Very warm all-day drive, most of which I spent in ancient England courtesy of The Mists of Avalon.
Pe-lunch in the town of Segou, the streets suddenly massed with people collecting for a bannered demonstration which was not obviously to do with the war.
Desperate for diesel, we drove from petrol station to petrol station, only to be turned away because we didn't have a permit. Kel eventually headed to the governor of the quarter who issued us with a permit for 100 litres of fuel. To collect it we had to drive very slowly through streets crowded with young men and women.
We came to a huge market selling spices, fruits and vegetables, and hand-ground peanut butter. We tucked into the best bread for ages when we stopped for lunch on a side road, having to stand up midway to let a car go past. Two cyclists wove through our chairs while vehicles full of khaki-clad men drove passed us.
We finally reached Bamako and discovered that the French Embassy had closed five minutes before we got there, the immigration office was shut and the street heavily guarded. Everything re-opening tomorrow but we don't hold much hope of getting a border permit. The town had a massive supermarket though.
Camped just outside Bamako. The war is no longer in the BBC headlines. India is three wickets down for 108 in the cricket test match, Australia having made 256.
Kel glued his two plastic cracker armies onto the truck dashboard with red nail polish for blood, creating a very topical decoration.
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