Timbuktu To Kabara: Anger Builds

I woke up nice and early and somewhat refreshed, but certainly not completely refreshed. I needed a second infusion of cash and to do some interneting, so I headed to the ATM south of town. On the way there, a dog started following me. I was tempted to ask if it had any jewelry to sell me, but I refrained since the only one who would get the joke was me and I had already formulated the joke and gotten all the amusement from it. There is no third person to observe and laugh. I got my money and headed to the library with the internet.

On the way there, a guy asked me "comment s'appel le chien?" "Je ne sais pas. Il juste me suivi," I replied. I went into the internet cafe and got an hour of connection. I had a CFA 2000 note and the guy promised to give me my change later. Yeah, right. I know that one. I'll remember, you asshole--you won't get the CFA 1000 from me! I spent an hour on the internet and when I left, I got my CFA 1000. They told me I forgot my dog. I told them it wasn't my dog.

I went to the Hôtel Bouctou and Ali Baba told me that the boat would arrive today. That we would go at 1 or 2pm to get a good bed for me. OK, no problem. It was close to 11am which meant I could hang out in the bar of the Bouctou and have a couple waters and a couple beers even. And that's what I had: 2 1.5 liter bottles of water and 2 beers for CFA 3500. It was about 1pm and I wanted to pay. I gave the waiter CFA 5000 and he said he needed to go get change. Holy crimeny! Can't any business in Timbuktu handle a damned CFA 5000 note?! It's annoying as hell. I waited and waited. I was expecting Ali Baba to come and get me anytime and I was expecting my CFA1500 in change. At 1:15, neither were here. I was impatient and pacing the place. A guy came in and entered the "Direction" office and came out. He noticed I looked agitated. "Ça va?" he asked. I gave him a sharp "non!" "J'ai payée CFA 5000 pour le facture de CFA3500 il y a longtemps et je n'ai pas deja ma monnaie!" He went out to where the group of hangers-on hangs out and demanded that they give me give me CFA 1500. And they promptly did. He went to the back room and brought out a cod orange juice and said something I didn't understand. It looked like he was trying to placate me with a cold 1.5 liters of flavored drink. I said I had too much luggage.

I noticed that some of the people there were afraid of me. I spent of lot of time writing into my Moleskine with a fountain pen. They kept asking if I was a journalist or a writer or an author. I kept telling them I wasn't but they didn't seem to believe me. They seemed apprehensive that I was going to write about them. One guy told me he was sure that I was writing a book for my home country. I assured him I wasn't. The staff started shoeing the more annoying people away from me.

Around 11 I went and got my stuff from my room and checked out. A kid who had asked me if I needed water for the trip (I didn't) came a half hour later and asked if I needed biscuits for the trip. I assumed the people who threw out my garbage told him I had an empty box of biscuits and told him. All these guys are totally in cahoots. In fact their networks are trans-city. He had earlier claimed that he too was going to Gao. He wasn't on the boat and I suspect he only had plans to go to Gao if I had hired him right there to be my guide and he could get a good price. That didn't happen. Instead I was in dread fear that this guy would be unshakeable on the damned boat and I'd go totally nuts. I choose my traveling companions! They don't choose me!

When Ali Baba wasn't showing up, I started asking about him. Soon a guy (probably his "brother" since they claim to be the brother of the other people there) got on his motorcycle to get Ali Baba. A few minutes later Ali Baba was there. He seemed to think there might not be much time. Well, if you think there isn't much time, why the frickin' hell didn't you can when there was enough time? He said he would take my big bags to the Grande Marché where the shared car to the port waits. I didn't really want to separated from my luggage, but there was nothing irreplaceable in what he took. So I let him. He said he would come back to get me and then I could take the shared car. I'm fine with the shared car. In fact, I prefer to travel the typical African way than the rich white way. I waited 15 minutes. A car came up and the guy motioned for me to get in. I got in. He said he would take me to the port. Now, by this time, I have had several offers to take me to the port from several people. So I didn't know if this was an Ali Baba offer or a random guy wanting to take me to the port. I told him about my bag. I said I wanted to go not to the port but to where my bag was and if he didn't know where my bag was, that I didn't want to go with him. I got out. Now I was pissed off immensely. I stewed and after a few minutes of the car driver telling the hangers-on something in French about tourists, I lost it. I started swearing and I kicked the door of the Bouctou bar. Everyone came to watch. I slammed my hat around and swore some more. The driver came up to apologize but I told him it wasn't him--it was Ali Baba. People started SMSing Ali Baba. Soon a motorcycle came up and he said Ali Baba told him to come and get me.

We headed toward the Grande Marché and saw the shared car leaving. The motocycle guy asked about Ali Baba. The shared car guy didn't know. They called Ali Baba. He was already at the port. So I had to go by motorcycle 12 miles to the port on a potholed sandy road. I was not happy. But we made it. I started to look for Ali Baba.

He grabbed my shoulder and led me to the Comanav office. He seems to have heard that I was angry. He tried to calm me down. Once in the office, there was a ticket clerk. Ah ha! I tried to ask the ticket clerk if food was included in the price of the ticket, but Ali Baba kept talking and trying to run interference. Finally, Ali Baba said he wanted to go meet some passengers and he invited me out. He said maybe he could bring me the passengers and I could recommend the Hôtel Bouctou to them. I was non-committal. Then he left me alone to go find white suckers.

I took the opportunity to go back to the Comanav office. Now without Ali Baba I was able to ask the ticket clerk how much extra the food costs above the price of the ticket. "Gratuit" was his answer. I thanked him and went out to see if Ali Baba was there. After about 10 minutes he came up to me. I had been stewing and seething with anger in the hot sun. When I saw him I pointed and said "You and I are going to go into the Comanav office and you are going to explain the CFA 8000 you charged me for food!" He tried to as we walked briskly to the office.

(Continued in the next post)

September 30, 2008 2:54 Mali local time