Images from West Africa

Here we go again. I'll try here in Cape Town, South Africa.

This is a baobab tree. They are found all over Africa but this is the first time I've seen them in Mali. We were driving out to the Dogon Country when I snapped this shot. During the rainy season it will sprout leaves.

We finally arrived at the edge of the cliff. The air quality was really bad as you can see as there had been a whole summer of Sahara wind storms. Anyway, the cliff of sandstone was phenomenal.

No, this is not Mesa Verde in Colorado! It's actually a Dogon village in the country of Mali. Wow. Looks just like an Anasazi cliff dwelling. A very interesting stop indeed.

Here's a closeup view of the next village we saw and it's called Ireli. It is located beneath the cliff n just like the previous shot. Amazing!

Here you can see one of our 4X4 vehicles driving at the base of the escarpment. I was in heaven for sure. It was composed of a coarse sand and I guessed it's age as Precambrian or Cambrian. We'll see when we get home.

The town of Mopti is located on the banks of the Niger River, one of the planets largest and most important rivers. We visited during the low, dry season but that didn't stop the lively traffic of people and goods moving along the river. I don't think I've seen anything as exotic as scenes like this.

Here's a last look at a man piloting his river boat on the Niger.

Checking out for now but perhaps back later!