So, I was waiting for Lisa and Ally to send some blog post entries to add to mine, but I’m afraid that I will forget what we did on the trip if I wait any longer (hint hint sisters…).

The trip was amazing. Lisa and Ally arrived on July 2^nd (with no problems, thank you Allah), we stayed in Bamako for one night at my friend’s house (Jean Harman, who is David Harman’s aunt, he was a friend from Lockheed Martin, it’s a small world I know).  And the first day we headed to the Artesian market. I wish I could take each and everyone to this market, I know PCV’s who cannot handle the stress of the market. I was so proud of both Ally and Lisa for bearing with it, even though, Lisa got hit by a pushcart and Allyson almost got hit by a taxi (sorry Mom!). But, we had a great time and they were able to see all of what Bamako’s artists can do!

This is the view outside the post office, entering the market

Artists at the market

 Inside the Market

More market…

 After the market we head up north to see Mopti and Bandiagara. Both places I hadn’t really been to either, so it was going to be a new journey for all of us. Since transportation in Mali is not the safest, I also decided to hire a driver. This was the best decision I made the entire trip. His name was Mohammad and he was amazing!!! He drove quite fast, which was great, but his personality added so much to the trip. And, he was able to call another PCVs homologue, Sekou, to come and be our tour guide. The two of the together was the perfect combo for us.

 Our tour guide, Sekou (top) and our driver, Mohammad (carrying)

First we went to Mopti, it was where we did quite a bit of shopping, but we also ate at Café Bissap (Café Hibiscus), it was delicious! And we had a great view of the Niger River. We got done eating and headed towards the water, had a slight detour to shop for a bit, then we went on a boat ride, stopping at small villages along the way! It was beautiful, but I couldn’t speak to any of the kids because they didn’t speak Bambara! Mopti is in a dogon area, so most people don’t speak Bambara.

(Pictures to come, Ally has these I need to get them from here, check her Facebook out, there all on there)

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150235512437540.318454.549077539

After the boat ride, we headed back to Bandiagara and met up with some PCVs. This was Lisa and Ally’s first time meeting some of my friends, so it was exciting to mash up my two worlds: home and Mali (my new home). It was great introducing my friends to my family since a lot of them have become my family here.

The next day we packed up (with my friend Graham too) and got ready to go hiking for a couple days. I was very proud of us for packing light! Diercksen girls tend to over pack, but we did good, one small backpack and one medium one with all our stuff.  We started our trip at Djigubombo, Kani Kombole, Teli, Ende, and Benimato (the cliffs). We hiked between most of the villages and were able to see camels, but unfortunately we didn’t get to ride one! Maybe next time.

The start of trip – Djigubombo

Hiking to Kani Kombole

View off the cliffs

 The Dogon houses in the cliffs

Thanks Graham for coming with, your French came in handy and you always bring your special charm with Malian children too.

Graham terrifying another child

After the hike, we headed back to San and to my site. It was funny seeing my village interact with Lisa and Ally, they were so excited for them to come, they wanted them to stay for weeks, if not months. I said I agreed, but they needed to get back home. Right before we were leaving, the chief of my village gave them a chicken!! Ha! It was awesome, except we had to put it in the back of the car… so it kind smelled like chicken coop on the way back. But, we gave the chicken to our driver, and it was already time for Lisa and Ally to get ready for the trip back.

(again check out my little sister’s Facebook for more pictures)

We had one more nice dinner together at DeGuidos in Bamako with a couple gal pals. It’s great pizza/Italian restaurant off the beaten path, literally. The first time I couldn’t find it because it’s not on a main road at all. Then it was time to say goodbye the next morning. It seemed to take for forever for the trip to come and then it was over in a heartbeat. It was wonderful to have them here and I cannot wait to see them again in November! It was also great to get to show them the world that I live in now. It’s hard to explain it in words, but once seen, I feel people really understand. So, this open invitation for anyone else to come visit! Mi hut es tu hut!

Cheers everyone, I’m back to site this afternoon. Be back in a few weeks! Take care