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5 Oct 07 Bamako to Mopti to Bandiagara
Early the next morning we managed miraculously to connect by WiFi to the
internet for about an hour, upload some web pages and skype the
authorities in Zambia who provided us with our clearance number. We also
called Star Oil in Gao to get confirmation of Avgas (which they promised
us 3 weeks ago), but it turned out that they had nothing, which meant
that we would have to fill up the cabin tank as well as the wings before
leaving Bamako to give us the full endurance of 15 hours.
This delayed us quite a bit, so we were only airborne at 11:30. After
that, we called our hotel ‘Le Kambary’
in Bandiagara by Iridium to inform them about our ETA. They had promised
to send a 4 wheel drive car to Mopti airport to pick us up. We were
informed that the driver had already left, so the poor guy would have to
wait for us for almost two hours.
Since early July, the ‘Kambary’ patron Jean Bastian (from
Lausanne) had warned us that heavy flooding had destroyed a highway
bridge near Goundaka, which meant either a 3 hour detour or using a 4
wheel drive car capable of driving across the river bed, which meant
only 50 minutes drive. We chose the latter.
While approaching Mopti, we were out of VHF range with Bamako, and
nobody answered in the tower after numerous attempts. We found the
airport number in the airport directory and called them up by Iridium
phone to inform them that we would land in 20 minutes. They promised to
send a controller up to the tower, and 10 minutes later we had radio
contact.
The day we left, we understood why the controller did not like to sit up
in the tower all day long. The air-conditioning in the tower was not
working, which meant that with an outside air temperature of 40+, the
temperature in the tower probably went above 60 degrees during the day,
cooking the poor controller rapidly. Add to this that during Ramadan, he
was not allowed to drink anything all day long.
Upon arrival we were greeted by our friendly driver Sam. Soon we got to
the damaged bridge near Goundaka, where the road ended in a 3 meter deep
gaping hole. Sam had no problems crossing the riverbed nearby with the
Toyota Landcruiser.
Compared with other accommodations in Dogon country, Le Kambary is
paradise. It was designed by an Italian architect living in Mali, and
the construction was supervised by Jean Bastian’s Swiss wife about 10
years ago. All buildings are of spherical or semi-spherical shapes with
ventilation holes, and built using bricks made from local stones. It is
fully autonomous with its own well and generator. Staying there for 3
nights and visiting the Dogon country with a very competent Dogon guide,
Abdullaye (Lepe) Kassogue, whom Jean recommended, was the highlight of
our Mali visit. |
The broken bridge at Goundaka
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