Long day!
I was at the bus station by 8am like I had been told yesterday. In Africa you never know how delayed the transport will be, but if you are out of luck, it might fill up very quickly and even leave before announced time. So better safe than sorry. Anyhow, I was there early. Waited for a good hour before the little kid, Mahmood, from the other day came up and recognized me. A very nice and respectful kid.
Since the bus was obviously going to be quite late and I wanted to buy bananas, we left on a quest for bananas together. It is strange how the days you don't need bananas in Mopti, you bump into them everywhere, and the days you absolutely want some, you can't find them anywhere. We walked so far away to finally find bananas. And funny enough, when we almost arrive back at the station, a banana food cart was just setting up shop in front of the station.
I waited and waited...note and more.
At around 11am, I see two toubabs (white men) pop up at the station. Wow! The first foreign tourists I see since I got to Mali. We quickly start chatting. Mike is Canadian from North Bay and Claudio Italian from Florence. Mike just got back from Timbuktu and shows me photos of a desert sand storm that totally make me want to go there. He used to live in China teaching for several years, the moved to Libya right during the conflict there. Interesting stories. Claudia was in Burkina Faso before getting to Mali. We were in the Pays Dogon at the same time.
And so we chat. Another down pour takes over the city for a couple of hours.
Soon it is 3:30pm. We finally take off. It's about time! 7,5 hours of wait for a 2 hour ride. Uffff! The ride was not that interesting in terms of landscape. It was however very comfortable compared to the ride from Sanga to Bandiagara.
After crossing over the river by ferry with the bus, we finally arrive in the majestic town of Djenne. Wow! It is really something impressive. The mud architecture, mixing Sudanese and Moroccan influences not on regular one floor houses but on two floor houses is just superb!
Only hick up, the town is filled with guides and tours who just won't stop harassing us. It is exhausting and really annoying a the same time. As much as we try to decline every offer politely, they don't give up and keep trying on and on.
We took a while to find a decent hotel for a decent price with a room with three beds. Might as well stay together to negotiate and hold the fort strong against the touts.
The hotel we found is beautiful. A huge central courtyard, Moroccan style with a big tree filled with little yellow birds and their nests in the middle, almost looks like Christmas decoration between the nests and the colors. Rooms all around a large corridor. The whole patio is invaded by numerous white doves flying through the patio and the corridor. Quietness.
We check in, drop our bags, and head back out to enjoy the last minutes of sun light.
We just can't make a step without having several guides around us, aggressively trying to be smooth about the way they suggest their services. Hopefully tomorrow they will get it: we don't want any guide of any sort. No means No.
After dinner, we chit chat with different locals every 3 meters trying to ignore the guides and talk about things other than the cultural sites and tour itinerary subject.
Finally back in our room. Peace and quiet. No one around. Perfect!
Sleepy time.
Monday is the big market day here. It promises to be quite a spectacular day...or so we have been told.
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