Brainplug

The two of us in Dogon Country

The market at a village, with the cliff (le Falaise de Bandiagara) in the background.

While most of the Dogons are now Islamic, many still retain their older animist beliefs. In the past they would perform sacrafices and dance with large masks for their gods.

The local people oversee a mud brick construction project in one of the villages of Dogon Country, Mali

This particular Dogon village was partly built high up into the cliff

This particular Dogon village was partly built high up into the cliff

On our way from the first Dogon village to the main cliff area, our guide's 1968 Peugeot 504 had a problem, naturally. It's all part of the adventure, though.

This Dogon village sat on the top of a huge rocky outcrop

I took this Dogon woman's photo, and then showed her the photo on the screen of my camera. The got so excited about it that she wanted me to take another picture of her, this time while she was dancing.

Djenne, Mali

At the weekly Monday market in Djenne, Mali

At the weekly Monday market in Djenne, Mali

A woman with her baby in Djenne, Mali

This woman is a Numumuso, a pottery woman, from Kalabougou. The women in her village make pottery which is sent along the Niger river to every other town in Mali, and also elsewhere in Africa.

Segou, Mali

Segou, Mali

Djenne's Mosque is the largest mud building in the world. All of the buildings in Djenne are made from mud bricks and then covered with a layer of mud. Every year after the rainy season, the people repair the layers of mud that have washed away from their homes. The wooden poles sticking out of the mosque are so that people can climb up on the walls to do the repair work.

On the streets in Djenne, Mali

This might look weird, but in Africa we see Foosball tables all over the place. They are all outside on the street, and most are surrounded by kids and adults.

We took this old crappy truck thing the last 30km from the main road to Djenne. It only broke down twice.

The pottery town of Kalabougou, just up the river from Segou

The pottery town of Kalabougou, just up the river from Segou

The pottery town of Kalabougou, just up the river from Segou

In the market of Kayes, Mali

In the market of Kayes, Mali

The taxi and our driver that took us from Tambacounda to the Senegal-Mali border. I took this photo after it had overheated, and we had to wait for it to cool down. The guy was very proud of his car, despite the fact that it was falling apart.

The Bassari village of Iwol, Senegal

The Bassari village of Iwol, Senegal

Tambacounda, Senegal