The Approach of the Journey

This picture greeted me when I dipped into Facebook, somewhat guiltily, just now. I am riding my Yamaha DT from my hotel into Djenne.The picture  was put up by  my cousin Elisabet, a film maker, who is making a documentary about my little mud hotel Djenne Djenno amongst other things. She and her French camera man Henri was with me on the very last evening before closing the hotel, here with Baba, my manager/waiter who worked at the hotel for the whole 11 years. Elisabet is giving a screening of the film as 'work in progress' next week in a Swedish cinema.

 I am supposed to be concentrating on Auckland Castle floor coverings but find my mind wandering.

It hovers over Mali...  Always before leaving I find that a part of me travels before the rest somehow. Now half of me is already there, at the festival of Maoulod in Djenne, when the air reverberates  with the sound of the rythmic, melodious and joyous chanting from fifty  Koran schools, announcing the birth of the Prophet Mohammad. This festival is the best time of the year in Djenne.
I will never forget when I first arrived in 2006- I slept on a roof top and was lulled to sleep by the chanting which continues until sun rise...

I will also go to Timbuktu. This time I will travel down the Niger river from Mopti,  recreating the  river journey I did when I was a teenager.  More of this soon...