Return to Mali

We had a few days in Ouaga, just waiting around to get visas and the military were shooting every night so we decided to head off quickly. We went West to Boromo, to National Park Deux Bales and when we arrived at the hotel it was closed for reform so we went about 200meters into the park and set up camp right on the river bank. In the night we were woken up firstly by the sound of 8 elephants drinking beside us, then another one having a midnight snack and finally a group of warthogs running around. What a night! In the morning we were on our way to Mali, driving through Bobo when we saw our friends 4x4 truck so we stopped and found them in a hotel. We were all surprised because we had been told in Ouaga that they had sold the truck and got a flight back to France and they thought we were on our way to South Africa. Instead of rushing off we spent the day there by the pool and camped up for the night with them. Next morning we got back on the road and just out of the town a bee flew in the window and into my top and stung me. I have never been stung before so it is just my luck that it should be a big African bee and right on the boob! There were no problems at the border and we reached Bamako the same afternoon and went back to camping Kangaba. We have since found out that the morning we left Ouaga there was some kind of big rebellion and the city is once again under curfew and everything is being vandalised and looted by the military. Seems that we got out at the very last moment as we have been talking to other travellers who are planning on going south and have told us that all of the Burkina borders have been closed since we left. We are waiting outside the Mauritanian embassy in Bamako at the moment, to pick up our visas so we will be able to leave in the next few hours for the next part of our journey. Estuvimos unos días en Ouaga, mientras esperamos los visados de Mali y por las noches escuchamos otra vez tiros así que cogimos camino el Viernes 15 a Boromo, el parque natural Deux Bales. El hotel del parque estaba en reformas asi decidimos acampar al borde del río, por la noche nos despertaron un grupo de 8/9 elefantes bebiendo agua y comiendo de los arboles ademas de los Jabalines, justo al lado del coche. Sabado dia 16, por la mañana fuimos camino a Mali y en Bobo nos cruzamos con nuestros amigos Franceses Deborah & Toni del camion 4x4, creimos que habian vendido el camion y estaba en Paris. Resulta que no lo habian vendido y estaba altos de Ouaga y habian venido a Bobo a ver si se vendia alli. Asi nos pasamos el dia con ellos en el hotel bañandonos en la piscina. Al otro dia fuimos camino a la frontera de Mali y conseguimos llegar al capital Bamako. Alli nos enteramos que el dia que habiamos salido de Ouaga se habian liado otra vez los militares incluiendo los guardaespaldas del presidente en Ouaga en protesta y el Presidente habia despedido los miembros del gobierno, ademas se cerraron las fronteras. Habiamos salido justo a tiempo! Menos mal!!! Llevamos el fin de semana en Bamako y hoy Lunes estamos sentado en la puerta de la embajada de Mauritania para recoger nuestro visado para coger camino a Senegal y Gambia. Ya con este visado no tenemos que sacar ninguno mas para llegar a España. Con suerte estaremos en Senegal mañana y despues a Gambia y cogeremos la playa al Norte hasta la frontera de Marruecos. Ya te contare como se nos va en Senegal con la corrupción!