Mopti to Timbuktu, Mali 8 Oct 07

Flying nomads meet desert nomads

 The covered Grand Marché was the most atmospheric place we saw in town. Among other interesting items, they sell large slabs of salt that are purchased from the Tuaregs who still use camels to transport them from the mines at Taoudenni, about 740 kilometres north of Timbuktu. The slow trek across the desert takes around 16 days each way.

The Tuaregs who escorted us on our sunset camel ride told us that the caravan would consist of three Tuaregs with about 100 camels, each carrying 4 to 6 slabs of salt, each weighing about 30 kgs. They travel by night, not only because it is cooler but so that they can navigate by the stars, just like the Three Wise Men. It seems incredible that this method of transport should still be used. Apparently, they did try with 4-wheel drive vehicles at one stage, but they couldn’t compete with the camels. Camels are cheaper to run, don’t need spare parts and don’t break down!

We had breakfast the next morning at 7 am on the rooftop terrace of the hotel. At that time of the day the temperature is a pleasant 28 degrees. The bread was still warm and fresh straight from the baker. But it was gritty: like in the streets of Timbuktu, the sand gets in everywhere, including the bread.