West Africa Update #2

Well, how do I describe it. Awesome but emotional. We are all doing fine both in health and spirits. Brendan is loving the different environment and Tadhg loves his multiple daily baths. We are in Bamako, Mali and it is really busy. Lots of traffic. People keep pointing at use when ever we have Brendan in the big back pack carrier. Not sure if it is because it`s different (the carrier) or just because we are carrying a two year old. I`m sure it`s the first. It is even funier when they don`t notice Tadhg on Siobhan`s back until she turns around.

So, how did we get to Bamako... in a nutshell, a long bus ride from the border (different story for another time), a ferry crossing because the bridge was under repairs, the an even longer bus ride to get to Bamako (12hrs). All I know is that I`m glad we pushed on. Siobhan, the kids and I treated ourselves to a nice little hotel which had a pool. Brendan loved it. He kept going on about `Daddy swim to ladder and back`. So we did.

Side track, Brendan is really singing alot these days. Black sheep, twinkle twinkle, ABC`s and 1-2-3`s.

Today we moved to the Mission Catholic which is realy nice because it has a locked court yard so Brendan can have free reign of the courtyard.

Went up to Point G over looking the city at sunset. Had a nice view over the city.

Came back and had an excelent spag and bean diner and some frites. Yummy.

Anyhow, enough blabing. Here are some pictures as promised.

In Dakar on the street just outside the daycare where we slept for the first night.

Flat tire on our way to the ferry terminal for our stay on Ile de Gorée.

Tadhg struting his stuff at a beach in Dakar.

Checking out the surf.

Buying some stuff for the long trip to Bamako.

Monkey boy having a banana for a late night snack and a ride on Daddy`s shoulders.

Getting on the ferry at Kayes, Mali.

On the ferry. They actualy started bailing the boat qs soon as we casted off.

This is where we had to get off the ferry.

Tadhg getting lots of naked time.

Brendan pointing out some of the different carvings from a door from Dogon Country at the hotel.