Six 1/2 hours later we land @ 12.30 Mali time & disembark onto a bus (memories of the old Bangkok airport) to the terminal. Bamako's international airport is about the size of an Australian domestic airport but is differentiated by a rather large woman wearing a white lab coat (obviously giving her that authoritive medical air) circling the passengers inspecting Yellow Fever certificates which are compulsory to enter Mali. And if you don't have that certificate you're quickly ushered in behind a door to be administered said innoculation. Waiting @ the luggage carousel, calculating what I might do if my pack doesn't appear, when out it rolls and I ask a few folk what a taxi might cost into town. I'm approached to change money & as I have an idea of the exchange, feel a little confident doing this as I need the cash to get said taxi into town. After a little tooing & froing exiting with my baggage because I don't seem to have the correct bag chit, I am consumed by many men offering what seems to be the same taxi, manufactured the same year as the driver looks to have been born! I back off and am immediately assailed again with 'he is old man', 'go in taxi' etc etc. After a it of a sit down back on the airport steps, I wait for the security to deal with my many fans then try again. No worries! I am soon deposited at the Mission Catholique, which is of course closed until 4pm. The taxi driver kindly knocks loud enough to wake he dead AND the door kid. I get in, deposit my bags & set off in search of Larium in the streets of Bamako.
First impressions of Bamako, Mali: dusty, poor, dusty, poor and very, very busy. A dry heat that is very bearable. French baguettes
I manage to find the first pharmacy who only have daily prophylatics. hmm In the search for another pharmacy (with directions in french from the 1st pharmacy) I soon pick up another fan who is very pertistent and hard to shake. I then venture into a taxi to get across town where I score a double bingo. YES they have Larium, but at the very inflated price of $10 a tab. I take the pack & curse my dreadful memory - but now I need more cash cause I just spent it all on malaria pills! lol. But there's an atm down the road from the pharmacy so the taxi waits, and I get cashed up and am returned to the Mission Catholique where I get keys (with instructions to always lock up and never let anyone in), a dorm bed, inspect mosie nets for the best of the worst and settle in to relax. Dinner is a quick walk across the road and my dreadful french gets me fed, watered and back to the dorm where I realise the fan does not work. This will never do cause the place is as hot as hades - I negotiate with a giggling nun for an extra 1000CFAs to get another room with a working fan. I pack & leave my wordless dorm mate in a flash. 2 hours later, I'm woken by my wordless ex dorm mate who now seems to have found her tongue - she is very apologetic. Can she join me, its too hot in the the other room, she's sorry to wake me etc etc. OK she moves in, I go back to sleep and and am woken up @ 4am with my now very wordy room mate having nightmares. Then someone is coming through the door which she didn't lock! Now I'm grumpy - not a good look @ 4am. Its her boyfriend who wants to know if she is ok - I tell him it's a nightmare, is she on larium etc. I go back to bed, he wakes her and now they are both apologetic. THEN she starts packing up and is moving into his dorm. What will the nuns think in the morning??!
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