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bamako, Mali
In Bamako.. Spent the first day and a half getting over jet leg and waiting in suspense over our missing backpack.. which arrived this morning! Also with a massive headache for the past 18hrs due to the sun and the thick smoke in the air. They burn all their garbage just outside of town and that combined with the dust from the desert blowing in and the hundreds or more like thousands of small fires burning nightly where people spend their evenings gathered drinking tea, sleeping, and sometimes with a small t.v. set up all adds up to a very smoky city. We went on a long walk yesterday to start exploring, we crossed a bridge over the Niger river. On shore below a group was doing laundry. It was an extremely colorful sight. Bright colored fabrics contrasted the muddy water and the rusted makeshift tin fence that they hung over drying out across a span of 30 or 40 meters. On top of the bridge was packed tight.. like most places here. It was a struggle at times to not get pushed off the sidewalk and get instantly smoked by a moped. The sidewalks were full of colorful people with all sorts of baskets and bowls and sacks on their heads filled with all kinds of food and goods to sell. Girls with bananas on their heads and babies on their backs were everywhere, and boys with second hand clothes and long sheets of calling cards and pieces of cardboard with sunglasses stabbed through and sewing machines on their shoulders to go sew at the market. People hissing and making kissing sounds to get your attention and all the vehicles are always honking. Theres a constant and endless stream of mopeds everywhere! and usually with 2 people on each, their transit is these green vans that are packed full as sardines with so much stuff strapped on top that some look like they are about to fall over. People run up while they are moving and hang on to the door handle and then manage to open the door and twist inside. They do the same to get off. They do stop for tourists though. Crossing the street takes some getting used to and still feels like a great accomplishment when i make it to the other side. anyway that is the experience of walking around, there is so much more to be said about the market, the people, culture and food. Its something else. Today we are going to get our bus tickets to Kayes and we leave on the 12 hr bus ride tommorow.
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