Africa 2006

Tens of mosquitoes. Five cold showers. Three power cuts. One long night.

Such was my first night at the Auberge Toguna in Bamako, Mali’s capital, where the air conditioner mysteriously blew coolish air and yet the room remained warmer than the hall outside.

My one full day in Bamako, a city far more pleasant than I had anticipated, was primarily spent on practical matters. First up was locating the mysterious Visa Entente Cordial: rumour has it that buying this visa from one of the relevant countries (Cote d’Ivoire, Benin, Togo, Niger and Burkina Faso) gives entry to all five of the countries, saving on time and visa costs. But very few embassies actually issue it or even acknowledge its existence.

I started with the Cote d’Ivoire Embassy with no success. Then I visited the Consulate of Togo (escorted to the door of the office by a man who drove me there on his moto, free of charge, after I asked him for directions at his corner store). The Consul himself informed me that the Entente Cordiale no longer existed. I countered that I had only two pages left in my passport to fit the remaining visas. The Consul assured me that I could buy a visa for Togo (which I did) and if I showed border officials that my passport was nearly full, and paid a small “fine”, it should be no problem to use in all the relevant countries. We’ll have to see to the truth of that, but my books say most other visas are available at borders in any case.

Next errand was arranging for a guide for my upcoming trip to Dogon Country, often seen as the highlight of any trip to Mali. I met Karen, an American who co-owns Toguna Adventure Tours, to co-ordinate this part of the trip.

My afternoon was spent visiting an impressive (and air-conditioned!) National Museum and wandering around the city – who knew so many different shades of brown could make a city so pretty?

In the evening I was invited to break the fast on the street with a small group of men, one of whom owned a small shop where I had been buying my mineral water. They offered me a tasty local dish, whose name I neglected to write down, of millet, flour and water.

The next morning, after I much more pleasant sleep at the Auberge, I left at 7am to catch an early bus for the 260 km journey to Segou, Mali’s “second city”.