shot, you can see the sewer line for the town. We took a brief walk again before heading over to where the camels were waiting. We are going for a ride on camels into the desert....to a small Tuareg camp where we would be having supper....then a jeep drive back to town. We all bought turbans for the trip to the desert, including one extra one for Ali....since he had to give his up at a roadblock the day before.
We had a brief stop, one of the driver's [young Mohamed's uncle] prayed at sunset.
We were soon underway again. When we arrived at the camp, we paid the camel drivers went inside the camp. Soon our guide Colombie and driver Ali showed up and we had a traditional supper of what seemed like a large dumpling in a sauce....it was messy, but very good.
Ali is the serious looking guy in the blue turban in the fifth shot. He is actually a very funny and friendly person, speaks no English at all, but with the little French I know....we got along fine.
After the meal, we got back into the landcruiser for the drive back to the hotel. Tomorrow we get on the boat [panasse] to take the river back to Mopti.