Breakfast today was at the same place as yesterday though today in his pot he had mutton and onions (instead of liver). Packing then paying the bill Anne and I were ready to leave, waiting for the others by watching a bit of television. Sue told us they wanted to leave later but Anne and I wanted to avoid travelling during the day so we agreed to leave now and meet them later in Bamako.

The bus service to Bamako is very good with buses leaving starting at 7:00 am and then every hour thereafter until 5:00 PM. The amazing thing is that they actually DO leave according to this schedule. 2,500 CFA secured a seat on the bus for 9:00. A bit of indecision as to which bus (there were a few buses with people milling around in obvious confusion) to take but we eventually had assurance that the bus we boarded would indeed be going to Bamako. 240 km away. 12:30 we arrived at the bus company's office (can't really call it a terminal) in Bamako, just a stone's throw away from where we began our exploration of Mali with our first bus to Ségou how many days ago? The bus trip had been relatively uneventful with no problems (to speak of) with the mechanical elements and no notable happenings.

Arriving in Bamako we agreed that the quickest and easiest way to get to the hotel we had found listed in the guidebook would be to catch a taxi. Describing where we wanted to go was another matter as the taxi did not seem to know where this hotel was (despite pointing it out on a map to him and a number of other people). Eventually we got in the cab and were joined by another lady whose assistance would be appreciated later in the journey as she eventually figured out for the cab driver where we actually wanted to go (he set off having not a clue). He complained (I am assuming) about the fact that where we went was not where he thought (I guess we did not give him enough money). The destination that caused the confusing? (Hotel) Les Cédras that is just to the north-west of the train station and so conveniently located for that as well as the centre of the city. It had a good write-up though looked a bit grimy when we first arrived. We were given the best room in the hotel (at 30,000 CFA for both of us) which is two bedrooms, ensuite (shower and toilet) and, blessed, air-conditioning which we put on right away. For some reason the television we saw in other rooms was not present in ours (though the antenna cable was there). This is a bit of a disappointment to me – we are paying so much for the room!

Heading out into the day we went in search of somewhere to eat and ended up at a rather good place right opposite the train station (well, the entrance to the train station car park) which served a very good Chawarma sandwich as well as other Lebanese dishes (including some local dishes, though not many). We sat down at a table with two other people in the crowded dining area and ordered our drinks and Chawarma noticing that there was also a television. Quite good.

We are hoping to catch the train back to Senegal – the same train we had failed to get going in the opposite direction from Dakar to Bamako. We decided it would be a good idea to check at the train station about the train although we were told that we had to queue for tickets early tomorrow (Tuesday). Arriving at the train station, of course, we were asked why we had not been there TODAY to get our names on the “reservation list” (whatever that is) so that we can purchase tickets tomorrow. Having not been told to, that is why. To their obvious disgust, we were told to come back at 7:00 tomorrow to see what could be done about this “disaster”. Now I know that I won't be sleeping so well tonight…

Muttering beneath our breath we headed out of the train station in search of a bank. Before leaving The Gambia I had picked up a fair amount of CFA but I had also picked up some more when we had been in Dakar. That was quite some time ago so now I am beginning to run a little low, at least, lower than I feel comfortable. We followed the road running parallel to the train tracks on the south side occasionally abandoning the pavement (sidewalk) for the road where our lives were in mortal danger from the teeming masses of bush taxis and other street traffic here (mopeds galore). The sidewalk was interesting in and of itself having stalls selling all manner of goods and ladies sitting on boxes selling different kinds of foods (in the process of cooking and already cooked). The dried fish was a bit of a smell I did not really want to prolong so we hurried onwards to the National Assembly building where we headed south for a bit towards the market but eventually abandoned the attempt and headed back north past the train tracks then along the somewhat quieter street north of the station back to the hotel.

There was, to our surprise, a bank here. Well, in a small set of shops attached to the Grand Hotel. We were politely informed that they would not give me an advance on my Visa but they directed me to a bank where I could – quite some distance away, unfortunately. We left the air conditioned comfort of the bank a bit discouraged. Anne had wanted to see the bookstore in the Grand Hotel so after a few seconds of indecision in we went. It is truly another world with the marble floor lobby and the rates to match (79,000 CFA cheapest, 200,000 CFA executive suite). We found the small book store attached to the lobby so we went in to find a small table in the middle of the room with magazines and small piles of books and all the walls covered with shelves full of books. It was a small room though and, unfortunately, all the books were in French (to our disappointment) though the manager assured us he did have National Geographic (en Français) but not at this point in time…

Disappointed we were on our way out the door of the hotel when we noticed a small “business centre” to the left. Entering we found five or six very nice, modern computers arranged along two of the walls providing Internet access at the amazing price of 2,000 CFA per hour, which was cheaper than any of the other places we had visited on this trip! We settled ourselves down for some Internet-ing before returning once again to the hotel.

At 7:00 I was finding M. Hugo's description of the Battle of Waterloo in Les Misérables a bit tedious so we headed out once again in search of something to eat. We had not yet seen Chris and Sue leading us to wonder where they could have got to. They were supposed to check into the same hotel.

For dinner we had a place in mind that was supposed to serve excellent “Senegalese” food. We wandered around in search of the place going down some dark streets though the traffic did not seem to mind as they continued their relentless activity all around us. Eventually we found a lady selling something like that on the street outside of this aforementioned restaurant (which, itself, looked none too inviting). Where we sat down (with a brief excursion to the shop next door to pick up some drinks and water – the store owner charging me 1,000 CFA for two then feeling a bit guilty, and so he should, he gave back 100 CFA) and then helped ourselves to some of the delights on offer.

Just south of our hotel on the main road leading into the heart of Bamako there is a massive roundabout that we have to negotiate every time we head out. It is a number of lanes (unmarked) wide with a park in the middle (Place de la Liberté). To walk through or around it you have to pass over any number of roads entering into the roundabout where access is controlled by traffic lights though traffic exiting just do so at their whim. In the dark of the night it was…interesting.

The room was nice though, chilled with the air conditioner that we have left on all day. We put our water bottles in front of the unit so they should be nicely cool for tomorrow.

I should sleep quite well tonight. I always sleep well with air conditioning as I can curl up in blankets to get warm (instead of spread-eagled on top of them).

⇒ Continue to Day 24 - Tuesday, August 10th, 2004