Mali

Timbuktu, Mali. Out into the Sahara from Timbuktu for sunset tea and dinner. And wild stories about the history of this ancient place, as told by these local Berbers.

Djenne, Mali. The Djenne Market is held every Monday in front of the Djenne Mosque, which is the largest mud-brick building in the world. The market is a lively place, as most African markets tend to be. The mosque has to be re-mudded every year, and all the faithful that live nearby come out to help. The posts sticking out of the sides give the people something to stand on while they're slapping on the mud. And yes, people do fall off.

Djenne, Mali. Scenes from the Djenne market, a great people-watching spot.

Dogon Region, Mali. Tribal elders from the Dogon clan watch (and judge) the dance routine that was put on for us. Dance is a big part of their culture and they put a lot of effort into the routines and the elaborate costumes, which usually represent African animals. They have many strange customs, one of the funniest is that when you pass a local man you have to stop and ask how he is, how's his wife, his kids, etc etc. Then the mandatory response from the Dogon is then just : "Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine..." The higher ranking the Dogon, the further down the list of family members you have to go, and the longer this crazy interaction goes on. When we passed the village chief one day, the highest ranking Dogon of all, this exchange took an extraordinary amount of time. When I asked our guide what was said, he replied that he was obliged to ask about all family members down to grandkids, cousins, and in-laws, including the family pets! I wondered how the chief ever got anything done, when he has to do this every time he passes someone.

Dogon Region, Mali. It felt a bit weird having all these people get up at daybreak and put on an elaborate song & dance routine for just two of us. And it went on for a long time - 45 minutes to an hour maybe? I can't say I understood much of it, but it definitely involved hunting. The Dogon believe in animal spirits, and in some unusual astronomical events which have been in their culture for ages, but only recently proven by modern astronomy to be true. How'd they know? They claim they've had visitors from "out there"...

Ireli, Mali. This is a typical Dogon village, set right along the edge of this 1000-ft cliff - the 100 mile long Bandiagara Escarpment. Houses are set way up on the cliff for protection from predators, both 2-legged and 4-legged. The funny Dr Seuss-like thatched structures in the foreground are for storing crops and animal feed.

Mopti, Mali. Scenes along the river Niger. In a country that's mostly desert the river provides a welcome change of scenery. The Niger River is used for just about everything from transportation to fishing to commerce to laundromat to bathing and drinking and livestock-washing. And sadly, as a trash dump and open-air toilet. Incredibly, we would see animals (and people) just standing in the river pee-ing or poo-ing right into the water, while just a few feet away other people would be bathing or even collecting drinking water. Ug.

Mopti, Mali. Cargo boats are usually loaded right down to the waterline. And with so much cargo up top you wonder how the boats ever stay upright. As if all this weren't dangerous enough, there are a LOT of people crammed inside; I doubt most could get out in an emergency. Life jackets? Don't bet your life on it!

Laundry Day !

The ferrywoman.

Nice cast but I'm not sure I'd want to eat whatever comes out of that river.

Human riverboat cargo. It's probably safer sitting on top anyway.

Segou, Mali. A woman from the Falani tribe, one of many ethnic groups in Mali. She's wearing traditional clothes, which includes the huge earrings. Also the darkened lips and mouth, from henna tattooing. These women are amazing when it comes to moving around while balancing these large bowls on their heads - usually full of water, milk, or yogurt.

Like all of the other people-pix on this page, this woman was not posing for tourist photos; there are hardly any tourists in Mali. She's just going about her daily life and trying not to drop her bowl in spite of the crazy white tourists pointing a camera at her.