Vacation, part II

I don’t remember much about the bus ride from Segou to Mopti, the starting point for our hike in Dogon country, other than it was hot and long and I was overjoyed when we finally reached our destination.  The hotel in Mopti, called Y’a pas de problème (There’s no problem), was an oasis.  We had one big room with several twin beds, all covered in clean bright yellow sheets, and ceiling fans. The hotel also had a small pool and a restaurant on the top floor.  We met our guide Oumar that night at the hotel and he explained logistics while we scarfed down dinner and guzzled cold water.  A gutted van, retrofitted with wooden benches, picked us up the next morning and brought us into Dogon country.  Dogon country is a region of Mali dominated by steep rocky mountains, flat plains, and sand dunes that is populated by the Dogon people.  The legend is that this area was originally inhabited by the Tellum people, who built stone houses and structures in the hills to protect themselves from wild animals and attacks from enemies.  Seeing West Africa as it is today, it’s difficult to remember that not too long ago there really were lions, elephants, antelope, etc running around.  The Dogon people left their homeland because of war and migrated to the area occupied by the Tellum.  The Tellum, avoiding confrontation at all costs and preferring to remain solitary, fled the area when the Dogon people arrived.  The Dogon originally occupied the houses built into the hills by the Tellum, but eventually moved onto the flat valley below, as it proved easier to farm, build, and live here.  Our guide told us that his father’s generation lived in the hills, while he was raised in the valley.

            For being as remote and isolated as it is, tourism is fairly developed in Dogon country.  Several houses along the route have been made over into tourist stops, meaning they are equipped to feed and house groups of tourists trekking through Dogon country.  Accommodations would definitely be described as modest, but the food was good and the mattresses were clean.  Each stop had thin mattresses you could spread out in a room or on the roof, depending on your tolerance of the wind and cold (“cold”, it was probably in the 50s or 60s).  Breakfast was laughing cow cheese, nutella, and jam with bread and coffee or tea.  For lunch we had our choice of a carb (couscous, pasta, or rice) with a vegetable sauce, with the same deal for dinner plus meat.  At the end of every lunch and dinner we also got several little shot glasses of tea.  The tea was made from loose leaves in a small pot cooked over a charcoal fire and was sweetened with sugar.  Going around in a circle, everyone is served a shot’s worth until the tea is finished.  It was perfect – a little shot of caffeine and warmth during a tiring, and for my standards chilly, hike. 

    We hiked for four days but I never saw a trail.  We were mostly going up and down rocky cliffs and Oumar never seemed lost.  We hiked to the top of the cliffs a few times and were greeted with amazing views.  At a few points we had to cross over deep crevices by shimmying across an old wood ladder.  Oumar assured us they were stable but in the same breath advised us not to put our feet on certain less stable parts.  We moved at a pretty good clip but still had time to take lots of pictures.  At one point we stopped in a small village and were made to drink their version of chouk (millet beer) before we got to walk around the market.  The beer tasted and looked like cloudy water but when you're thirsty you'll try just about anything.  We saw sand dunes behind the market and went to explore, only to stop short of climbing the dunes to marvel at a camel we saw tied to a tree.  A camel!  It made the desert feel pretty close.  We continued on for 3 more days, and then after another night in Y'a pas de probleme (where we found delicious sweet potato fries being sold on the street) we were headed back to Benin.  When I finally got home, checked that my cat was still alive and my house still standing, I pretty much slept and unpacked for the better part of a week.  A tough but amazing, unpredictable but beautiful vacation.