Tambacounda

Bus to Kidira, which, despite leaving 'Toute suites' at 07.45 finally departed at 09.30. No room inside so i got a ride 'en haut' with 2 friendly mateys which was much comfier than inside, lying on various sacks and bags of vegetables etc, and with much better views. Slightly hairy at times as whenever we approached a gendarmes checkpoint we weren't meant to be on the roof so we had to climb down the ladder at the back and in through the door. Naturally the bus didn't stop or even slow down to facilitate this and the roads being what they were the bus would be bouncing over pot holes or swerving to avoid them as we went - It was a very rough dirt route.

(Eds note. I have always remembered this journey as one of the best parts of my travels. The fun of riding on the roof, with the spice of illegality and gendarmes, and the climbing up and down while in motion, a fantastic trip. Afforded a few glimpses of wildlife, but also made me think about how people lived out here. This was dry arid bushland, not features and seemingly nothing to live on, but every 20 miles of so the bus would stop and a lady, often pregnant and carrying or escorting another small child, would get off and head off into the bush in the middle of nowehere - How did they eke out a living out there?).

Saw a tribe of monkeys crossing the road (vervets?) and a couple of squirrels with black and white hooped tails, and a couple of very large slow lizards about 2.5 feet long.

Argued with a small girl in a village over the price of water, she charged me 25, then the price changed to 50. I argued the point, then split the bag and spilt the water all down myself.

Arrived in Kidira about 4pm, had a coke and our passports stamped. Walked over the bridge to Dibouli in Mali, completed formalities and were then told there was a goods train later that night to Kayes .Okumaya devam et