Kayes-Mahina-Bafoulab?(Mali)

As said before..Kayes has got a hot climate..
we got our passports back...police was friendly..
they spoke broken French..I guess their native language..
was Bambara??or a local dialect..but no problem here..
they told us..to visit the waterfalls of Felou..we did not..
between Kayes-Bamako..there are local train connections..
Dakar-Bamako train went twice a week..me and these French..
decided to take a train ride up to Mahina..then to Bamako..
and explore a bit of real village African life..so...
we got to Mahina by train..
and went to Bafoulab? police station to report..
in these days one had to report at the police a lot..
we were going to a village in the Bafoulab? regio..
one official(police)took us to see the village chief..
a dude with 4 wifes..it's a custom to greet the chief..
we did not have any presents..sometimes a bottle of liquor..
was given..then sprinkled on the ground..
to worship the ancestors...this visit..I remember very well..
there was a river outside this village..we went to swim there..
we saw a hippo even..big beasts..uhuh..so..this chief..
I guess..not many white foreigners passed through his village..
the women..were giggling like teenagers..but..everybody was friendly..
we were given a hut..to stay overnight..now these huts..
were very clean and certainly cooling from the heat..
we used our sleeping bags...we could fit in with the 3 of us..
alone..I don't think..i would have done this..if one is 3...it's O.K.
in the evening..we talked to the chief..he was an older dude..
some of his villagers knew some French..so he translated...
this chief...told us..that he was in charge long time over there...
he had his griot..and since this villlage..is out of nowhere..
he said that he never heard of Bamako politics as such..
suddenly...he called his wifes..and pointed out a chicken..
all of his wifes..were chasing to catch a chicken..
running around like crazy...that chicken..
was slaughtered..in honour of us...
no electricity there..they cooked in pots over a fire...
the women..were just walking around bare breasted..
one gets used to it in Africa..the river..was the daily dishwash
and laundry washing place..this river..was not always safe..
maybe crocodiles,snakes and hippo's??
if you all ever go to Africa..just visit a local village..
you will see that it's very different from the corruption of city life..
so..we stayed 2 nights in this Mali village..and it was an experience..
we went back to Mahina..to catch the train to Kita-Bamako...
a lot of adventure..if you ask me??
Tiger