Long-haul effort this morning, with massive sand matting operation up one hill before reaching Bourem - running, pushing and throwing the mats under and digging them out of the sand; hard labour for all. Vicki trapped her finger in the mats - another war wound.
Two men leading a camel train loaded with salt slabs stopping their beasts in front of the truck and came over to us, one wearing traditional garb with neutral plastic shoes, the other wearing gorgeous leather sandals with a piece that came from under the front, up and over the toes, trying around the ankle.
We lunched in a sandstorm, struggling but managing to produce something edible with very little supplies in swirling conditions.
Finally into Gao where Bob and I shopped for our meal shift from sparse market stalls. Two men volunteer to guide us to the egg section, where the chooks sit around laying and the men sit around collecting but they’d finished for the day. Got the last eight eggs available, tiny ones. Our "guides" remained with us for the rest of our shop: we managed to buy huge grapefruit, dates and peanuts, 50 bananas, spuds, 25 loaves of bread, spending only 11,000 CFA. Saying no to our new "friends'" demands for cadeau and biro, we staggered back to a truck besieged with locals, and surrounded by groups of people, at the centre of each was a fellow adventurer.
While we'd been shopping Kel had got the chief of police out of bed to extend our visas, which put us face-to-face with creative policing (corruption) again: 3000 CFA each for an extension, 500 CFA tax and a 1000 CFA bribe for the chief. He said straight out that the money was for him and he wouldn’t return our passports until we paid him. Kel couldn’t believe the man's gall but we had no fallback so he could do what he wanted. I'm 10,500 CFA out of pocket for a few days in Mali with nothing to show for it. Everybody pissed off and frustrated. Feel like not buying anything in this country as payback but that won’t affect the people creaming money of travellers and deny hard-working local sellers needed money.
Checked in at the ferry base for 7:30 AM departure and set up camp only to realise we’d left Nikki and Marcus in Gao. Kel dropped off our cooking gear and tents and went back for them. Myrta greeted the rescued Marcus like a long lost, having never been apart before in five years of travelling.
We put a sparkler in a bought cheesecake for Adri’s birthday, ending a long, frustrating and expensive day with something sweet.
Wonder what other financial ripoffs we'll face before leaving Mali.
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