"Marrakech Express"

I'm back in Bamako after a fun and eventful (mostly in a good way) African adventure with none other than Mr. and Mrs. Mom and Dad Dyer. The flew into la capitale the evening of January 15th for two weeks of African-style fun... you know, getting hot and dusty while being yelled at. We were constantly on the move in order to see as much of Mali as we could. It was a hectic eight days, but we got to experience quite a lot: spending the night in my site and being mauled by dirty children, surviving the swarming-with-mendicants riverfront in Mopti, full day hike in Dogon Country complete with cliff dwellings, elephant-viewing in Gossi. We even made it up to Gao, a land not often reached by tubabs – even Volunteers! Despite the car breakdowns, crowded buses, arguments in Bambara over 25 cents, dirty utensils, lack of indoor plumbing, and general harassment, both my mom and dad did beautifully in handling the typical crises faced by tourists in Mali. I’ll let these pictures do the rest of the story-telling: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2156279&l=e7ee2&id=1404038

Somehow, even before seeing the country with his own eyes, Dad knew that we would be needing a little break after our Malian adventure. So onto Morocco! We flew from Bamako to Casablance then boarded the train to Marrakech. The North African leg of our trip was decidedly more comfortable, less frantically-paced, and tastier than the West African one. Trust me - after the chaos of Mali, the legendary bustle of a Marrakchi souk is no big deal. In addition to exploring Marrakech (with AND without the help of GPS), we got to spend a day in the High Atlas Mountains admiring Moroccan highway engineering, snow, and baby goats. Again, in lieu of stories, take a look at these: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2156362&l=3d823&id=1404038

The entire trip was the classic definition of an adventure: something you’re glad you did, but only after it’s over. To hear more, stay tuned for the ponderings of guest blogger Julia B. Dyer! Until then, TAS is OUT.