Drove south and east on the great red road, slightly less potholed than yesterday, to Sikasso where we got a stamp to drive further south to the Cote D’Ivoire border. The policeman was unexpectedly very helpful with our forms and didn’t ask for photos or money! While we waited, a small but vocal crowd of young men and women converged on the police station and then passed us, chanting good-humouredly “Moussa!” We assumed he was their leader and the chanting in support of the war effort.
So we continued, due south now, seeing lots of birdlife, with birds darting amongst the trees and constant twittering and calling. One field was shadowed by about eight hovering hawks.
Passed a large walled compound piled with fluffy cotton, stark white against the neutral tones around it. Here too were round, but more modern appearing mud houses, with reed-topped storage vessels everywhere. There were lots of orange trees and other taller, greener trees heavy with flowers and seed pods. Everything looks lusher, probably helped by the damper air.
Women with baskets laden with millet stalks on their heads passed us when we stopped for lunch.
We continued driving through more and more cotton fields and villages with stores full of the fluffy harvest.
And then we reached the border. Uniformed Mali soldiers were lounging everywhere, their polished machine guns leaning against the walls and khaki packs and arranged patterns within circles of men. After a brush with some uniformed lads - one soldier asked where we got the gourd from and Vicki said she was silly, the man thinking she said he was and his good humour evaporated (we’ll gag her in the nets next time) - we drove straight past the Mali Police Post and into Pago in the Cote D’Ivoire. Here, a friendly and welcoming official made only 14 of us fill in forms. He thought it was very thoughtless the way the stamp-happy Mali officials wasted so much space in our passports because our passports would quickly fill. The first he picked up was Vicki’s, with a “See!” as he stamped over a Mali stamp, and I assume he did that with them all. He also told us that Mali wouldn't attack Burkina Faso because the country was too wealthy and supplied too much to both the other countries. Before we knew it, we were through, with no hassles and no searches. If all Cote D'Ivoire people are this friendly, I wish we were going to see more of this country than a short detour.
The road deteriorated rapidly to potholed sand and dirt and the truck rocked side to side. Seemed to take forever yet when we eventually camped, we were close to the Cote D'Ivoire-Burkina Faso border, so will only have a short slog in the morning. Hope the crossings are as easy as today and that the border is open. Latest news is there's a third ceasefire.
Add comment
Comments