old tiger's Blog

Upper Volta..quite a country it was...I crossed twice there..
since I went down to Abidjan..and couldn't get into Ghana..
visa etc..I went back up north..again to Upper Volta..
will tell you later about that...now..the trip Sikasso-Bobo..
was O.K. nice town in Southwest Upper Volta..
very interesting African market called le Grand March?..
the usual colourful scene..quite a lot of hotels,shops,
restaurants in Bobo..we stayed at a French missionary??
if I recall well..that priest was in Bobo for 30 years..
Upper Volta is mainly animistic of belief..
some Muslim+Catholics as well...
the Bobo tribe have got some strange masks in their rituals...
they use butterfly,antelope and other animals forms..
usually during a funeral..lots of ceremonies are going on..
never witnessed anything like that..
it's said..they want to drive away the evil spirits from the deceased..
otherwise his soul wil be forever haunted..magic Africa,you know??
in the evening..Bobo became lively..the local hookers play their game..
the music..is all over this town..bit like Bamako..
Bobo is a safe place..but one always must be alert for scams..
every white face..is a capitalist..hmm..I was not...ahah..
somebody told us to go to Banfora..south of Bobo..
direction Ivory Coast border..there was a waterfall at Karfigu?la..
and me and these French dudes..decided to explore that..
these dudes..were brothers..nice fellows..bit moody sometimes..
but after Ferk?(Ivory Coast)I said goodbye to them...
and continued alone..bit more dangerous..but I was not afraid..
I'll try to find a link about Bobo Dioulasso..
Tiger

Bamako bus station was very hectic..lots of activity...
we had to be patient to get transport towards Sikasso..
it's almost 370kms..from Bamako..so..we left..in a crowded
vehicle..most of the passengers were only going to Bougouni..
colourful people..these Malinese..they always seem to smile..
the landscape towards Sikasso was in my opininon more lush..
more green..more vegetation...Sikasso town was reached..
in the afternoon..we stayed there somewhere..next day..
we were gonna cross into Upper Volta..this country is now called..
Burkina Faso..next town would be Bobo Dioulasso..
in fact..nothing special to report this day..exept the heat...
so...we were gonna say goodbye to Mali..pity..it's a place which
certainly needed further travell..time..did not allow it,you know..
I recall my Mali days...as a typical Africa experience...
very nice friendly curious outgoing people..if you show an African..
you don't look down on them..they open up..
and take you as a brother...a lesson for life..
I often remembered this during my travells..
nowadays..it's a neck and neck race...greed,envy,jealousy...
well..well..I wished I could go back in time to my travell days..
see you all in Bobo(Upper Volta)sorry..Burkina Faso..hm...hm...
Tiger

Train ride from Mahina to Kita-Bamako went O.K..
always a very colourful event taking a train in Africa..
first impression of Bamako..a hustle/bustle..lots of traffic..
Bamako is on the Niger river..lots of activity by boat..
I did not go up to Mopti-Djenn? or Timbuktu..pity..
Bambara is the main language in Mali...French is understood..
but not by everyone..currency was the CFA..
Mali is one of the poorest countries on earth..
it was already politically unstable in the 70's..
Bamako town..is amazing..lovely big market here..
it's so African..I've never seen so many funny things..
it went from flowers..to clothes..food..vegetables..
magic potions..fetishes..dried bones..skins...
it's a feast for the eyes really..and then these colourful
dresses..people...all mixed up..well..one must experience it..
I don't recall exactly where we put up in Bamako..
but we stayed 2 nights..now..music..was something in Mali..
I loved these kora/balafon sounds very much..
nowadays Salif Keita..who is an albino African by the way..
makes great music..his songs are famous worldwide..
me and the French dudes decided to travell south of Bamako..
towards Bougouni-Sikasso..not possible to hitch hike with 3..
so...public transport=taxi brousse..not that expensive really..
I'll tell you all what happened later..if you're interested..Tiger

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

so..taxi brousse to Tambacounda via Kaffrine..
good ride..but it was very hot..and dusty sometimes..
Tambacounda is in the East of Senegal..
nearby is a national parc called Niokolo Koba..
did not go there..it's a huge fauna/flora parc..
I met a dude from Uruguay who was working in Tamba...
he told me that Tamba can become terrible hot..
it was hot when I passed through anyway..one has to adapt...
nothing special to see here..exept the African market...
these African ladies looked colourful..they sell from fruits..
to vegetables..to all kind of stuff..I stocked up a bit for fruits..
and got into a supermarket for some other stuff...
which I could use on my trip between Kayes-Bamako..
I decided to take that train to Kayes..and then continue to Bamako..
I met 2 French dudes..they were gonna do the same thing..
so..we decided to travell together a while..always safer..
I stayed 2 nights in Tambacounda..and we got that train to Kayes..
what a hectic matter..a train in Senegal..we had reserved seats..
but still lots of hassle..to get onto the train..rules..often..
didn't existed in these days..I guess??the train left...
and via Goudiry-Kidira(border Senegal-Mali)we reached Kayes..
it was quite a journey..but cooling a bit against the extreme heat..
no trouble crossing the border..they took our passports..
and told us..to recover them at the police station in Kayes(Mali)
K?dougou is Bassari country..it's located on the Guinee border..
this tribe has got very secret rituals..initiation rituals etc...
worship of the ancestors..animistic rituals for birth,death etc...
they use all kinds of strange masks as well..typical villages..
so...finally...we were in Mali..very interesting country indeed..
Kayes..booh..I could not bear that heat...
http://www.experience-mali.org.ml/visit-mali/regions/kayes.htm
Tiger