In
Bamako we met a friendly guy called Mamoud, who enthusiastically guided us around the town for a few days. After considering our schedule carefully, we decided to invite him to be our guide for a week or so to visit the more interesting north of Mali. We drew up a little contract with Mamoud so that all parties would know what was included in his fee. We were due to leave for Mopti at 11.00am - the bus finally pulled out at 18.00! Transport in Mali is a real challenge to everyone's patients, especially when it is 40 degrees in the shade! After a long night with numerous prayer stops we finally pulled in to
Mopti at 6.00am. Mopti, the
'Venice of Mali', is built on three islands at the confluence of the Niger and Bani rivers.
Mamoud immediately led us to the house of his relatives where we would stay. The family lived in a simple adobe house and were warm and friendly to us. Our washing facilities consisted of a kettle of water on the roof! At the evening meal we all sat down together on the floor and ate with our hands out of a communal bowl - I just prayed that my immune system was at 100%! For the night the family gave us a couple of millet mats to bed down on the roof under the stars. The family despite their obvious poverty oozed with generosity and enthusiasm to make our stay pleasant.
(to be continued)
