Up the Niger River in a pinasse

After Timbuktu, I took a small pinasse and travelled up the Niger River for 3 days. Seeing the villages and small settlements dotted on the banks of the river, men netting fish in their little canoes, women washing clothes by the river and children herding cows and goats, it is unforgettable. At night the starry sky reminded me of a few years ago when I took a felucca down the Nile. Two rivers, two places, but I felt it became very blurry as to where exactly I was. It felt like the two places were one, under the same beautiful sky. And falling asleep while staring at the stars is the best thing in life!

Timbuktu

Sand and dirt are everywhere, and it feels like this place should have been swallowed by the Sahara long time ago. It's not as majestic as I had thought of it, maybe any legends that are associated with Timbuktu have been erased by the wind and sand.

En route to Timbuktu

I left Bamako this morning, after about 9 hours on a bus, I arrived to Mopti. From Mopti, I can either take a boat or shared 4WD to Timbuktu. But I think I'll first stay in Mopti for 2 nights and then decide how I want to reach Timbuktu.