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Did you know that the government is willing to give you money to start an online business? At grants.gov you will find several grants for starting a small business. To qualify, you simply have to be a US citizen and provide a plan for why you should recieve grants for starting a business. For example, [...]
Like a lot of buildings in Bamako, this low Sudanese style market could do with a lick of paint, if only to highlight its presence in the clutter of numerous surrounding pavement stalls. Enclosed within its walls are a variety of workshops and stalls all producing and selling local handicrafts.
The quality of the workmanship [...]
The days when Timbuktu was a fabulous and virtually impossible to reach city are now gone. Nevertheless, in my opinion, it is still a very intriguing place, and spending time exploring it revealed several attractions that are worthy of attention.Perhaps the single greatest pleasure of spending time in the area is wandering around, and getting [...]
Virtually every house in Zebala is built from mud brick. The bricks are then plastered over with a mud plaster to make the outside smooth. A corrugated tin roof is then put on top. All the houses are interlinked by passages and walk ways. It’s very difficult to decide where one family unit’s set of [...]
In a way I wish I’d never seen photographs of the mosque before I’d seen it. Photos I had seen made me think of some sci-fi distant galaxy empire movie backdrop. When I saw the real thing, I still felt the same, but I thought it was stunning as well. There appear to be no [...]
he so-called Dogon Country is not as famous in the outside world Timbuktu or even Djenné. However, it is definitely somewhere that is truly unique, and which in my opinion should be on the itinerary of every visitor to Mali.
The picturesque geography of the area is among the main reasons for spending some time there. [...]
It’s a glorious riot of activity, colour, and noise, that’s what it’s like. Not unlike most markets in Mali in fact. What makes this market special is the imposing backdrop of the Grande Mosquée, which makes up the whole of one side of the market square. The other buildings surrounding the square, with their curvaceous [...]
Djenné is rare among destinations in Mali, in that it is both fairly renowned and well regarded, and taking the chance to go there was among my main motivations for visiting the country. The settlement proved to both picturesque and evocative, and actually surpassed my already high expectations.
The city’s history started during the 13th century, [...]
Despite being the hub of the country’s embryonic tourist industry, Mopti is home to only one basic accommodation option, a single mid-range establishment, and finally Hôtel Kanaga, the most expensive place to stay in the city. I chose the latter, which was actually much more charming than many similarly expensive hotels in such destinations, which [...]