Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
The Tuareg
Today we got back from Timbuktu and are spending the night in Sevare, Mali. A bit faster drive today--didn't have to wait two hours for lunch to be prepared, and didn't have to dig out a stuck jeep.
Yesterday afternoon ten of us in the group went for a camel ride out on the dunes. Surprisingly comfortable, I can see how camels can walk for days out in the desert. They just seem to float along on top of the sand, with snowshoe-like feet.
Our Tuareg guides took us out about half an hour into the dunes, where we ran around and took some photos. We were treated to their special tea, which goes something like this:
Strong as dead
Sweet as life
Sugar as love
The first round was delicious. The leader of their group showed the best bartending skills I've seen in Africa. Pouring from the kettle two feet off of the ground into one glass, back into the kettle from another glass, then into a second glass. Repeat about 20 times until the sugar is fully mixed.
Now... time for their fun. Each of the guides set up shop to try to sell us souvenirs, which I think everyone bought something. I got a bracelet with some Ebony inlays and special Tuareg symbols.
The second round of tea was surprisingly quick, and very tasty. People started heading back toward the camels to take the ride back into town. It was at that point that I realized between us and town was a dark red, swirling wall. Ever seen The Mummy?
We were in the sandstorm within minutes of seeing it. It felt like being in a gritty blizzard... and the color inside was amazing.
I'm glad the Tuareg were still leading they way, we probably could not have been with a better people to lead us home.
Timbuktu, riding out a sandstorm on a camel.
Yesterday afternoon ten of us in the group went for a camel ride out on the dunes. Surprisingly comfortable, I can see how camels can walk for days out in the desert. They just seem to float along on top of the sand, with snowshoe-like feet.
Our Tuareg guides took us out about half an hour into the dunes, where we ran around and took some photos. We were treated to their special tea, which goes something like this:
Strong as dead
Sweet as life
Sugar as love
The first round was delicious. The leader of their group showed the best bartending skills I've seen in Africa. Pouring from the kettle two feet off of the ground into one glass, back into the kettle from another glass, then into a second glass. Repeat about 20 times until the sugar is fully mixed.
Now... time for their fun. Each of the guides set up shop to try to sell us souvenirs, which I think everyone bought something. I got a bracelet with some Ebony inlays and special Tuareg symbols.
The second round of tea was surprisingly quick, and very tasty. People started heading back toward the camels to take the ride back into town. It was at that point that I realized between us and town was a dark red, swirling wall. Ever seen The Mummy?
We were in the sandstorm within minutes of seeing it. It felt like being in a gritty blizzard... and the color inside was amazing.
I'm glad the Tuareg were still leading they way, we probably could not have been with a better people to lead us home.
Timbuktu, riding out a sandstorm on a camel.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Timbuktu
Made it!
A 14 hour Jeep ride through the desert to the land of camels and spice.
Halfway through West Africa, completely in the middle of nowhere.
The Tuareg people and Dogon people live the extreme life in the heat, with hardly any water around. The mask dance was amazing. Check it out online.
Hopefully I can begin uploading photos back down in Ghana, after the trip is done.
A 14 hour Jeep ride through the desert to the land of camels and spice.
Halfway through West Africa, completely in the middle of nowhere.
The Tuareg people and Dogon people live the extreme life in the heat, with hardly any water around. The mask dance was amazing. Check it out online.
Hopefully I can begin uploading photos back down in Ghana, after the trip is done.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Mosquitos
The mosquitos aren't too bad, yet.
Hopefully they will get better as it gets drier.
Seeya in Mali (maybe)
au revoir!
Hopefully they will get better as it gets drier.
Seeya in Mali (maybe)
au revoir!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Ougadougou
Tonight is our second night in Ougadougou. Tomorrow we head to Mali, and spend the night in no-mans-land, in the space between leaving Burkina Faso and entering Mali.
Dogon trek and Timbuktu lay ahead.
The random hotel where we're camping has internet, but none of the other internet cafes here have had a live connection.
We cooked a mean chicken stir fry for dinner--and baked goods are cheap enough here that I think I'll be passing on the cookies, but thanks for the recipes. Also, Sean, are you trying to kill Alia? I'm pretty sure groundnuts = peanuts = death, but I'll have to try that one once we get home.
Temperature reports are somewhere between 90-110F in the daytime, the thermometer that Alia got for me said something around 100 today. It has gotten a lot drier since we got to Burkina Faso, quite nice to be out of the humidity. I think I'm drinking somewhere from 5-8 liters of water per day.
So far my stomach has been doing well, and it's been a week since arriving in Accra. Typically it gave way about 10 days into each China trip, which places that right in the middle of the Dogon trek (I think). Let's hope my pepto and immodium will hold me through.
Had a really bizarre night tonight, and probably a new record for time it took to get dinner, about two hours for a bad cheeseburger.
I can't wait to play some soccer.
Dogon trek and Timbuktu lay ahead.
The random hotel where we're camping has internet, but none of the other internet cafes here have had a live connection.
We cooked a mean chicken stir fry for dinner--and baked goods are cheap enough here that I think I'll be passing on the cookies, but thanks for the recipes. Also, Sean, are you trying to kill Alia? I'm pretty sure groundnuts = peanuts = death, but I'll have to try that one once we get home.
Temperature reports are somewhere between 90-110F in the daytime, the thermometer that Alia got for me said something around 100 today. It has gotten a lot drier since we got to Burkina Faso, quite nice to be out of the humidity. I think I'm drinking somewhere from 5-8 liters of water per day.
So far my stomach has been doing well, and it's been a week since arriving in Accra. Typically it gave way about 10 days into each China trip, which places that right in the middle of the Dogon trek (I think). Let's hope my pepto and immodium will hold me through.
Had a really bizarre night tonight, and probably a new record for time it took to get dinner, about two hours for a bad cheeseburger.
I can't wait to play some soccer.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Kumasi, Ghana
Day Three.
Drove from Lake Bosumtwi to Kumasi, Ghana today. I'm in cook group 2, which means I got to help buy some food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Wedesday.
Breakfast: Eggs, bread, cereal...
Lunch: Sandwiches. Pick what you want of the wonderful ingredients of tuna, corned beef, cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, etc.
Dinner: Stir fry with unknown ingredients. We got a bunch of random veggies as well as three frozen chickens (~1300g). Maybe after we use the whole bin of spices it will taste good. Eggs to be added too?
The next few days look like we're headed north, doing about 250km/day. Tomorrow there are some waterfalls, which sounds great. It'll probably be one of the nicer showers over the next week.
Anyone have any good recipes for simple baked goods? Maybe I'll try to make some cookies one evening, but we might not use the ovens because it is quite hot. In the daytime somewhere in the 90s, instant sweating once you get in the sun. Last night the low I think was somewhere around 80.
Time is up, next post will likely be from Burkina Faso!
Drove from Lake Bosumtwi to Kumasi, Ghana today. I'm in cook group 2, which means I got to help buy some food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Wedesday.
Breakfast: Eggs, bread, cereal...
Lunch: Sandwiches. Pick what you want of the wonderful ingredients of tuna, corned beef, cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, etc.
Dinner: Stir fry with unknown ingredients. We got a bunch of random veggies as well as three frozen chickens (~1300g). Maybe after we use the whole bin of spices it will taste good. Eggs to be added too?
The next few days look like we're headed north, doing about 250km/day. Tomorrow there are some waterfalls, which sounds great. It'll probably be one of the nicer showers over the next week.
Anyone have any good recipes for simple baked goods? Maybe I'll try to make some cookies one evening, but we might not use the ovens because it is quite hot. In the daytime somewhere in the 90s, instant sweating once you get in the sun. Last night the low I think was somewhere around 80.
Time is up, next post will likely be from Burkina Faso!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
24 hours to go
Today we met up with the Dragoman tour group to have a pre-departure meeting. Only half an hour late after going to the other Niagara hotel in Accra, it looks like there are about 16 travelers and two guides.
Dinner tonight at 7pm, departure at 7:30am tomorrow.
I'm looking forward to getting on the road, sitting on the roof of the bus, and taking in the wind.
Last night--uneventful. Got a little local joopa(?) rice, turned out to be quite spicy, mostly rice and chilis I think. Did some reading, did some more sleeping. Woke up only once in the middle of the night to Alia freaking out about a mosquito (though I don't like them either). There haven't seemed to be too many bugs yet, but I've been assured by David, our guide, that it'll get worse and malaria is a real problem here.
Things to look forward to:
1. Ougadougou
2. Dogon trek in Burkina Faso
3. The largest mud building in the world, the Djenne (pronounced jenny)Mud Mosque.
It sounds like there is going to be very little internet access until we get back on the 25th of June.
12 days to Timbuktu!
Dinner tonight at 7pm, departure at 7:30am tomorrow.
I'm looking forward to getting on the road, sitting on the roof of the bus, and taking in the wind.
Last night--uneventful. Got a little local joopa(?) rice, turned out to be quite spicy, mostly rice and chilis I think. Did some reading, did some more sleeping. Woke up only once in the middle of the night to Alia freaking out about a mosquito (though I don't like them either). There haven't seemed to be too many bugs yet, but I've been assured by David, our guide, that it'll get worse and malaria is a real problem here.
Things to look forward to:
1. Ougadougou
2. Dogon trek in Burkina Faso
3. The largest mud building in the world, the Djenne (pronounced jenny)Mud Mosque.
It sounds like there is going to be very little internet access until we get back on the 25th of June.
12 days to Timbuktu!
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