So - I have survived my first day (well half day) in Dogon Country. Its been an adventure. There is no where to charge my mobile so I'll have to be succinct.
The day started out with an early departure from Djenne. We were out of the hotel at 6:30 and after rushing to get an omlette sandwich we were piling into our bus at 7:00. The "bus" turned out to be an old (old old old old) station wagon. They crammed 11 of us in there! 3 in the back (me, Eti and an old woman who bitched at us about taking up too much space while she was the only one with both ass cheeks on the seat!!) Then 4 men in the middle row and then the driver and a woman and her 2 children in the front!! No seat belts - hell the doors didn't even open from the inside. But it was only a 3 hour journey...so no worries. But about an hour into the journey a goat runs out into the road. The driver doesn't slow down because basically the brakes don't really work. So then the next goat runs out...he hesitates a minute, does a zigzag like he's gonna run back to the otherside then at the last second decides "No - I can make it across.". THUNK...nope - he didn't make it across. He was a goner. The driver didn't even flinch and we kept right on going. The old lady was upset that we didn't stop and put it on the roof!!
Which brings me to the next goat. So after we finished that leg of the journey we had to find another ride to get to Bandiagara. So we found a driver that needed some passengers and piled in. He needed to pick more people up because just 3 of us in his little shitty car wasn't enough - so he stopped for an old man and his like 19 year old wife and her kid. They also had a goat. He was alive. Yea...he went in the trunk with out bags! The poor thing!! His legs were tied so they just threw him in on his back with the bags then put a run and their bags on top of him and tied the trunk closed!! Amazing!! The goat only cried once during the journey (they were only with us like 20 mins).
So that was the driving adventure to the Dogon country. We arrived in Bandiagara and met our guide. He's a lovely Dogon man. We started walking that afternoon. Geoff was very disappointed that our first day was only 7km. But considering its like 1,000 degrees outside and we weren't starting until 3:00pm - I thought that was reasonable. I don't like the heat (or walking a lot) so I shot down all Geoff's pleas to walk more than 20km a day. We can only walk a couple hours in the morning and a couple in the late afternoon ... So I don't want to be doing 20km marches!! Luckily I won because our 7km trek this afternoon involved quite a lot more. But also - when we walk so much our guide doesn't have as much time to explain the villages and the culture, which is really interesting. So yea - we didn't finish until after dark as it is. Then we just had a massive dinner and now I'm and going to sleep next to the random French guy I just met today. Geoff and Eti met him in St. Louis...and since he and Eti are both French they bonded and kept in touch - so he's joining us on the trek. And apparently there are only 2 beds and 2 mozzie nets - so I get to share with him. Interesting. Right now he's standing on a high rock so that he can make phone calls on his mobile. But I'm going to read and go to sleep. I've been awake way too long today and need to be up at like 6:30 tomorrow morning!! Tomorrow we do like 13km...whew!!!
The day started out with an early departure from Djenne. We were out of the hotel at 6:30 and after rushing to get an omlette sandwich we were piling into our bus at 7:00. The "bus" turned out to be an old (old old old old) station wagon. They crammed 11 of us in there! 3 in the back (me, Eti and an old woman who bitched at us about taking up too much space while she was the only one with both ass cheeks on the seat!!) Then 4 men in the middle row and then the driver and a woman and her 2 children in the front!! No seat belts - hell the doors didn't even open from the inside. But it was only a 3 hour journey...so no worries. But about an hour into the journey a goat runs out into the road. The driver doesn't slow down because basically the brakes don't really work. So then the next goat runs out...he hesitates a minute, does a zigzag like he's gonna run back to the otherside then at the last second decides "No - I can make it across.". THUNK...nope - he didn't make it across. He was a goner. The driver didn't even flinch and we kept right on going. The old lady was upset that we didn't stop and put it on the roof!!
Which brings me to the next goat. So after we finished that leg of the journey we had to find another ride to get to Bandiagara. So we found a driver that needed some passengers and piled in. He needed to pick more people up because just 3 of us in his little shitty car wasn't enough - so he stopped for an old man and his like 19 year old wife and her kid. They also had a goat. He was alive. Yea...he went in the trunk with out bags! The poor thing!! His legs were tied so they just threw him in on his back with the bags then put a run and their bags on top of him and tied the trunk closed!! Amazing!! The goat only cried once during the journey (they were only with us like 20 mins).
So that was the driving adventure to the Dogon country. We arrived in Bandiagara and met our guide. He's a lovely Dogon man. We started walking that afternoon. Geoff was very disappointed that our first day was only 7km. But considering its like 1,000 degrees outside and we weren't starting until 3:00pm - I thought that was reasonable. I don't like the heat (or walking a lot) so I shot down all Geoff's pleas to walk more than 20km a day. We can only walk a couple hours in the morning and a couple in the late afternoon ... So I don't want to be doing 20km marches!! Luckily I won because our 7km trek this afternoon involved quite a lot more. But also - when we walk so much our guide doesn't have as much time to explain the villages and the culture, which is really interesting. So yea - we didn't finish until after dark as it is. Then we just had a massive dinner and now I'm and going to sleep next to the random French guy I just met today. Geoff and Eti met him in St. Louis...and since he and Eti are both French they bonded and kept in touch - so he's joining us on the trek. And apparently there are only 2 beds and 2 mozzie nets - so I get to share with him. Interesting. Right now he's standing on a high rock so that he can make phone calls on his mobile. But I'm going to read and go to sleep. I've been awake way too long today and need to be up at like 6:30 tomorrow morning!! Tomorrow we do like 13km...whew!!!
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