Mince pies and Christmas pudding for breakfast, just to continue the unusual theme of Christmas. We had a great feast yesterday evening with lots of goat, baked potato, roast carrots and onions, roasted pumpkin.  I enjoyed the goat but it was a little strong for some. Apparently, in the goat market there were hundreds to choose from but all billies! What happens to the females or are they all kept for breeding?

 

We have had a lazy day at the Sleeping Camel.  I did maintenance on the Land Rover this morning and Jenny has been doing editing work. I walked to the local supermarket this afternoon but found it closed!

 

We have been talking with the guys who run the Sleeping Camel about a 10 day tour of the Dogon country and a visit to the music festival at Timboctou.  WE have always wanted to visit Timboctou but have been put off by stories of bandits and terrorists.  However, the Music Festival is an International event and there will be lots of security, so it is an opportunity not to be missed. We are not sure if we could stand three whole days of African music, now 3 days on a river boat on the way back so we may try to do part of the organised tour and part on our own.

 

We have also been looking at the next part of our trip after Mali - Burkina Faso, Ghana, Benin, Togo and then Nigeria.  We don't really want to go to Nigeria but there is no way round and we need to go to Abuja for several of our onward visas.  We have decided to get as many visas as we can in Lome, Togo to minimise the time spent in Abuja.  Today's news is that there has been a  terrorist bomb incident in Jos, Nigeria with many dead - not encouraging.  It seems we are surrounded by terror and rioting in Ivory Coast and Nigeria.