Siguri to Bamako - Day 241

Date: April 16th, 2010
Distance: Cheating by taxi
Country: Mali
Song of the Day: 241 - Reel Big Fish

Woke up today, and was feeling okay. I figured I could make the trip to Bamako by truck. I was still rushing to the toilet just before or after each meal though. So I figured I wouldn't eat anything until I got into Bamako. I would still need to drink lots, but I figured that would just get sweated out. I really wanted to get out of Guinea as well.

So I packed up and headed out. I found the big truck stop, but it turns out nothing was leaving that day. I would have to wait until the next day. I didn't want to do that. So I went over to the taxi stand and found something there that was going. I know this is cheating, but I figure you get dysentery, you can take a car. It took a while to get everything ready though. Once there were enough people going, the driver had to get gas. Then fix the water pump with a little epoxy. After seeing it, I knew why the engine was running like it did.

The ride itself wasn't as bad as I though. I was stuck in the front seat with another guy. That was actually pretty good. I think they crammed at least 8 people into the back. The idle in the car was all messed up, so it would quit at random times. Then we would have to push start the car. It also needed a gallon of water every 30km. There was no radiator cap anymore, just a ragged hole to pour water into. Despite it all, the car did make it to Bamako.

Just to the edge though. From there I had to get into the center of town. So it was back on the bike. The road in was being working on. So it was all torn up. There were cars going all over it. Oh, and it was dark. So not the best trip into town.

Once inside the city I was struck by how impressive it was. Big modern buildings. Electricity that is on 24 hours a day. It was such a change from the last three countries. I thought I was back in civilization.

Eventually I bounced my way around to the Catholic Mission in town. It was after 10:00 PM though. Still, the very kind sister running the place let me in. They had a bed in a dorm style room to stay in. Perfect for me.

Now I just needed to get some food. I was starving. I wanted some soup. Simple soup. There were two restaurants across the street. The first one only had spaghetti and fish. The second one was supposed to have banana milkshakes. I thought that would have been amazing. Sadly, they were out. They didn't have soup either. But they showed me what the did have, which was eggplant stew. Close enough. It was really good too.

While eating, I started talking with this guy Dominic. He was also a traveler staying at the mission. It turns out that he had been going through west Africa as well. He had traveled much of the rest of Africa as well, and said that this part, specifically Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cote D'Ivoir were the hardest place to travel in Africa. I felt a little better after that. The last month and a half have probably been tougher than I have noticed. I am also looking forward to east Africa. It was quite a fun talk.

By then it was midnight, and I was able to crash despite the miserable heat.

-Dravis