Trek to Timbuktu

Bonjour!

Yes, I did have to brush off my high school French for my last trip. I trekked into Mali with my friend Grace, and we had some amazing adventures. It would take me days to upload all the pictures to this blog, so here are just a few. I'd love to share some more over Christmas break. I miss you all! xoxo Sup?
This picture was taken in Dogon Country. I'm sitting high up on some dwellings that were built into the side of the plateau. You can get a pretty good idea of the landscape from this picture. Lots of sand, lots of baobob trees, and a towering sandstone cliff.I support any country where men run around in big purple dresses. No, but really, how great is this picture? It's my favorite. Mom, you should paint it.
Grace and I with the touaregs at the end of civilization in Timbuktu. My camel's name was Oara, so we were basically twins. She's the one pretty one in the foreground. Spending time on the edge of the Sahara desert was amazing, but you really can't do much during the prime sun hours. Here, we went on a camel ride at sundown and had special touareg tea on the dunes.
I wouldn't zoom in on this photo... it's 6 am, and I had just spent two filthy days on a boat floating down the Niger River. But check out the colors in the morning sky. This is sunrise in Timbuktu.
This is the best picture I could get to capture the pinnasse ride down the River Niger. We boarded a public pinnasse that is full of passengers and cargo. It unloads the goods every so often on its way to Timbuktu, and it actually made pretty decent time. It was an unforgettable experience watching the scenery go by, and better yet, stargazing at night. Not a single light for miles and miles...
Don't tell Grandma...but I've converted to Islam. This is me trying to fit in in Mopti (Africa's Venice).