Pictures from Mali

In Bamako

Shopping for Malian clothes in a market in Bamako A tailor making a skirt and shirt for Wendi from some indigo-dyed cloth we bought Loading the bus in Bamako for a 10-hour ride to Mopti to begin our trek in Dogon country

Trekking in Dogon Country

Boats along the Niger River in Mopti that bring salt down from Timbouctou Wendi in Djigibombo, the first Dogon village we visited Leaving Djigibombo and heading down the escarpment towards the next village. The man with the bag on his head (he was going to the next village and carried some of our food) is deaf and mute. He was the easiest person to communicate with since he's very good at charades!
Wendi sleeping on a roof in Kani-Kombole. This roof had no stick to support the mosquito netting, so we improvised with a chair. A bunch of Dogon kids in Kani-Kombole. They enjoyed laughing at Wendi trying to climb up to the roof in her skirt and jumping to reach the clothes drying on the line. Modeling the Malian clothes we'd bought in Bamako
The Dogon are famous for their carvings. Pictured here are some roof supports and a door. This man is the king of the Dogon. He is probably in his 70s, lives in this cave in the escarpment, drinks rainwater, and has the villagers bring him food. He only comes down once a week between 3 and 4 AM to be with his wife. In some of the Dogon villages, flies were particularly bad. Here they are attracted to the jam on our breakfast spoon.

Visiting Djenne

Djenne is supposed to be very similar to Timbouctou, also in Mali. We decided on Djenne, though, as Timbouctou was a 3 day boat ride up the river.
We were invited to a wedding in Djenne and sat right next to the bride and groom, pictured here. The tea ceremony was quite common in Mali. Here Nouhom-Dio, a friend of the guide we hired, is pouring the tea at his house. Everyone drinks 3 glasses. These kids (or at least some of them) are Nouhom-Dio's family.
People do all their shopping at the colorful market. Africans use a piece of branch from a certain type of tree for brushing their teeth. This is a famous mosque in Djenne. It is built from mud and must be repaired every year after the rainy season. The sticks in the walls enable people to climb the walls to repair them.
We weren't sure who the cute little kid was, but he kept following us around.