Timbuktu - we're here!
We got on the Pinasse at 2. In the meantime, we had met Omar, or rather Omar had met us and became our BFF. He was a tourist guide, but he was returning to his home in TBK and we decided we MAY need him on the boat for 3 days with no English or
Spanish speaking people.
Our BEST decision! Omar was a help from the get go. When we boarded, he helped us stake out our area. We did this with our mats. We rolled them out, got on them, and claimed that territory. Our place was on top of bales of cotton, so it was very comfortable. We could not stand up straight in our "room", but it didn't matter, there was no place to go.
If you are wondering - yes, there was a "bathroom". BUT to get to it took about 8 to 10 minutes,
and involved climbing outside the boat and walking on the gunwales for a section, then coming back in and swinging fro, bamboo rafters to another section; then you would come to the engine room, and this is where I stopped. I returned to my backpack and took another Imodium!
One time Dan went all the way to the toilet, and he said swinging down into the engine compartment with flywheels and shafts moving and cables jumping around was pretty scary. So scary that his trip to the toilet was in vain!!! very sad.
For lesser activities, we just waited until dark, and took advantage of being on the edge of the boat. But even that was a grueling experience.
All the meals were good, all the same. white rice and some brown gravy on it. And one or two small pieces of meat. Omar ate with us. There were no forks or spoons. We ate in our section, our place, our stateroom, sitting on our mats. --- Omar ate with his fingers, Dan and I used our spoons. Omar cut the meat for us. Having first old us he had just washed his hands (that's in the river with no soap) , he picked up the piece of meat with his right hand and squeezed it into three pieces, then he did the other piece the same. He had to squeeze it because it is not allowed to use your left hand with food. --- praying and eating - we enjoyed our dinner; and the other two meals of the same thing. I had store bought cookies for breakfast, and hot coffee. although the dinners were included in our ticket price, hot water was not. I had to pay for that. But not much, and it was surely worth the 50 cents I paid for hot water. We did get a lot of mint tea free however .
Sleeping was really great. There was a nice breeze and a little boat motion, and we must have slept half the time. The rest of our time was watching the river banks and villages, and the people on a trip.
We arrived TBK early. At midnite. We stayed at Omar's home, on the roof. It was very comfortable, and this morning we had coffee and tea, home cooked fresh bread, we brushed our teeth - halleluya - took a bucket bath - another halleluya! and then began out tour of La city.
Our plans are to ride a camel out into desert and spend the nite in the sand dunes, and return to TBK tomorrow afternoon, and get a hotel room. That's the plan anyway.
Pictures are taking so long I may not get any up. if not I'll try another place late.
So - later - from Timbuktu
Johnny
Spanish speaking people.
Our BEST decision! Omar was a help from the get go. When we boarded, he helped us stake out our area. We did this with our mats. We rolled them out, got on them, and claimed that territory. Our place was on top of bales of cotton, so it was very comfortable. We could not stand up straight in our "room", but it didn't matter, there was no place to go.
If you are wondering - yes, there was a "bathroom". BUT to get to it took about 8 to 10 minutes,
and involved climbing outside the boat and walking on the gunwales for a section, then coming back in and swinging fro, bamboo rafters to another section; then you would come to the engine room, and this is where I stopped. I returned to my backpack and took another Imodium!
One time Dan went all the way to the toilet, and he said swinging down into the engine compartment with flywheels and shafts moving and cables jumping around was pretty scary. So scary that his trip to the toilet was in vain!!! very sad.
For lesser activities, we just waited until dark, and took advantage of being on the edge of the boat. But even that was a grueling experience.
All the meals were good, all the same. white rice and some brown gravy on it. And one or two small pieces of meat. Omar ate with us. There were no forks or spoons. We ate in our section, our place, our stateroom, sitting on our mats. --- Omar ate with his fingers, Dan and I used our spoons. Omar cut the meat for us. Having first old us he had just washed his hands (that's in the river with no soap) , he picked up the piece of meat with his right hand and squeezed it into three pieces, then he did the other piece the same. He had to squeeze it because it is not allowed to use your left hand with food. --- praying and eating - we enjoyed our dinner; and the other two meals of the same thing. I had store bought cookies for breakfast, and hot coffee. although the dinners were included in our ticket price, hot water was not. I had to pay for that. But not much, and it was surely worth the 50 cents I paid for hot water. We did get a lot of mint tea free however .
Sleeping was really great. There was a nice breeze and a little boat motion, and we must have slept half the time. The rest of our time was watching the river banks and villages, and the people on a trip.
We arrived TBK early. At midnite. We stayed at Omar's home, on the roof. It was very comfortable, and this morning we had coffee and tea, home cooked fresh bread, we brushed our teeth - halleluya - took a bucket bath - another halleluya! and then began out tour of La city.
Our plans are to ride a camel out into desert and spend the nite in the sand dunes, and return to TBK tomorrow afternoon, and get a hotel room. That's the plan anyway.
Pictures are taking so long I may not get any up. if not I'll try another place late.
So - later - from Timbuktu
Johnny
posted by Johnny at
3:20 AM
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