Road Trip!

Due to confusions over a PC vehicle to San leaving early, the Mopti/Gao car was almost as packed as Malian transport. Sadly no bleating sheep and goats strapped to the roof though, it just isn't the same...
At dinner in Sevare, I was entertained by a Garibou going on in benedictions and Koranic verse for a good 5 to 10 minutes with all of us ignoring him. Finally, a Mopti volunteer just casually turns to him mid-sentence and says 5 words in Peulh and he shuts up and runs away. Effective. We were also approached by a member of the local handicapped persons association. I think a large neon sign follows us wherever we go: "We're white, we have money!"

The next day passing through Douentza, my "couscous Arabe" without meat cost 1000F! That's 4 times the cost of the same dish at the "Petit" (our fav restaurant) in Gao and they even have meat! We told the owner and he scoffed. Even rice and sauce without meat was 500F. The owner argued a kilo of rice costs 350F. "Well," a PCV with us goes, "that is NOT a kilo of cooked rice on my plate!" Oh well, he would not "Albarika" (lower the price), and again I sigh, knowing it is because we're white. We have money.