It was glorious to sleep past 7:30 this morning. Last night was difficult as some of the other people staying on the terrace were up until quite late at night and moving beds around and talking loudly.

Anne and I headed to a small stall across the way that Chris and Sue had recommended. We had a serving of liver and onions (in a small bowl long with some of the wonderful bread they have here. It was quite tasty (but not what I would consider a normal “breakfast”). Chris had beaten us for breakfast having been up at 4:00 he ate at the same place when he opened at about 5:00.

Anne and I spent the rest of the day together beginning with a leisurely stroll through the market. Anne was in the market for a new bag as her “100 Dalasis” (£2) special from The Gambia had decided to give up (the zippers were gone). We visited every stall that had anything resembling a bag though she eventually had to make do with something not quite to her liking.

Visiting the market we also came across a stall selling dried foods that we have seen tried in The Gambia (to variable degrees of success). They had dried meat, vegetables as well as fruit. We looked at the whole inventory and bought a few samples to take back with us (or enjoy on the trip home). Anne bought some mango and coconut while I picked more savoury items: beef and onion.

The whole day I had been drinking some of the frozen juices they sell on the street. I suppose I should be a bit more careful as it is questionable as to whether they boil the water when they are making the juices. They taste good anyway. Last time we were here I had a very good ginger one.

10:30 we had had enough of walking around so we returned to the hotel and had some fresh juice before retiring for some serious “doing nothing”. I tried to get into Les Misérables again for the 100th time, it seems, on this trip. I don't seem to be able to really get into it though perhaps it was not quite the best choice of book to bring with me on such a trip as this. Perhaps something less demanding, perhaps John Grishom or something like that?

Chris and Sue eventually returned to the hotel to tell us that they had decided not to organise a trip to the Bozo village on the other side (this is one of the things we had been thinking about doing when we returned to Ségou) and that there was some football on the television in the hotel dining room! It turned out to be Manchester United and Arsenal (the “Charity Cup” or something like that) which I thought was quite good. We followed it by watching a bit of rally. It is strange after our experiences to be getting back into things like this though…

Sue and Chris decided they wanted to stay in a room. Doubtless for the privacy as well as television and fan.

Anne and I ate dinner at the bar across the road (I had the same as I had the last time: Captaine a la Bamakoise with chips, you don't have to ask what I had to drink!). We were short on water and it was getting a bit late so we went in search of some. We eventually found some for 400 CFA (the cheapest we have ever had) at a shop near to the market, a good 100 meters from the hotel. Before retiring we went for a short walk along the river.

Cards passed a bit of time in the hotel though we quickly grew tired of that and headed off for bed. It is raining a bit but not too hard. Tomorrow we return to Bamako and, hopefully, the train.

⇒ Continue to Day 23 - Monday, August 9th, 2004