night prowling

tossin hang-ups out the window

another sweet stay in manantali. took off from site with mr. photojournalist after dugutiki dance party, yaala yaala-ing and trying to village myth bust. we took a midnight trip to the haunted watering hole about 5 km deep into the bush. no one would go with us, my host mother forbade me until I convinced her that we know how to kill the jine because we killed all the jine in america (I've mentioned the jine before, but the latest describes them as tree-tall apparitions that play with each other until bothered, at which point they manifest your worst fears). we're white, we know how to do it. so we got within a couple hundred yards before we heard sounds of giant rocks splitting. not just tossin gravel or kickin pebbles but big busting and cracking like something was doin' work. we stood around with ears and eyes open and heard the rocks again, coming directly from our wanted destination.

I was already as scared as I was gonna get, my brain was melted and I wasn't really operating on any kind of survival skills. we didn't even have a machete. I was ready to creep onward until we heard labored walking through the bush, about 50 yards away. it wasn't like the animals that rustle around and run off when they hear you walking around. this was walking towards us real low and grueling. we hid behind some bushes but it kept coming so we were ready to bounce. we walked back hastily and were constantly checking our backs, we were on a pretty jagged edge. when we got back to village a cekoroba stopped by and asked us what was up. we gave him the short story and he just smiled and said yeah, that's what happens. not surprised.

going back soon, packin.

we celebrated passover in manantali. a few of the in-country jews put together a bomb meal with the best variety I've had in mali. we makeshifted a ceremony which was cool, something new. seems like they're really into symbolism and the story behind the story. plus they like to dance and drink and eat. it was a fitting open to another chill trip to the river. if you read this you know how manantali goes. highlights: infused mango cobbler, the new toubab bar with ping pong darts and a pool, floating a little too far down river (we've yet to scope out the croc and hippo situation round the bend) and spicy fish tacos worthy of being sold stateside. night dips and stumbling upon "the others".

back in kita now, site tomorrow. going to bamako next week with a couple ladies selected by our women's association to attend the shea formation at PC's training center. we just had a pretty promising meeting on everything from GAD opportunities to the possibility of increasing shea production once we fix our grinder. they seem pretty stoked, the community garden project is just around the corner and we just settled on work schedules and plot divisions. local politics.

back to tubaniso ahhhh...