I am beginning to really like Ségou and I think a lot of that has to do with Djoliba where we are staying. I slept very well with the mosquito net keeping out pretty much all of the many bugs that seem to be around (must be the rainy season). Anne and I, still sulking a bit from yesterday, helped ourselves to breakfast at the hotel with her having museli (yes! – 1,000 CFA) and myself having the small breakfast (1,500 CFA). Sue and Chris went across the street earlier and had coffee as well as liver and onions that they found were fantastic! Have to try that some time here.

Anne and I decided to see a bit of the area so we went for a walk along the river away from the city. Beginning with a small tour of the market area we purchased a few limes (to add to water to improve the flavour and add a bit of nutrients) as we looked over what was available. Things here look pretty much the same as what you would be able to get in a market in The Gambia. Leaving the market area we headed to the river where we visited the Hotel de L'Esplanade to see how it compared to where we were staying. This also had a rather dirty pool and looked quite run down though it did have nice views of the river. We headed out down the river and passed by the pottery market. Here they had all sorts of pottery in a brown colour with subtle designs. The pottery itself is largely hand-formed (with the main body of the pot formed on a wheel) and is quite thick and serious-looking. We headed away from the river and passed by some older colonial-style buildings in massive compounds with large gardens surrounding the buildings (within the compound). The streets were quite quiet as we stopped at a small shop and had a fruit juice. Sitting outside of the shop with a few other people we were offered to try some of a rather odd looking bread-like substance that reminded me of (wait for it) brains – it was a large bowl full of this yellow-grey looking substance that we tore a piece off of. It was not that good but I assured our hosts that it was “bonne” (smiling as I struggled to swallow). Walking back I purchased a massive grapefruit from a lady sitting on the ground near our hotel (in a small stall) who had a large pile of them beside her (almost taller than she was as she sat there). At the hotel we sat in the Bantaba and just chatted. The maitre'd eventually came over and turned the fake waterfall on for us to enjoy – I think he still feels a bit guilty about yesterday. We sat for quite some time watching the geckos (more lizards!) and birds.

Later we visited the bus terminal (which we were helpfully directed to by the hotel) just as the rain was beginning to fall (we could see them looming overhead as we hurried to the bus terminal) to see about the bus for tomorrow to Djenné. We learned that we were to come back tomorrow at 8:00 for the bus which then leaves at 11:30. As the rain was beginning to come down we sat down for some food. I tried some of the local Domodah (groundnut soup on rice, supposedly) while the others had a “tomato sauce” on rice. The Domodah was not as rich as I am used to in The Gambia but it was alright.

We relaxed a bit in the afternoon with Chris and Sue giving me a “masterclass” in how to use their water filter. Instead of purchasing mineral water or purifying water using tablets all the time (the water here is generally safe but it is recommended to avoid stomach problems to drink bottled water) they decided to bring with them a hand-operated water filter. Putting one tube into the water to be filtered and the other tube into where the water should go you simply pump the plunger to filter the water. The filter itself, inside, is ceramic that simply has to be washed on occasion. “Mr. Chris” (as he is known by some people at his job in The Gambia) is to issue me with a “certificate” if he is satisfied with my water pumping abilities. I can only hope that I can live up to his expectations so I can hang this certificate on my wall at home (the other joke is that I will add it to my CV as well).

Anne had a bit of a headache so Sue, Chris and I headed out for a walk through some of the back streets of the city that they had been visiting earlier. We passed by many compounds with smiling people greeting us at every turn. We managed to try a bit of some local fruit that was the size of a VERY large grape with a huge pit inside but surrounded by a pulp (under the outer skin) that was a lot like a mushy avocado. I don't know if I like it or not. The young lady we bought them from certainly thought we were amusing. We walked back along the river and, again, watched the sun set while we sat and chatted. Today there was no real sunset because of the clouds and while we sat there numerous artisans were trying to sell us their products, nice, but not yet, perhaps on the way back, if we pass through Ségou.

Returning we ate at the small bar/restaurant across from the hotel which was quite pleasant. I ordered “Captaine a la Bamakoise” (Captaine fish with plantain and a tomato sauce) which the guidebooks indicate is a local speciality. Earlier in the day Sue and Chris had met two people travelling from The Gambia, Diana a lady visiting the UK and Ebrima who comes from The Gambia. They met us at the restaurant and we spent a good amount of the evening chatting away. Diana and Ebrima are planning pretty much what we are planning so it seems as though they will be joining us for part of our journey! Travelling with more people should make some things (such as transport) a bit easier to arrange.

A bit more of a relaxing day but tomorrow promises to be a lot more travelling.

⇒ Continue to Day 7 - Saturday, July 24th, 2004