Thursday 12 April 2012

8th - Tambacounda

After spending an agonising morning deciding how safe Mali was, we decided "to go in". This decision was not as rash as you may think - we were able to talk to a contact currently living in Bamako, where the alleged lootings had been reported. She was confident in assuring us that all was well with S. Mali and that we should be fine. Reluctant to turn away and leave the other 2 to continue on their own, I accepted quickly before I gave myself a chance to say "No".

What I hadn't accounted for was that neither trucks would start. Seeing this as an omen, I was ready to resort to Plan A and prepared to return to Dakar to fly dirctly home. Unfortunately we managed to work out that the air filters, a vital item that needs clesning every day hsd been inserted by one of us (no - not me this time). Soon we were on our way towards the Mali border. We travelled long after dark, a risky undertaking given the number of lorries, bicycles and goats without lights. Eventually we found a wonderful haven of an hotrl where, unexpectedly, there was a swimming pool in which we swam under a starlit night - heaven.

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