Bankas - Ende - Amani (MLI) : amongst the Dogon
N 14°04.508' W 003°31.563' - N 14°10.982' W 003°32.166' - N 14°24.355' W 003°19.913'
It was our lucky day as there was a mini-bus going to the weekly market at Ende in Dogon Country. The Dogons settled along the 100km long Bandiagara Escarpment about 500 years ago and have maintained their traditions and live in spectacularly set villages on the edge of the cliffs, on the steep slopes and on the valley floor. With the temperature always above 40 degrees C we set off with only one small rucksack and at least 7 litres of water and did most of our walking (always in the sun) in the morning or in the late afternoon. Many of the villages offer basic accommodation (we always chose the mattress on the roof) and simple meals. One advantage of the hot season is that there are practically no tourists. Dogon hospitality is truly something special and our hosts always became friends which made leaving in the morning when they lead you to the trail head an emotional affair – despite the customary ‘a la prochaine’ greeting. Although the setting of every village is unique, they all blend in perfectly with their surroundings. In six days we covered about 85 km on foot and 10 km by Dogon taxi (an ox-wagon) and is a highlight of our trip. The only downside were the frequent begging principally by children for a Bic pen, sweets, money, your hat or glasses and the at times aggressive behaviour of some because we were without a guide. According to the local authorities, the gendamerie and the village chiefs a guide is not obligatory and the unpleasant encounters were mostly with money-hungry guides who were not from Dogon Country. We think it is best to be a bit adventurous, hire guides locally to take you from village to village if required and rather make a donation to the associations (mostly for women) if you want to spend a little more.
It was our lucky day as there was a mini-bus going to the weekly market at Ende in Dogon Country. The Dogons settled along the 100km long Bandiagara Escarpment about 500 years ago and have maintained their traditions and live in spectacularly set villages on the edge of the cliffs, on the steep slopes and on the valley floor. With the temperature always above 40 degrees C we set off with only one small rucksack and at least 7 litres of water and did most of our walking (always in the sun) in the morning or in the late afternoon. Many of the villages offer basic accommodation (we always chose the mattress on the roof) and simple meals. One advantage of the hot season is that there are practically no tourists. Dogon hospitality is truly something special and our hosts always became friends which made leaving in the morning when they lead you to the trail head an emotional affair – despite the customary ‘a la prochaine’ greeting. Although the setting of every village is unique, they all blend in perfectly with their surroundings. In six days we covered about 85 km on foot and 10 km by Dogon taxi (an ox-wagon) and is a highlight of our trip. The only downside were the frequent begging principally by children for a Bic pen, sweets, money, your hat or glasses and the at times aggressive behaviour of some because we were without a guide. According to the local authorities, the gendamerie and the village chiefs a guide is not obligatory and the unpleasant encounters were mostly with money-hungry guides who were not from Dogon Country. We think it is best to be a bit adventurous, hire guides locally to take you from village to village if required and rather make a donation to the associations (mostly for women) if you want to spend a little more.
posted by Retobados at 2:25 PM
1 Comments:
Reto: Have at last caught up with your trek South. Great to read, and even better to put the imagination to work visualising your experiences. G / M
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