Yesterday afternoon things were getting pretty damn boring around the Stagé so we decided to go out and see in my opinion the only thing in Bamako that sounded even remotely interesting the escarpment. We taxied out to the north side of town along which the escarpment runs and dropped off at the Botanical Gardens. The LP says there’s a path from the gardens up to lookout Point G atop the cliffs, but we never found it. Instead we wandered around the very pleasant garden area, avoiding local joggers and trying to find the path up the small cliffs face. We stumbled across the zoo, but decided against going in as it cost money and I’d heard it really wasn’t anything special.
Finally we found ourselves back at the road going up into the hills and so we just walked alongside it following the road signs to point G. It wasn’t too long, only 4 or 5 km up and we reached the top (not Point G mind you) without any trouble.. As we went up you could see why the rich people live there. A much more pleasant atmosphere than down in the thick of Bamako. Instead of taking the turnoff to point G we went into the section of the escarpment with all the ministries and government offices. The architecture was quite nice and many of the buildings had rooftop patios. I think we came near the Palace area but the military guys didn’t look too excited about letting us in so we headed back.
The heat really does get to me here. I’m sure it’ll be worse once we get to the desert but as it is here the dry air and the dust parch your mouth within minutes of drinking. My skin is really drying out too. Joe wisely bought some moisturizer but I’d hate to live in this arid climate for any longer than I had to.
We returned to the Stagé and chilled out for a bit. I finished my book and we went out for a very good and fairly cheap at a local place called the Adonis. We ended the evening off with a few beers at a super plush hotel bar above the Adonis called the Loft. After a depressing morning I think we all went to bed in slightly better spirits. Thankfully we’ve got a month of travel time. We don’t need to be too rushed, but we’d all like to leave Bamako as soon as possible.
Today we took a bit of time getting together. Our passports weren’t supposed to be ready until 3:30 but we decided to go earlier and see if they were done before the midday break (around 12pm-3pm). And guess what? In a truly strong move by the Malian government our VISAs were totally ready to go. No hassle at all. So now were back at the Stagé waiting for the bus. Apparently government run transportation actually works in this country; unlike Gambia. We’re booked on the 3pm bus to Sevaré so we’ve got an hours and change to kill before we get to hit the road and finally see something of this country.