November 19, 1980

BAMAKO - DAKAR

Didn't receive my 6:30 wake-up call, so after a year or so of being on the other side of the hotel desk, I had the pleasure of making the complaint for once. I usually feel guilty spending more than rock-bottom prices, but when I saw the train and imagined spending two days between six smelly people without ever being able to stand up-- and in my state of fatigue-- I knew the bed was the only way to go. In fact, it's not so luxurious, anyway-- I have the top of two bunks in a cabin, it's difficult to see out the window, and the sink has standing, dirty water, with a large cockroach doing the back float. What's nice is, besides being able to lie down, being able to leave my bag in relative security while I walk around.

I thought my cabin was being commandeered under martial law when a soldier tried to kick my roommate out, but it turned out that the soldier had the right cabin, wrong car. Later, we found out that my roomie, a Malien doctor, also had the wrong car, and they ended up together after all.

After taking a nap, I was in the best spirits I'd been in for weeks-- not that I've been in bad spirits, but it felt great to be watching the scenery go by, knowing that all my arrangements have been made. Mali has a tropical climate, that is, two seasons, rainy and dry. This is the dry season and the landscape is mostly brown: dry fields of grass and dry leaves in the trees.

I'm still surprised that so many people actually live in little villages of mud huts with thatched roofs, even though many wear western dress, most speak French, and a boy who asked for my address today was even studying English at school. If all the addresses I've handed out to strangers are used, I'm going to be getting some pretty weird mail.

The day goes pretty quickly when you've settled in for a two-day trip; and after nothing more interesting than a couple of roommate changes and frequent passport and ticket checks, the day was done.

PHOTO CREDIT 1
PHOTO CREDIT 2