*** La fin du voyage...

(B, C, D & E in Dogon Country. Dad is at base camp).
We've traveled over 3000 km across Mali and are back in Bamako now. This was a whirl-wind tour of Mali. When in such a big group, moving so fast and renting vehicles (as opposed to taking public transport), you don’t meet as many "local" people. I think things easily then become just “landscape” and there is a certain disconnection between traveler and the place: the men going out to the field in donkey carts, the peul women carrying milk in squash bowls on their head to sell in town, the Touareg sitting with their head turbans at the wheel of old Landcruisers… are all just part of the scenery. But this was a **family** trip (plus a few friends). Also the first times I've traveled with my aunt and Markus. We got to spend 10 days together discovering Mali and it was incredibly interesting and a lot of fun. I will forever have fond memories of this aventure de famile. I am so glad my family came so that I could show them this fabulous country where I’ve been living for the last 2.5 years and that I am leaving soon. Plus, everyone did meet people outside of the group. And, most importantly, my European family and my Malian family finally got to meet.

("on mange! à table!")