Eastern Mali

Hills east of Douentza, Mali, on the road to Gao	Assembly of school kids, Mali	We stopped at this villager a short drive east of Douentza	Village school east of Douentza on the road to Gao
Village school east of Douentza, Mali	This village is the beneficiary of a US-Canadian project to dig safe wells for drinking water	Women drawing water from the old well	Rotel truck, Mali
Rotel truck, Mali	Waterhole with goats and Rotel	Bull	Rotel parked by a waterhole in Mali
Herd of goats, Mali	Rotel and tree	Woman working	Pouring grain
Village kids see us off, Mali	Gandamia Massif, Monts du Hombori, Mali	The Gandamia Massif, Mali's "Monument Valley" between Douentza and Gao	For the next two hours we drove through a very scenic area of Mali
A village in the Hombori Mountains, Mali	Gandamia Massif, Monts du Hombori, Mali	Gandamia Massif, Monts du Hombori, Mali	The scenic road running east of Douentza towards Gao
Douentza to Gao	Douentza to Gao is 400km by good road	Gandamia Massif, Monts du Hombori, Mali	This is the a very scenic stretch of road between Douentza and Hombori
MaliNov06 3804.jpg	MaliNov06 3805.jpg	Man on a bike, Mali	MaliNov06 3807.jpg
MaliNov06 3802.jpg	Rotel pulled off the road in the Monts du Hombori, Mali	Sun over Mali	Gandamia Massif
Gandamia Massif	Gandamia Massif	Gandamia Massif - this section of road between Douentza and Hombori was the most scenic we passed through in Mali	Gandamia Massif
Africa's Monument Valley, Mali	Gandamia Massif	Gandamia Massif	Gandamia Massif - very "Monument Valley"
Gandamia Massif	Gandamia Massif	Gandamia Massif	Market day in the village of Symbi, Mali
Market day in the village of Symbi, Mali	African huts with the Hombori Mountains	La Main de Fatima - The Hand of Fatima, Mali	La Main de Fatima and the road from Mopti to Gao (N16)
La Main de Fatima	La Main de Fatima - Garmi Tondo	La Main de Fatima	La Main de Fatima and the road to Hombori
La Main de Fatima	Rotel parked near the Hand of Fatima	Rotal and the Hand of Fatima	La Main de Fatima
Hombori Mountains, Mali	Mont Hombori (1155m) the highest mountain in Mali	Mont Hombori (1155m) the highest mountain in Mali	Hombori Tomdo (1155m) the highest mountain in Mali
About 30 minutes east of Mont Hombori, the Gao Highway passed through a flooded area	Flocks of birds taking advantage of the seasonal lake, Eastern Mali	Flocks of birds taking advantage of the seasonal lake, Eastern Mali	African huts, Eastern Mali
Camels crossing the Gao Highway	View through the front window of the truck	Camels in Eastern Mali	East of Mont Hombori on the way to Gao, the scenery reverts to that more typical of the Sahel, Eastern Mali
The Mopti-Gao Road, Eastern Mali	The outskirts of Gao, Mali	Crossing the Niger River at Gao using the new bridge	The new bridge at Gao - the next bridges are Niamey 500km downstream and Bamako 1200km upstream (
The Niger River from the new bridge at Gao	Niger River near Gao, Mali	Niger River near Gao, Mali	Niger River near Gao, Mali
The road leading from the bridge to Gao, the largest city in Eastern Mali	Huts on the edge of Gao, Mali	Gao, Mali	Kids in Gao, Mali
Gao, Mali	Church in Gao, Mali, built in the local style	A wide dirt road in the city of Gao, Mali	Regional Assemby, Gao, Mali
Le Tombeau des Askia, Gao	World Heritage Site - the Tomb of Askia - Gao, Mali	List of Imams of the Mosque of the Tomb of Askia, Gao	Outer courtyard, Tomb of Askia, Gao
Le Tombeau des Askia, Gao	The Tomb of Askia (1442-1538) King of the Songhai Empire	Tomb of Askia (1495) Gao	Tomb of Askia (1495) Gao
Climbing the minaret of the Tomb of Askia	Steps up the minaret, Tomb of Askia	View from the top of the minaret, Tomb of Askia	The Tomb of Askia, Gao, Mali
Askia the Great (1442-1538) ruled over the largest empire in West Africa, the Songhai Empire of the 15th Century	Pottery at the Tomb of Askia, Gao	Inside the mosque of the Tomb of Askia, Gao, Mali	Mosque of the Tomb of Askia, Gao
Inside the mosque of the Tomb of Askia, Gao	Inside the mosque of the Tomb of Askia, Gao	A side street in Gao	Man building a pirogue, Gao
Gao riverfront, Mali	Riverfront of Gao, Mali	Buildings built along Gao's riverfront, Mali	Donkey cart parking, Gao
Along the riverfront, Gao, Mali	Donkey cart loaded with hay, Gao	Salt merchant, Gao	Blocks of Saharan salt, Gao
Sahran salt, Gao	Pirogue ferrying people across the Niger River, Gao	Area around the market, Gao	Downtown Gao, Mali
Useful items made of scrap metal, Gao	Useful items made of scrap metal, Gao	Useful items made of scrap metal, Gao	Useful items made of scrap metal, Gao
Downtown Gao	Marche Washington, Gao	Marche Washington, Avenue des Askia, Gao	Pharmacie Populaire du Mali, Officine de Gao
Hardware store, downtown Gao	Sonef Transport Voyageurs STV Mali	Downtown Gao, Mali	Air Mali Agence de Gao
Outskirts of Gao, where our Campement was located	Tizimizi Camping, Gao, Mali	Niger River downstream from Gao	Niger River downstream from Gao
Village along the Niger River downstream from Gao	Village along the Niger River downstream from Gao	Village along the Niger River downstream from Gao	Road construction on the road from Gao towards the Niger border
Road crew, Mali	View of the Niger River, between Gao and Ansongo	View of the Niger River, between Gao and Ansongo	Desert vegetation between Gao and Ansongo, Mali
Mali route N17 from Gao to the border with Niger	Tracks in the sand, Mali	Saharan sands near the banks of the Niger River, Mali	STV bus from Gao - Sonef Transport Voyageurs, Mali
STV bus from Gao - Sonef Transport Voyageurs, Mali	Village a short ways south of Gao, Mali	Mosque along the road less than an hour south of Gao, Mali, along the N17	Village a short ways south of Gao, Mali
African huts	Village mosque south of Gao, Mali	Village mosque south of Gao, Mali	Mosque in a small village between Gao and Haoussa-Foulane
Mosque in a small village between Gao and Haoussa-Foulane	Mosque in a small village between Gao and Haoussa-Foulane	Hut in the village between Gao and Haoussa-Foulane	Girl at the village
Mosque in a small village between Gao and the Niger frontier	Huts at the village we stopped at	Southern end of the Sahara, eastern Mali	Animal trails through the desert, Mali
Village with a waterhole, just north of Haoussa-Foulane	Village with a waterhole, just north of Haoussa-Foulane	Sand dune at huts outside Haoussa Foulane, Mali	Haoussa Foulane, Region de Gao, Mali
Haoussa Foulane, Region de Gao, Mali	Haoussa Foulane, Region de Gao, Mali	Haoussa Foulane, Region de Gao, Mali	Mosque, Haoussa Foulane, Region de Gao, Mali
Batiment Delegation du Gouvernement Haoussa Foulane, Region de Gao, Mali	Niger River, Mali	Niger River, Mali	Small village mosque along the Niger River between Asongo and the Niger border
Eastern Mali	Niger River, Mali	An area of road improvments, N17 Gao-Niger	Niger River, Mali
Niger River, Mali	Niger River, eastern Mali	Tree near the Niger River, Mali	Niger River near Ansongo
Niger River, Mali	Bushpause	Roadcrew, eastern Mali	A village where the desert meets the Niger River
A village where the desert meets the Niger River	A village where the desert meets the Niger River	The frame of a hut without the mats	What that style of hut looks like when completed
Niger River valley near Ansongo, Mali	Village on the banks of the Niger River, Mali	Village on the banks of the Niger River, Mali	Village on the banks of the Niger River, Mali
Donkey with rider, Mali	Eastern Mali village	SSN Station Service du Nord - Bon Voyage - Ansongo	Donkey riders, Ansongo, Mali
Pirogues pulled up by a side channel of the Niger River	Ansongo, Mali	Ansongo, Mali	Ansongo, Mali
Ansongo, Mali	Market Day at Ansongo, Mali	Market Day at Ansongo, Mali	Market Day at Ansongo, Mali
Market Day at Ansongo, Mali	Market Day at Ansongo, Mali	Market Day at Ansongo, Mali	Market Day at Ansongo, Mali
Main Street, Ansongo, Mali	Main Street, Ansongo, Mali	Main Street, Ansongo, Mali	"Air Afrique" truck, Ansongo Mali
"Air Afrique" truck, Ansongo Mali	"Air Afrique", Ansongo	Ansongo, Niger River	Landmark along the Niger River at Ansongo, Mali
Niger River, Ansongo, Mali	Don't Pee Here	Market Day, Ansongo, Mali	The Rotel passing through Ansongo, Mali
Ansongo, Mali	Market Day, Ansongo, Mali	Boy in Ansongo, Mali	Boy in Ansongo, Mali
Ansongo, Mali	A mosque just south of Ansongo	The road from Ansongo to the Niger border at Labbezanga, Mali	Rocky desert, Eastern Mali
We've covered about 2000km since the Senegal border at Kidira, not counting the detours to Dogonland or Timbuktu	An odd back mountain, eastern Mali	Filling jugs at a waterhole, Eastern Mali	Loading donkeys to carry jugs of water
A large waterhole, not far from the Niger border, Mali	The last village of our visit to Mali	The kitchen	The kitchen
The last village of our visit to Mali	Woman, eastern Mali	Girl, eastern Mali	Woman with children, eastern Mali
A family, eastern Mali	Once again, the villagers see us off	The road crews definitely haven't made it this far	Field near the Mali-Niger border
Millet field, Mali	Here along the Mali-Niger border, we found the first examples of a new type of granary	The granary is located right in the field, not in the village	Granary, very different in style from the Dogon granaries