Out of Africa

Hello friends! I am back from my trip as of monday evening and although I'm swamped with overdue work and homework, I wanted to throw up some pictures. Here's a few from my very very busy and incredibly awesome trip.


Famous mud mosque of Djenne (UNESCO world heritage site)


The morning view from my mat on the roof where I slept the first night we trekked in Dogon Country.


Dogon village where we spent another night on the roof (if you look to the right just above center, you can see the campement with the mats on part of the roof).


Chief of the village where we visited a Peace Corps volunteer for a day.


Yes, termite mounds can really get that big (and even bigger!)


Sunset on the Bani River in the port city of Mopti.


Regular traffic scene in the bustling capital city of Bamako, my home for two years. The locals have taken to calling it Obamako. *g*


My adorable goddaughter and my future sister-in-law. :-)

africa here i come!

As I mentioned earlier, I'm off to Africa on Friday. Will be leading a group of 10 people on a 10-day trip to my old stomping grounds. Of course I'm terribly excited but also apprehensive at being in charge of everything. Lots of details and a jam-packed itinerary. But it will be great to be back there, to visit all of the sights and to give lots of gifts to DFs family. :)

Here are some pics to give you an idea of where I'll be...

We'll be trekking up in this area for two days and nights. It's rugged and beautiful and totally fascinating. The villages we will visit are places I have been to before. I think the hikes are doable by everyone in the group. Hey, if I can do it, anyone can. I'm soooo not physically fit. lol. Of course, temperatures are in the 100s now, so we'll be taking it slow (and staying put during midday).

Crazy fun at the open market in the capital city. This was my view every day going to and from work. Total chaos. But it all works out in the end.



mmm, I hope I get to eat some of my favorite dishes. Groundnut stew, riz au gras, and good ol' rice and sauce. Fried plaintains too. Oh yeah.

So I'm not sure if I'll get a chance to blog between now and Friday, but I'll certainly have some stories to share in a week or so. K'an b'en sooni!