Yell or Reprimand Me If You Will... but I Hitchhiked in Africa!

It was amazing. Ben, Paul, and I decided not to go to Sénégal (we'll save that for later when we have a little more time) and instead ended up going to Sévaré from there, we made our way back towards Bamako through Mopti and Djenne. We traveled on bike, on foot, and a thumb and a wish =) Hitchhiking is like a narcotic drug. It's addictive. I'm already hooked and I think next weekend, we're going to try to hitchhike to Ségou and back. Timbuktu is actually quite far... so we probably won't be able to get there in one weekend and back... but I will go to Timbuktu while I'm here, even if it's the last thing I do!!!

One thing that's a little different about hitchhiking in Africa, or at least in Mali, is that the drivers expect you to pay them a few XOF, which is not a problem at all! I mean, I'm not hitchhiking in Mali because I don't have the funds to get there by car, it's for the experience and because it's probably a more reliable mode of transportation than a bus or something like that. It's still cheaper to pay the driver a few hundred or thousand XOF and to hitchhike than it is to take a bus or rent a car. One thing that might be a problem: the car may break down in the middle like it did in Sévaré, but it only broke down after we'd arrived so it was fine. Sévaré had a completely different feel from Bamako.
It seemed a little more... rural.

And we saw a cow, or two...
Mopti was a little different too:
And we got to see some impressive, old buildings in Mopti:

But in spite of Africa and Mali's grand and ancient empire, you realize, you're still in Africa, in Mali... one of the world's poorest countries.
And despite all the past riches and historic empire, despite Mali being the great kingdom ruled by the famous Lion Prince, Sundiata... the memory of the Mali Empire seems to have dwindled to just that... a memory. Our last stop was Djenne:
......and Djenne also has its uniqueness...

...and architectural wonders... ...and after all of that, our trip was over and we headed back to Bamako. It was a wonderful road trip if you can call it that. It wasn't on route 66 =) but I did find "Rue 166" in Djenne! ;) Yes, I know that was corny but what can I say, my Canadian friend and coworker, Paul, is incredibly so and I think his sense of humor is starting to rub off on me.
Today's Random Quiz:

You See the World Through Blue Colored Glasses

You live your life with tranquility. You have faith that things will work themselves out with time. You judge all your interactions through the lens of hope. You try to get all the facts before forming your opinion. You face challenges with wisdom. You know that all bad things pass, and you have the confidence to see problems through. You see love as the utmost expression of trust. Your relationships tend to be peaceful and stable. At your worst, you can be cool, melancholy, and detached. You sometimes have to step back from emotionally charged situations. You are at your happiest when you are able to reflect and relax.

What Color Glasses Do You See the World Through?