I've reached my 10th day in Bamako. Yesterday I finally met my boss, so life is as settled as it will be until I move into my house. Which will be sometime mid-September. Until then I am living in a local hotel. Where I am grateful to have wifi.
Don't ask about the light over the bed. I don't know. I pretend it's not there.
View from the hotel.
The clouds have been pretty fantastic.
The Niger River separates the town into two parts. There are three bridges that connect the two sides - the old bridge, the new bridge, and the Chinese bridge. Guess who built the last one?
Fields near my future home.
The city is a interesting mix of urban and rural. Heavy on the rural. The donkeys munching on the side of the road and the horse drawn carts in the capital city will clue you in real quick. Half constructed buildings pepper the landscape. Some have remained unfinished so long moss is covering them like paint.
Only the main roads are paved. Traffic is crazy. The motos (motorbikes) are everywhere. And they have no fear. They careen down the streets inches from cars and people. Last weekend, while walking along the side of the road, one came close enough that the knees of both riders slammed into my leg as they flew by. They grazed the woman behind me as well. Besides the road hazards Bamako has felt very safe. And thankfully no one seems to drive fast enough for a serious accident.
All the expats here seem to love it. People who have worked all over Africa attest to how much they love to come back here. Everyone I meet tells me how much I'm going to enjoy living here. Since they all have been doing it for a while I'm trusting they know what they are talking about.
For now I'm learning my job and trying to get settled. Harder to do when I'm not moving into my housing for several weeks, but so far so good.
Though the hotel room may be full of packages from Amazon by the time I leave here. You really can buy almost anything on there. Hallelujah.
More to come...
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