It’s been too long. I know. We both have the best intentions but lack the actual patience of sitting down and writing.
Life in Bamako continues as usual....I think we survived the hot season....there were days when the temperature went up to 49 degrees!! We actually managed to cook an egg on our patio. (see picture) Until you’re living in 49 degrees, you don’t really realize that every single object retains heat. Our cutlery was hot, our sofa was too hot to sit on, our mattress radiated heat, the toilet seat was hot, our mangoes were hot, and the water coming out of the taps was more than just luke warm. Impossible to seek relief. Now the days are becoming more tolerable (35 degree). The rainy season is here and today it's a cool 26 degrees. Love it!
I drove for a bit. While Thomas was taking this picture, his sunglasses fell off his head and out the window never to be seen again.....That was the end of my driving.
Best things about Sikasso:
1. Less dust
2. Greenery
3. Mangos (yes...Mali`s best mangos come from this region!)
4. Our hotel hidden from the city with a tree full of birds outside our bungalow
5. Cheap gin and tonics
6. A tiny waterfall...it`s nice to see water in the Sahel
7. The market and the funny lady selling lemons
8. The Relais Enfant Sign: sign of a project I worked on with Save the Children Canada
2. No electricity at our hotel during the day which meant napping in 48 degrees.
Life in Bamako continues as usual....I think we survived the hot season....there were days when the temperature went up to 49 degrees!! We actually managed to cook an egg on our patio. (see picture) Until you’re living in 49 degrees, you don’t really realize that every single object retains heat. Our cutlery was hot, our sofa was too hot to sit on, our mattress radiated heat, the toilet seat was hot, our mangoes were hot, and the water coming out of the taps was more than just luke warm. Impossible to seek relief. Now the days are becoming more tolerable (35 degree). The rainy season is here and today it's a cool 26 degrees. Love it!
Thomas and I have managed to take two trips recently. The first was to Sikasso over Easter. (I know....that’s ages ago!) Sikasso is a city near the border of Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Guinea and we were told it would be cooler there. It wasn`t. It was much more humid. Public transportation in Mali is disorganized and of poor quality. There is no first class, it`s all about luck. You either get a good bus or you get a lemon and you never reach your destination! If it weren`t for our car, I doubt we would have ever bothered to make the trip. Sikasso is south of Bamako and is known as the country`s greenest region. This is partly why we decided on heading to Sikasso....during the hot season, there is NO green to be seen in and around Bamako.
So..desperately seeking greenery, we left Bamako on Good Friday crossing our fingers that our little car would get us there. We`d already been told the road was bad, but figured if we took our time, we`d get there. The first part was fine, the second was terrible. I have a video that I`ll try to post on here to show you. The Chinese have taken the initiative and are working on widening the roads and filling the holes. Not sure about the quality of their work but they move quickly. We found the road to be significantly better 3 days later when driving home.
So..desperately seeking greenery, we left Bamako on Good Friday crossing our fingers that our little car would get us there. We`d already been told the road was bad, but figured if we took our time, we`d get there. The first part was fine, the second was terrible. I have a video that I`ll try to post on here to show you. The Chinese have taken the initiative and are working on widening the roads and filling the holes. Not sure about the quality of their work but they move quickly. We found the road to be significantly better 3 days later when driving home.
I drove for a bit. While Thomas was taking this picture, his sunglasses fell off his head and out the window never to be seen again.....That was the end of my driving.
Best things about Sikasso:
1. Less dust
2. Greenery
3. Mangos (yes...Mali`s best mangos come from this region!)
4. Our hotel hidden from the city with a tree full of birds outside our bungalow
5. Cheap gin and tonics
6. A tiny waterfall...it`s nice to see water in the Sahel
7. The market and the funny lady selling lemons
8. The Relais Enfant Sign: sign of a project I worked on with Save the Children Canada
Worst things about Sikasso:
1. The son of a Marabout who lives in Washington DC who was hanging out in front of the Grotte de Missirikoro and who charged us 2000 CFA each for a pathetic tour of the caves. (If your dad is a big Marabout religious leader in DC, what the hell are you doing in the middle of nowhere giving tours to the very few people who come? Whatever buddy! We told him we wrote for a travel guide and would portray him as someone who takes advantage of tourists! He got scared! HA!)The only reason we paid the guy is because we’d rented a taxi to get to the caves because our car definitely wouldn’t have made it. We paid for the cab so thought we might as well see the caves. Blah. Not a must-see!
1. The son of a Marabout who lives in Washington DC who was hanging out in front of the Grotte de Missirikoro and who charged us 2000 CFA each for a pathetic tour of the caves. (If your dad is a big Marabout religious leader in DC, what the hell are you doing in the middle of nowhere giving tours to the very few people who come? Whatever buddy! We told him we wrote for a travel guide and would portray him as someone who takes advantage of tourists! He got scared! HA!)The only reason we paid the guy is because we’d rented a taxi to get to the caves because our car definitely wouldn’t have made it. We paid for the cab so thought we might as well see the caves. Blah. Not a must-see!
2. No electricity at our hotel during the day which meant napping in 48 degrees.
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