(Continued from Part I) January 1996, Mali, West Africa After the minibus broke down about 2/3 into the journey from Bamako to Mopti, I was stranded with 15 other passengers along the roadside somewhere in the boonies of the Upper Niger Delta of Mali. Looking into the darkness surrounding me, I could see nothing but silhouettes in the distance of what could pass as primitive huts and the scrubby vegetation of the African desert. At least I wasn’t alone.

About 90 minutes later, the bus driver was able to flag down a large dilapidated sedan that was headed to Mopti. Opening the door, the driver motioned for me to get into the cab. Looking inside the cavernous rear compartment, I was shocked at what I saw – squished together on three narrow planks of wood were at least 17-18 passengers, packed as tightly as a can of sardines. Like many bush taxis in Africa, the upholstery had been removed as the back of the car had been retrofitted to accommodate as many people as possible.

After a moment of hesitation, I stepped into the car, laid my one piece of luggage on the floor and squished myself between two bodies. I had placed myself in a very precarious situation by riding in this ramshackle vehicle with so many passengers - the alternative however was to sleep outside in the desert until daybreak. Enduring the extreme discomfort of the seating arrangements and the various body odors that permeated the air, I gritted my teeth as the bush taxi slowly proceeded towards Mopti. At about 3:00AM (4 hours later) the bush taxi arrived in New Mopti. As the passengers unraveled their bodies and got out of the car, they made a prayer to Allah for their safe deliverance. Thank G_D - the ordeal was over!

Old town Mopti - my destination - was about another 30 minutes away across the bridge. Due to a recent series of armed robberies on the bridge it was too dangerous to cross at this late hour. Apparently I would have to complete my journey to my destination in the morning. Fortunately, I was able to find a comfortable room at a fairly modern hotel and slept like a log until about 11:00AM at which time I caught the scheduled bus to old town.

On my return from Mopti to Bamako, I rode the first class bus. The seats were comfortable and the trip took only 9 hours. Viva la differencia!

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