Ian, Cari, Saye and I left Bamako on Thursday, 12/30, and stayed the first night about 50 km. west of Segou. It was great to get into country that had a little topographical relief —and water.

After a night's sleep at an inexpensive-though-somewhat-sleazy hotel, we drove on through Segou to Bandigiarra, where the goudron (pavement) ended. From Bandigiarra to Sanga we made good use of our "cat-cat" ("quatre-quatre" —a 4-by-4 vehicle) traversing the final 30 km. in about 2 hours' time.

Sanga is sort of the gateway to Dogon country. Although the houses are constructed in traditional Dogon style, the folks in Sanga are extremely tourist-savvy and never leave you alone. During this trip, each of us assumed names such as "Cadeau" (me), "Bon-bon" (Cari), "Bidon" (Saye) and "Cent Francs" (Ian) in response to endless questions such as, "Ça va, Cadeau?

Since it was market day, Cari and I decided to check it out. I was besieged by woman trying to sell me swatches of fabric for my "wife" (Cari).

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