An Evening At The Bar Of The Hôtel Bouctou

I needed liquid refreshment so I headed to the bar. The Spanish group that was at the Y A Pas De Probleme was there. I could have come with them on their boat, but decided to opt for the real African (hellish beyond belief) experience. And I got it! They started out there and then went out with the Tuareg and probably hung with them for a while. Most likely an exasperating situation as they will have undoubtedly tried to pry as much money from the comparatively rich Spaniards as possible.

I got invited for tea when I headed to the bar, but I stayed long enough that it was pitch black when I returned to my room in the annexe. Even while I was reading and writing in the bar, about 5 Tuareg people came up to try to sell me stuff. Actually, it was nice stuff for some pretty good (desperate) prices. But I can only absorb so much stuff even if it is priced well. Sorry Tuareg merchants.

The thing about the bar I least expected, though, was the number of locusts and beetles. It was swarming with them. I moved away from the door and then a half hour later, the remaining Spaniards (half went to another restaurant) moved to my table away from the fluorescent lights.
Chokoroba came by and recommended some stuff I can't afford on this trip. The guides are geared up for people doing a once in a lifetime Mali trip. I'm doing a West African survey trip. I'm after breadth and not willing to pay much for depth. I have my own objectives and don't countenance people trying to tell me how I ought to travel. They are used to people wanting to experience depth. And that's not me. I'm perfectly happy observing the Tuareg without having tea with them. Besides I'm pretty damn sure that "tea with the Tuareg" is not a real Tuareg experience but an attempt to leverage their hospitality to pry money out of the tourists. Who needs that? Maybe I'm being too cynical, but I never went wrong over-estimating the desire of Africans to fleece white tourists as much as possible. The Tuareg are merchants through and through and see everything as an opportunity to sell using whatever tactics they think will work. The one thing they have really have in their advantage is that the Tuareg are really attractive people. They are good looking and their unique attire look damn good on them. The indigo blue of their clothing is a gorgeous shade of blue.

It's warm in my room. I'm looking forward to tonight though. After two horrible nights, I always have a good sleep. So I'm anticipating a pretty good sleep tonight since the last two nights were among the worst of my trip.

September 25, 2008 22:23 Mali local time