tombouctou / timbuktu - will continue ...

Tombouctou is referred as

- a city in northern Mali
- a myterious city on the Sahara Desert, mostly believed as a myth by the Westerner's
- one of the most known and used bottled water in Mali
- a restaurant name in Maryland

first and second is the place i am trying to reach, third i drink, fourth just found out on the internet :-)

as far as i know, there are three ways to get to Tombouctou. take a 3 hour plane ride, take a 10 day boat trip, ride a car probably around 24 hours. i would love to do the boat trip but unfortunately haven't got that much time. i tried the first option, but...

as the plane from Bamako to Tombouctou is only on saturdays and tuesdays and as the returns are only sundays and wednesdays, i took my chance with the satuday/sunday one. but...

first attempt (april '06)

as i forgot my passport at work, packed without noticing, went out for dinner and noticed too late, i wasn't able get on the plane. but...

second attempt (august '06)

as the planes were full for last two weekend's (hot season for Mali ???) we could only book for 2nd of September which is today after several attempts. but...

as the plane company decided flying to another city and after to Tombouctou, we end up loosing 5 hours from 06.00 A.M. to 11.30 A.M. waiting and coming back to work. but...

i haven't given up, next weekend i will try again. so that the story will continue on :-)

outcomes of the day

-airport pollice, not even letting us get inside the building because they haven't called for the flight
- beggar, trying to sell soda to us, leaving the soda, coming back, standing staring to us only a meter away and at last just sitting beside us to the floor, in total one and a half hour (an unknown, non-speaking company)
- soldier, wearing pink socks under khaki pants
- beautiful children, 5 year old Fatima & Fatima
- president of Mali, getting out of a plane only 200 meters away, quarded by only six soldiers
- being labelled by everybody at work as the fastest traveller's to Tombouctou in known time

Fatima & Fatima