More Travels with Seth: Mali

Well, Julie is either very kind or very lazy, but she has offered me some space to write about the other interesting trip I took here in West Africa. I interned in Bamako over the summer, which was simply pretext for exploring the country. I began with what was supposed to be a weekend trip to Djenne, a short distance from the capital. I figured, I am so close to the world’s largest mud structure, I’ve gotta go see it, right? Well, the bus, after arriving in the middle of nowhere, promptly broke down. The driver set off for parts. The parts never arrived. Nor did the driver. Until the following morning.

The thirty some-odd people stuck on the bus along with me hunkered down for the night. I was prepared to sleep outside until I was warned about snakes…so I made myself as comfortable as I could on the bus. Then it rained. And the bus leaked. Ahhh, travel in Africa.

Arriving in Djenne the next evening made it all worth it. Crossing the Niger River at sunset and then entering the tiny island city was magical. I slept on a rooftop and so I got to see the mosque at sunrise. The mosque itself was impressive, but other than that, there was not much to see.

Crossing the Niger River at sunset to Djenne.

The world’s largest mud structure – the mosque at Djenne.

Mali’s true beauty lies further north. I took a public pinasse, a term for grossly overladen boat, from Mopti to Timbuktu. The journey took 3 nights and two days on a cramped deck of corrugated iron. Before boarding I grabbed a bag of little candies and that was the best decision I could have made. I used these treats to befriend my neighbors and their children. Its nice to be popular – for whatever reason, when in such tight conditions for so long!

Large blocks of salt at the port of Mopti. These are the blocks of salt that formed the foundation of trade with Timbuktu via long-distance camel caravans.

Public pinasse, much like the one taken to TB2. Three nights sleeping on corrugated iron…

Upon arrival at TB2’s port (the city is 18km north of the river), a fierce sandstorm hit. It was quite an introduction to the mystical city and I couldn’t have been happier with it. The storm ended up knocking out the city’s power for the duration of my stay, thereby making it a much better experience, if only for the brighter night sky! I hate to admit it, but I did in fact do the touristy camel-ride thing, but the desert was too beautiful to pass up. TB2 itself has nothing to offer outside of the desert, Tauregs hounding you to buy their leather and silver goods, and people wanting to drink tea and 'exchange ideas' [read: shake you down for cash.]

The Sahara desert outside of TB2.

Streets of TB2. Don’t take the fact that there is only one Tuareg in this picture to mean that they aren’t EVERYWHERE – all with things to sell.

One night I found myself at a bar run by an eccentric, music-loving French couple. Plugged into the surprisingly vibrant music scene, their bar/hotel is the locus for local musicians to come, hang out, and ‘jam.’ This night was no different, so I spent hours listening to some incredible music under the stars with some lukewarm beers…not too shabby in my opinion.

My favorite picture taken thusfar in Africa. The 4x4 took a brief stop during our 8 hour journey from TB2 to fix a flat tire. This stone marker was innocuous, thereby making it that much more beautiful.

After returning to Mopti by 4x4, I set off for the famed Dogon Country that runs along the country’s eastern escarpment. I took another traveler’s recommendation for a guide, and set off for 4 days of trekking. The Dogon people have been studied intensely by anthropologists because of their interesting history and even more fascinating dwellings built into the cliff face. Even higher than these homes are those of the Tellem, a pygmy people that some say have their origins in the Congo but no longer live in Mali. Today, the Dogon live at the base of the cliffs and have generated additional income by promoting the area to hikers.

Traditional meeting house. The low ceiling serves a dual purpose – it both keeps the structure cool and prevents any heated arguments from getting out of hand, as one cannot stand up inside.

One of several waterfalls.

Dogon and Tellem villages in the cliff-face.

Tellem village, close up.

Red Sox Nation takes hold in Mali.

Aside from the vast amount of history and fascinating anthropological information that I will not include here, the scenery was simply stunning. I spent my days clambering up steep inclines, exploring isolated villages, and soaking in my surroundings. After two months in the busy city of Bamako, this escape was much needed and much appreciated! Definitely the best thing I've done here in West Africa!

More from Seth...

Glad everyone enjoyed Seth's post! Thanks again to Seth for some great guest blogging!!

For those of you wanting to see the suspension bridge Seth mentioned in his last post, he sent in this picture from the Kakum National Park Canopy Walk.

Seth has also happily agreed to blog some more about his travels in Mali, so stay tuned... :)

Special Guest Star: Seth in Ghana

After many months hounding Julie for blog posts on her various Nepali adventures, it was suggested that perhaps I would submit an entry myself. While I cannot hope to compete with images of the Himalayas, I’ll recount a bit of my recent trip to Ghana.

I am conducting my internship in the land-locked country of Burkina Faso. Given the fact that all my time in Africa has been spent in the Sahel and my craving to see the ocean for the first time in 7 months, I decided to head south to Ghana for Christmas. Landing in Accra, I quickly escaped the big city (though not before seeing Baba!) for the relative calm of Cape Coast, a couple hours west of the capital. For several days I indulged in early morning basketball games with local kids, followed by late afternoon football matches on the stunning beach, all taking place in the shadow of the famed Cape Coast Castle.

Cape Coast Castle

Ocean!

I had always wanted to see the slave forts of the Gold Coast, as it was through these structures that the vast majority of slaves headed for the New World passed. Touring the dark dungeons envisioning one thousand people crammed into the small space with the stifling air reminded me of seeing concentration camps in Europe. It was a powerful experience to run my hands along the same stones that witnessed so much misery, and walking through the Door of No Return brought goosebumps despite the day’s heat and humidity.

Male Dungeon

After getting my fill of history, I could feel more justified in playing the role of dumb American tourist enjoying the beach and visiting nearby Kakum National Park. This park, 35km north of Cape Coast is famous for having constructed Africa’s first canopy walkway – a string of 7 bridges 85 meters off the jungle floor.

Kakum Ntl Park

This was a bit of a personal challenge, as I am not one that does well with heights and upon seeing the walkway, I could not help but think of the rope bridge scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom...The canopy walk went off without a hitch as there were so many things to distract me from the fact that I was so far above the ground – the early morning mist rising off the trees, the calls of monkeys echoing through the air, and the incredible diversity of greenery (lush vegetation is something my eyes craved as much as the ocean after so much time in the red-brown Sahel!). I enjoyed my time in the rainforest so much, I arranged for a ranger to take me on a hike a few hours deep into the forest, a bit off the beaten trail. During this time we were able to see some wildlife, including a sizeable green mamba on the trail!

Our intrepid explorer…

Leaving Cape Coast I headed northward by bush taxi (tro-tros), through Kumasi and Tamale, towards Mole National Park. The change in vegetation was striking, as the tropics steadily gave way to the more desiccated Sahel. Along the way I encountered several other travelers – one was a clingy American woman, the rest being largely from Holland and therefore quite a bit of fun – headed in the same direction. I spent Christmas day trekking through the park for hours on end, seeing all sorts of antelope, monkeys, baboons, crocodiles, birds, warthogs, and the tracks of leopards and hyenas.

Baboons

Mole is unique in that its one of the few parks where one can walk amongst the animals. My hope was to encounter the elephants for which Mole is famous, but none were willing to accommodate my wishes. Despite this, the experience was incredible.

Kob

Christmas dinner was one of the more genuinely enjoyable and memorable holiday meals. It began with a run-in with a brazen baboon intent on winning some easy calories from the table and ended at around 4:30am after a lot of beers (tends to happen when drinking with an Irishman and a number of Dutch people) and even more laughs. In between was a truly great dinner with a wide range of people, wide-ranging conversations, and a simple but satisfying meal. All in all, a great Christmas!

Heading back to Ouagadougou I was informed that the border was closed – for those both wishing to enter and exit Ghana – because of the elections. Luckily, I was able to stay with a very sweet English girl who was volunteering not 10km from the border and the aforementioned Irishman for a relaxing two days. This was a welcome pause, as overland travel in Africa is always an adventure; ‘schedules’ are often non-existent, and hugely unreliable if they are, buses and tro-tros break down constantly. I read a book recounting Stanley’s Congo exploration during my trip, and while nothing can compare to that, it is easy to feel like an explorer as you navigate the country by land.

After crossing into Burkina, my Christmas wish of spotting an elephant was suddenly fulfilled as a large grey mass was spotted crossing the road. I implored the tro-tro to stop, apologizing to the 25 or so people crammed inside, but the crazy white guy just needed to hop out and snap a few shots of the elephant.

My elephant, finally!

A wonderful cap to a tiring but very rewarding trip.

Hopefully this wasn’t too painful of a departure from Julie’s posts, but something is better than nothing…ahem, ahem! Julie’s turn now!

October is for exploring...

So... as I mentioned before, October is THE month for holidays/festivals in Nepal. Something else I noticed? October is high season for the tourists. Which means they are everywhere. Having spent the last week going back and forth between Patan and Thamel (not that close of a distance, but when you've got friends either staying there or working there or meeting up for dinner there, it's hard to say no), I'm definitely over the tourists overrunning the city and the country.

It's been a busy time here in KTM for me lately. Work has definitely picked up, which I'm very excited about. It looks like November could be just as busy, but with no holidays. :) Aside from work, I've been having a lot of fun seeing a little more of the KTM valley area.

Yogi, a coworker of mine, took a bunch of us on a great day hike near his hometown of Bhaktapur (you might have heard about this town in the news because of the recently picked Living Goddess). It was a fun, easy hike with great views of the valley and yay - mountain views! It was nice to get outside and hike and not breathe in KTM air. Whenever I leave KTM, I'm always amazed by how noticeable the difference is in the air. KTM is so polluted and everyone's constantly coughing and spitting (ew). You leave KTM and it's like all of a sudden you can breathe easy. It was nice to go with Yogi, though. He's named the hike Hanging Valley, but it's somewhere between Sangaa and Bhaktapur. He's a great guide and I'm trying to convince him to join me on my Mt Everest Base Camp trek in April (as well as you, Seth!). Here's some pics from the hike.

View of the mountains from our snack spot. Look there! In the clouds... those are mountains!


A Nepali woman harvesting.


Rice and the tiered paddies.


Tiered farming.


The valley we hiked through.


I explored Bhaktapur and Bhaktapur Durbar Square a different day with Natalie, Sam, and Luke (3 Australian friends - Nat and Sam are in Hetauda and Luke was visiting them and came for a trek). Now that I've seen all 3 Durbar Squares (Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur), I have to say that Bhaktapur's is very nice. It's really clean and quiet (or at least more quiet). I love Patan Durbar Square just because it's always bustling with people and it's fun to just people watch there. The four of us were undecided on if we should pay the 750 NRS (approx. $10) or sneak in, but then our crazy taxi driver dropped us right in front of the gate and so there was no chance to sneak in. However, I did get a marriage proposal. A guide who wanted us to use him told me I look Nepali (never gets old, does it?) and that I should "make Nepalese marriage". Luke, being the funny guy he is, asked the guy if he meant I should marry him. Thanks, Luke. And the guide said that he would, but he is too poor to offer me anything... implying that if we paid him to be our guide he'd have enough to marry me. Awesome. Sadly, I am unable to "make Nepalese marriage" since I've already got Gordon back home. Obviously, we chose to do without a guide and left my Nepali would-be fiance back at the main gate. :)

Bhaktapur Durbar Square is a great place for photos. Lots of really cool architecture and locals running around doing their thing. Since it's so frequented by tourists (told you... high season, folks), the locals now charge 2 NRS if they see you taking pictures of them. Sam and I discussed the fairness of this and I guess he's right. Would I want randoms taking pictures of me everyday and all day long? I'd probably ask for cash money, too, if people wanted to take pictures of me all the time while I'm just trying to work or something. Or... you can take photos of people while they aren't paying attention, which is what I chose to do because I don't want them to pose or smile at me. So here's some photos of Bhaktapur Durbar Square.

A woman organizing her pottery to sell.


View of Taumadhi Tole with the tallest temple in Nepal - Nyatapola Temple (left).


I think this might be the Siddhi Laxmi Temple with statues of animals along the steps.


A building along Bhaktapur Durbar Square.


A cool statue outside of the National Art Gallery.


Pottery in Potter's Square - these are actually piggy banks.


Women in Potter's Square.


Enjoy... next post will be about Tihar or 3 days of lights and fireworks. :)

Check Rhino Off the List… But Still in Search of That Tiger

So also over Dashain because we were already in the neighborhood, Raj suggested I head over to Chitwan National Park. The park is a major tourist attraction in Nepal (coming after Everest and the other big mountains of course) and apparently THE thing to do in the park is an elephant ride through the jungle. Because I’m technically still a tourist (though don’t tell people… I’d rather they all think I’m Nepali!), of course I would go to the park and ride an elephant.

Without sounding like a guide book, Chitwan has lots of good wildlife-seeing. It’s one of the last refuges for the endangered one-horned Indian rhinoceros. And… it supposedly has tigers, leopards, and other big game animals like sloth bears. I say supposedly because it’s very rare to see any of those animals… which means of course I want to see them. My friend Seth who’s interning in Burkina Faso and I have spent a lot of time discussing the possibility of seeing a tiger (I’ve promised to name the first tiger I see after him). I REALLY want to see a tiger much like my sister Joy REALLY wants to see a bear. So off I went, into the jungle (seriously… it’s a jungle) atop a sad elephant with 3 other people and the mahout (elephant driver) in search of a tiger named Seth.

The elephant ride was jostling 2.5 hour experience through the jungle. I saw deer, peacocks (not sure where they came from), and yay! Rhinos! And… more points because I saw a baby rhino, too! I’m pretty sure the rhinos I saw were the same two throughout the ride, but I’m okay with that. Have you seen a one-horned Indian rhino in the wild? Alright then. :) I’m pretty happy with my elephant ride experience. I would recommend it to all of you who come to Nepal (and visit me… who’s up for it?). Sadly, I did not see a tiger… but I’ve already decided that I’m going back to Chitwan before I leave and I will stay the night in the jungle (it’s like 500 NRS to stay in a wildlife viewing tower overnight) so I can find a tiger. I just want to see one… it’s not like I’ll take it home. This must be what Joy feels like. Grrr.

My rhino sighting(s)


The night before the elephant ride, Raj’s teenage nephew and I took in the Tharu cultural programme. I’m usually not into cultural programmes for tourists as it brings to mind the Growing Pains episodes where they vacationed in Maui and went to that just-for-the-mainlanders-luau. However, the Tharu cultural programme was pretty cool. I’m a sucker for stick dances (tininkling anyone?) and drum beats… and I was taking in by this as well. I think it’s great that the Tharu people are striving to preserve their culture. Sure they are dancing for the tourists, but… the performers are doing traditional dances that might’ve been forgotten otherwise. And come on… a guy was twirling fire! And the crowd was full of mostly Nepali tourists. So again, I’ve rationalized it and I’m okay with it. I'll post videos from the show soon.

Sunset over the Rapti River by the park. Nothing like a cup of tea and a sunset.


Stick Dancing at the Tharu Cultural Programme... they move SO fast!