Mount Hombori (Hombori Tondo)

Ashley and I with our friends Jenny and Cassie climbed the highest point in Mali over the last few days. Hombori Tondo is the name of the point and it was exhausting but a very epic journey. We climbed to the top, slept ontop and then descended the next day. We each took as much water as we could carry (more than 6 liters each) and yet we still had a very hot waterless hike from the base of the mountain back to the village of Hombori.

A view of Hombori Tondo as we hiked to the base where we would begin to climb.

Ashley told me before we began the climb she might want to take up climbing as a regular hobby but she changed her mind quickly

A view of the sourounding rock formations from the base of Hombori Tondo.

Ashley was a Rock star!

Our friend Cassie in a tough spot on the mountain.

Jenny staying positive even when the climb was more difficult than we had thought.

Ashley looking like a pro.

I was happy as we descended the mountain that Ashley still had a smile on her face.

This was a photo we took on top of the mountain as we prepared to descent. We were glad we have good friends like Jenny and Cassie to share such an epic adventure with.

The President Comes to Town

General (ret.) Amadou Toumani Toure or ATT (born November 4. 1948 in Mopti, Mali) is the president of Mali. He over threw a military ruler in 1991, then handed power to civilian authorities the next year. He won the presidential elections in 2002, with a broad coalition of support and was easily re-elected in 2007.

ATT came to Bandiagara, a city of about 10,000 people, and about 5K from our village to speak to the people. Locals came from all of the surrounding villages in their best Dogon fabric, to sport their pride in their culture, came to see ATT speak. Joe and I were among them. Although, we didn't actually see ATT or hear him speak because the stadium where the event was held, was...let's say a bit chaotic, it was 105 outside, and the sun was slowly descending and we needed to get back to village before night fall. But it was still awesome to see a country come together with pride to support their president.

Killing two birds with one stone-girls walking from our village to see ATT, but also making the most of their walk into town, with wood in tow to sell.

I LOVE THIS PICTURE!!!!!! No matter what your thoughts are on our current president, he is a hero over here. These girls from our village had on their Obama shirts and Dogon cloth skirts, all geared up and ready for ATT.

The Dogons are the ethnic group in Mali, known for their culture. Here is a Dogon Mask Dancer. They preformed for the president and also helped to keep the crowd under control. (see the whip in his hand, yeah that's right, he would go after people with the whip) Third-world secret service ROCKS!

A shift in topics:

As most of you know, we got a new camera for Christmas. So Joe has been trying to learn how to use it and it's different features. Here are a few of his latest shots.

1st picture-Reading by headlamp, 2nd picture-making dinner by headlamp

This is part of our nightly routine, making dinner, reading, going over to visit the chief and then showering all by headlamp. I can't wait to toss that thing out when I get home. I want electricity back!

A boat to Djenne

Our friend Katie was turning 30 and decided to hire a boat to take us on a trip from Mopti to Djenne. The traditional tourist boat we hired fit the eight of us comfortably. The trip took about 12 hours in which we hung out, ate good food, played card games and slept.

The party boat was relaxing.

Our boat guides pulled up to a fishing boat in mid-morning and bought these four fish they prepared for themselves for lunch.

VIEWS FROM OUR BOAT:

Woman and children bathing in the river.

It was nice to see a little wildlife along the way.

Woman heading to market.

A Shepperd with his cattle.

WE ARRIVED IN DJENNE FOR MARKET DAY:

Rabayah and Ashley shopping for accessories.

This man was very content to watch Ashley and Rabayah buy accessories.

The great Mosque of Djenne in the background.

In market most things are sold in piles. This pile of oranges costs around 100 cfa (25 cents).

Guava saleswoman.

A giant pile of kola nuts. Kola nuts are bitter and contain caffeine. I buy one dollar worth of kola nuts about once a week to give as a gift to the chief of our village (who is also my host dad). When you enter a village in much of Muslim West Africa you present ten kola nuts to the Chief of the Village as a sign of respect. Chewing kola nuts eases hunger pains. I don't like chewing them but I love giving them as gifts.

Dried hot peppers for sale at market.

It's COMING...

It's a bird, It's a plane, It's...

The signs are:

• scorpion sightings have risen sky high in the last few weeks
• one shower a day is not enough
• short sleeve shirts are now feeling to restricting
• no cloud in sight
• skirts are a no no, you end up with a thigh rash
• temperatures in our house keep climbing to high 90's
• the winds are here-multiple "wind storms" lately that have kept us stuck in the house
• sleeping makes the day go by faster
• ANTS! They are desperate for water and are invading our house
• children have nothing to do, bc farming season is over so they sit at our house and bug us
• you sweat profusely on public transport
• a face mask is a must when biking or on public transport, due to the amount of dust in the air
• SINUS INFECTIONS!- due to the above point
• we are starting to have to bike early in the morning or early evening bc of heat and wind factors
• there is no way we cannot sleep on the roof, we have to have a breeze
• spritzing yourself with water at night is a must
• showering with clothes on before bed is a plus...Malian air-conditioning

HOT SEASON, gotta love it!

New-bies!

New Moon, New Baby, and a New Day!

NEW MOON
Ladies and Gentlemen we have a NEW MOON! In the last week we have enjoyed a full moon in village.(It's amazing what you learn about the stars and moon, when you sleep on the roof every night and don't have electricity.) And I know this might not mean a lot to any of you with electricity, but without electricity it makes an evening absolutely delightful. We took advantage of the Moon and put our flashlights away. We were able to actually be productive after the sun went down. CRAZY! Usually I just get tired when it starts to get dark and head to bed about 8. But with the full moon out we decided to make the most of it, we played cards every night on the roof before getting in our tent for bed. And my favorite was our "date night." We biked back cokes from a neighboring village about 3 miles away, beings our village has nothing close to a coke, and decided to eat some Cheez-it's that had come in a package a few weeks back that we were saving for something special. So there we were on the roof, in the light of a full moon, drinking cokes, eating Cheez-it's and playing cards in Africa. Some things just don't get better than that.

NEW BABY
And we have a NEW BABY! Well not us, but my good friend from back home. Ingrid and I have been friends since elementary school, we did almost everything together, sports, playing the trumpet, going to the neighborhood pool, church activities, family vacations, eating pepperoni pizza, and even college. I have been so blessed to have Ingrid in my life, she is a faithful friend with an amazing heart. I am also blessed that our husbands get a long quite well...maybe a little to well with cloves and hooka involved. I miss the time we don't get to spend together, as we have lived in different places since after college, and being in Africa doesn't really help.

On Monday when I received the news from my mom, I was completely elated for the gift of life God had given Ingrid and Jon, but also saddened that this was one experience I would not be able to share with her. I can't wait to hold baby Thjis, and to one day tell him how wonderful his mom is and how I cherish her friendship. I love you Ingy. Congrats! Baby Thijs Oscar van Anrooy

NEW DAY
So the last few weeks have been kind of hard for us, we are winding down in our months as Peace Corps volunteers which is super exciting, but it also makes life here a bit more difficult. You start day dreaming of family, friends, running water, Mexican food, speaking English, real date nights, our return, the plane ride home, etc... And with all the day dreaming, you forget where you are, and take living here in Mali with these remarkable people for granted. We went to a baptism yesterday in our village for some of our friends, which involved Muslim traditions of a naming ceremony, prayers and lots of eating rice(a special treat). We had a wonderful time and spent most of the day at the baptism. We met back at the house in the late afternoon (as men and women would never celebrate together) and decided it was a NEW DAY. God had blessed us with a new day of good food, laughter, tradition, and culture and we loved it. We know we need to take this time and revel in it while we are here, because it will soon be over and we won't be able to get it back.