The road to Timbuktu

After Dogon country we went to a town called Sevare, right next to Mopti. Our goal was Timbuktu, but we were told at the last minute that we needed special Ambassadorial permision in order to go there, because of the travel alert for Northern Mali. So....we were in Sevare. Which was a great place to be stuck, because we stayed at a hotel called Mac's Refuge that was just like a slice of America. Mac himself presided over the family-style dinners, passing around bowls of soup, salad, bread baskets, asking who would like more. It was easy to forget that we weren't invited guests, the atmosphere was so welcoming. Highly recommended! But, in the end, we got approval, and Arwen and I got into a packed Landrover bound for Timbuktu. It was definitely worth the trouble! The town itself is mostly a jumple of curvy streets, mud brick houses, dotted with heavy wooden doors studded in silver. These buildings must have been magnificent when they were new, with every entrance gleaming silver in the sun. There were tons of othr tourists there, and I had forgotten how pleasant it is to feel lost in a crowd, not standing out all the time. The market was neat, because besides the usual vegetables and spices, there were vendors selling slabs of desert salt. It looks like quartz, glittering white salt, one of the reasons for the city's past glory. And perhaps the highlight of our visit was a camel ride into the Sahara, to visit a Tuareg camp. Watching the sun set, red-gold, over the sand, while feeling the peculiar rolling gait of a camel, with nomads' tents spread out across the dunes...well, it was a surreal experience. And I learned a piece of desert wisdom that I think applies to all: "s'eloigner les tentes, s'approcher les coeurs". Which is so true! The same as "distance makes the heart grow fonder". And there was so much beautiful Tuareg handicrafts for sale: jewelry and leather, all sorts of things, that it was impossible to resist. We've had such smooth travels, seen so many fascinating places. This is a great vacation!