Timbuktu and Dogon delays
The Dogon adventure is over. I’m both saddened and gladdened by that.
There’s no question Dogon country is an utterly amazing place and a must see if you’re in Mali: beautiful tiny villages nestled beneath the sheer cliffs of a great escarpment snaking hundreds of kilometres through isolated Malian semi-desert, stunning nights under star-filled skies, a cultural richness, breathtaking views. Both of us were stunned more than once by what we were seeing.
But the trip was also fraught with money problems and arguments with our guide, again.
Aly is a nice guy. But the problem we had was when he arrived in Douentza to take over the trip, he wasn’t properly informed and or given all the money we handed the original guide. We didn’t know this at the time, but it meant he ran out of cash halfway through and started asking us for more money to complete the journey. To be fair, he wasn’t asking for payment money, he just needed more cash so we could afford to eat, pay the various village taxes, and sleep in safety. In the end we gave in and provided more dollars - with a promise we would get it back - and the trip continued. 
But all this strained our relationship with Aly, who was less interested in us after realising his money for the work might take time to arrive from Mohammed at journey’s end. To put it simply, the second half of the journey was a bit awkward for everyone involved.
In all we walked more than 100 kilometres, half of which we covered in the first three days. The beginning half was almost completely non-touristic due to there being fewer villages and less beautiful scenery, giving us more authentic experience. The second half of the journey, while more picturesque and dotted with pretty villages, was obviously full of tourists and so we got hassled by kids and touts more.
It’s a journey we won’t forget.
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