Saturday 7th February 09 Bamako to Segou

Well what a funny old day this has been. I was woken by Islam at 4.50 am and again an hour later. I got up and showered quite early and went back to the internet café. Hooray, it all worked and you should have my last updates with pictures.

I then got my bread and went back to the Auberge where I packed up and had to wait about an hour before the young girl there was brave enough to take the owners daughter a cup of tea to get her to write my bill so I could leave. I headed off for a quick in and out of Bamako before getting on the road to Segou. A special surprise was seeing the Jardin des Maire de Bamako. My aunt must get about a bit.

Shortly after leaving town there was a bit of a clatter from the roof area. Glad I stopped. The ratchet strap in my tent cover had worn through. I put a couple of straps round the whole lot and left it at that. I will work out a proper fix later. Out into the country on the worst maintained peage I have seen yet and I have a brief glimpse of a 110 travelling in the opposite direction It has a Shropshire number plate ending in UAW. Whoever you are if you see this, hi !

I hope people are finding this at least a little entertaining as I am not well practised in the art of witty literature but a few observations about today. The roads were a bit on the narrow side with bits missing on the edges. It reminded me to wish our cricketers well as I found myself driving on what Mr Boycott might call the corridor of uncertainty. For parts of the journey it was more densely wooded than before and would have been a bit tricky to find a camping spot. Whilst pondering this I saw an increasingly common sight. A crabbing coach. I don’t just mean a bit out, I mean approaching a couple of foot out of alignment. Incredible. You can tell there isn’t anything to steal here as the police and gendermarie plus customs checkpoints just carry on sleeping as you go past.

Has anyone ever had difficulty for carrying too much luggage on a National Coach? Then come here. I have seen about 3 coaches with passengers motorcycles on the roof and just saw a guy getting off the bus with a truck tyre!!!!

Arrived early in Segou and tried a waypoint I had which was the Independence Hotel. Yes I can camp in the courtyard at 3000CFA one person. Perfect. Now all I need is a bucket of bug repellent.

Might be brave on street food although I have a bit of fruit that needs eating.

Night all.