Rolling on the River

Ok, so this image has nothing to do with the subject of this blog post. But it's an AMAZING CHOCOLATE CREPE with GRILLED PINEAPPLE!! What's not to like? They make it at my new favorite brunch place, and it's every bit as amazing as it looks -- just as tasty as the rest of their menu.

Last Friday, I went on my first float down the Niger River. While the Niger may not be the same transportation corridor that it's been in the past, it's still *the* key resource in the country for irrigation, food and fun times. Ok, there are plenty of others ways to have fun, but it's quickly become a top 10 for me.

Some coworkers have shares in a pirogue and can take boat rides whenever they like. We took a little sundowner cruise and it was wonderful. Even though it's getting much hotter these days, as the sun dropped lower, it wasn't so hot. And with a bit of a breeze picking up as we set off, I was positively comfortable.

We passed the Spanish ambassador's house -- gorgeous in every way -- right next to the first shantytown I'd seen in Bamako. It's shocking that as fast as the city has grown, there doesn't seem to be a South African- or Kenyan-style slum on the outskirts with clustered roofs of corrugated aluminum. I like that.

When driving over the bridge, you often see fishermen in their pirogues using throw nets to fish and even jumping in for a dip. But it was fun to see the river from their level. I liked what I saw. (Note: We did not hit this guy. We did say good evening, though, and inquired after the health of his family.)

So, yeah, that was pretty much the evening. In fact, I pretty much could have summed it up like this: "I took a boat ride. It was fun." But the layout of this post would have looked funny, so I rambled instead. Sorry. Next time I'll edit myself and save you time.

Hugs to everyone -- definitely missing all you wonderful people. Consider this blog my long-term plan to 1) maintain friendships with people I love, 2) make it seem like I'm not so far away and 3) subtly give you all reasons to visit. I mean, chocolate crepes with grilled pineapple! For goodness sakes, what more reason do you need?