Old Segou

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Last night Steph, Zach and I spent several hours conversing and goofing off. I had a horrible migraine prior to dinner and while waiting for it to subside took some Excedrin migraine, the first batch ending up in the sink thanks to Zach and his clownish demeanor. After our meal we decided to draw get well cards to slide under Amy’s door who went to the hospital and was diagnosed with malaria. My horrendous attempt at a teddy bear and a bumblebee swirling around a lush green landscape with flowers had everyone in tears with laughter. We made a decent dent in Stephanie’s candy supply from home and after Zach managed to get lemon starburst stuck in her hair we kicked him out of the room. In his haste he left his shoes and before his return we thought fair revenge was chewing the rest of the starburst and putting them inside the shoes.

This morning we headed out later than usual for a river cruise of Old Segou. The boat ride was comfortable enough in the shaded covering of the boat although a lovely, large, amazingly awful arachnid started crawling around in the area in front of me. It was a long cruise against the current upriver but we docked at a Bozo fishing village for a brief hiatus. The members of the village know of Jerry through stories about his visits in the past, although he hasn’t visited in years. It was quite the welcome with dancing, shouting, jubilation, and whistles. I’m not sure any of us knew the purpose but we all sat down in the chairs offered under the shade of a large baobab. Conversation was translated and we were officially welcomed. I’m told if I return in ten years chances are they will remember my visit and welcome me once again as a friend. The small children wore beaded necklaces and strands around their waist and were generally quiet and well behaved. This was clearly not an area populated by tourists.

Old Segou was somewhat disappointing for such an excursion. The fiery heat of the day had sweat cascading from my tanned flesh and even in the chief’s house the darkened interior was barely comfortable. The views from the roof of the mosque were beautiful and it was interesting to view the burial of Biton Coulibaly, the founder of the royal Bambara in Segou.

The cruise back to Segou was uneventful, though the breeze was nonexistent. We docked along the pier where women were laying out their laundry on the incline of the banks to dry. Before returning to the hotel we stopped at a restaurant where I enjoyed Moroccan couscous, the flavors a welcome change from the Byblos menu.

After an hour of relaxation at the hotel we met once again for class. I gave a ten minute presentation on a souvenir purchase, my Akua-ba as the Kanaga mask is already packed, and indulged in some pasta for dinner. I have to finish packing for tomorrow morning when we depart really early for Bamako.