Day 17 - Travel Day

Our trip is slowly coming to an end, with only 29 hours of travel in front of us, at least those of us who are leaving today. The group that stayed on in Dubai consisted of Carlo, Carlos, Michael, Dino, Kevin H., Robert, Naty, Nicholas, Simon, Chris and Bryan and hopefully we'll hear about their adventures during our next seminar in Monterey. The rest of us boarded the plane in Dubai, waited on the tarmac for about 1 1/2 hours, and finally took off around 3:30 AM. Most of us slept, watched movies and/or read during the 13 1/2 flight to New York. We arrived at JFK an hour late, but those of us traveling to LAX had a 3 hour layover anyway, so no worries. At this point, we lost track of Rob, whose flights were messed up because of our little hiccup in Accra, and hopefully he managed to get on the Jet Blue flight direct to Sacramento. We also left Mark at this point, who was staying on in New York City for another day. The rest of us boarded the flight to LA, and endured the next 6 hours on the Delta flight, which seemed even longer than the Dubai-JFK flight, probably because we were so anxious to get home. Once in LA, the group peeled off again, with Bob K taking the shuttle home from the airport; Lori on a Southwest flight to Sacramento; Bob F, Dean Wehner and Jackie on a flight to San Luis Obispo; Aaron, Les and Benina on their way to Modesto; Jake on a flight to San Francisco; and Kevin S., Kristen and Jon on a Delta flight to Sacramento. I'm sure that we speak for the class that it feels really good to be home, and that there's a lot to digest and think about before we reconvene in Monterey in a couple of weeks. All of us thank our family and friends for all the support and encouragement during this long trip away from home. We couldn't have done it without you!!!!

Trip Writers: Kristen Bennett, Benina Burroughs, Bob Knight

Day 16 - Dubai and Finale Dinner

We landed in Dubai around 6:00 am and checked into the hotel for a few hours of sleep. We gathered back around 11:00 am and headed to the Gulf Food Show in the Dubai Convention Center. This show was a highlight of our trip. We were experienced a variety of foods from around the world. Almost every country was represented with a wide array of products. Not only did we find new foods from exotic lands, but the food service vendors were out in force with a variety of products that would make even Emril envious.

After a few hours at the show we gathered in the lobby around 4:00 and drove about 1 hour out into the desert to a resort for our finale dinner. We had a round of drinks and watched the sun go down over the dunes and then went inside for a great feast. This included a variety of Arabic dishes and desserts that were a sharp contrast to the rice and beans we had in Africa. After our meal we spent a couple of hours discussing the last three weeks and sharing our favorite memories of the trip. After saying our good bye's, the group headed for the airport for another red-eye flight back to New York City and then on to California.

Day 15 - Accra and Travel to Dubai

Today we managed to sleep in a few hours and left the hotel around 10:30 and headed for the airport. Along the way we kept trying to find a post office to mail a few postcards home, but after stopping the bus six times and asking people on the street where to find the local post office, we headed on to the airport.

We checked in around 1:00 and some people then stayed in the airport and others headed to the market for some last minute shopping adventures. After a full day of waiting, we boarded the Emirates flight from Accra to Dubai at 6:45 pm and headed for the UAE.

Day 14 - Elmina Hotel to Accra

8:00 a.m.
Same adventurous start on a cloudy, somewhat cool morning. No water in Elmina Beach “Resort” hotel to take a shower, et cetera. Also some did not have air conditioning in their rooms the night before. No matter, we charge on.

We rumble along in our bus towards our four-hour drive to Accra. Typical roads with speed bumps to slow you down through each seemingly contiguous village, as well as on the highway, plus road construction that is of the oddest approach. They tear the two-lane road down to bare earth then reconstruct one lane first while neglecting entirely the other lane.

Approaching Accra the weather has warmed up significantly. We would ask the bus driver to put on the air conditioning but the compressor broke two-days earlier. Oh well, we charge on. Because of road construction and congestion we witness one drivers solution: if you can’t reach your destination going with traffic, I guess you can go against traffic – horns blare!

We arrived at the Emirates Airlines office to address our ticket fiasco. Hours waiting to resolve the issue could not as the U.S. time zone is six-hours behind (New York) and it was President’s Day.

While some stayed behind to work with Emirates, the rest of us went to visit UNICEF. UNICEF staff presented an excellent overview of their 2006 –2010 campaign. The UNICEF program is based within 160 countries to assure that children’s rights, survival, development, participation and protection are part of the countries government priorities. This is because in developing countries every tenth child does not survive past their fifth birthday. UNICEF Ghana was established in 1958.

In Ghana, 25-percent of the children are affected by malaria. Beginning in 2006, a major malaria bed net campaign to assist children two-years of age and under was launched. Over 70-percent of this target group received these life saving nets last year. Another campaign against Guinea worm has begun in the northern part of Ghana. Q & A followed.

We returned to Emirates, but the issue could not be resolved. Some will return tomorrow to finalize the process.

5:00 p.m.
Left Emirates for our motel. Rush hour traffic is horrendous and it’s hot and humid.

6:00 p.m.
Yes, the motel rooms are in sight – we all desperately need a shower. The class is split in half, as the two motels are small.

7:00 p.m.
We find out that in one of the motels, well actually an apartment complex, people had to be removed from the rooms in order for classmates to stay. Nevertheless we endure and the majority is transferred to the other well-maintained motel to buddy up. Everyone gets his or her shower and life is good once again.

Trip Writers: Michael Frantz, Lori Katuz, Mark Quisenberry

Day 13 - Elmina Castle and Rainforest Tour

We started our day one hour ahead of schedule. A short bus trip to the Kakum National Park and we were ready for a canopy bridge walk. We took a short hike through an extremely humid rainforest where we had the opportunity to learn a little bit about the different kind of trees in the area. Everybody but Mark, who was not feeling very well, fought their fears of heights and walked across seven narrow canopy rope bridges. The adventure took a little over 2 hours, but certainly will stay with us for much longer.

Back on the road, we stopped for lunch at the Hans Cottage – a hotel/restaurant surrounded by a pond infested with crocodiles. We had a nice buffet of rice, red-red, chicken, fish, and beans (a menu commonly found in this part of the country).

Our next stop was at the Elmina Castle -a historical land mark built by the Portuguese over 500 years ago that was eventually used as a transfer facility for the slave trade. The castle is a magnificent sight from the outside. Inside, however, we witnessed disturbing sights of cells with little or no ventilation, walls covered with algae, and unbearable smells of human waste. It was definitely a powerful and moving experience for all of us.

Next we headed to a cocoa processing plant in Takoradi which was about a 45 minute bus ride from the Elmina Castle. While driving to the coco processing facility, Jon Munger took a look at his plane ticket a noticed that we had three hours until our flight was going to leave Accra – meaning our schedules said we were leaving on the 19th of February but our tickets were set for the 18th. There was not much we could do as we were about 3.5 hours away from the airport and our luggage was another hour to the hotel. We hoped the travel agency could get this fixed and we would be able to leave Accra as we had planned the next day. Continuing on in light of this hiccup, we arrived at the Cocoa plant and took a tour which was very interesting. (The aroma of the plant smelled like chocolate but the cocoa beans did not taste like they smelled.)

We eventually made it back to the hotel, had dinner, and wondered if we would be able to get another flight to Dubai.

Trip Writers: Carlo Bocardo, Jon Munger & Kevin Healy

Day 12 - Millennium Village and travel to the Elmina Castle

Our two groups have rejoined on another in Kumasi. Our plan was to leave the hotel at 7:30 and head to the Millennium Village. As the group finished their breakfast and process of checking out we gathered to depart on time. As par for the course it was not until about 8:30 until our tour guide and bus driver showed up to begin our days journey. We departed the hotel and headed on our way. We passed through many small towns and villages along the way. There were people everywhere along the road in these villages and congestion was inevitable.

We traveled on the bus for about two hours when the pavement ended and the dirt road began. We meet up with our UN representative Samuel at this point. We stopped for a quick rest and were informed it would take around two hours to get to the village. A few were able to jump in the pickup with Samuel and enjoy the ride a little better. (Simon, Carlos, and Naty) We traveled down the dirt road and avoided as many pot holes as we hit straight on. Finally about 1:00 we made it to the Village of Bonasso which is the actual name of the Millennium Village.

As we arrived the Village elders were sitting around in a large circle awaiting our arrival. Many had stayed home from farming that day to attend our meeting. We greeting one another with hand shakes and Samuel translated for the group. We explained to the group that we were there to see first hand a Millennium Village and discussed with them some of the benefits they thought the program had brought to their Village. The Village seems happy with the benefits but was also concerned with many items that the project representatives had promised and they had not delivered yet. Samuel addressed many of these issues with the group and overall the exchange went well. At the end of the meeting we passed out some class cards, one would have thought they were gold the group virtually fought over them.

We boarded the bus and headed back on the road around 2:00. I was back along the dirt road and it was a slow process. About half way out a few additional people moved out of the bus and road in the back of the pickup we were following. (Rob, Robert, and Bryan.) Rob and Robert had white tee shirts and looked like they had worn them for about a week straight they were so brown. As we followed the bus you could see Bryan standing in the back of the pickup, he was King of the World. We finally made it back to the pavement and were on our way the Elmina Beach Resort.

The bus driver put the bus in high gear and we drove very quickly to our destination. As we passed vehicles on the road the infamous K Stew shared one of his profound statements with us each time “Out of my way Skippy we have some place to be.” We arrived at the hotel around 7:00 that evening. When we checked in many headed straight to the rooms for a shower. It took about four washings to remove all the dirt from the day’s journey.

Day 11 - Lake Volta Break out

Friday, February 16, Day 11, Ghana Breakout Group, Lake Volta

This morning we wake up to great weather and a great view. Our hotel is overlooking Lake Volta, the largest, (square footage) man-made lake in the world. We had broken into two groups the previous day, so our group was only eleven class members and Jake and Dr Wehner. After a continental breakfast we got on the road. Our first stop was a small market next to the lake, very similar looking to many of the markets we saw in Mali. Ghana is noticeably more affluent than Mali, but when one gets out in the county the gap is much narrower. The market is primarily people selling veggies they have grown, like cassava, or fruits such as mangoes and coconuts they have gathered in the field.

From there we made a few minute drive to the Lake Volta dam. We got a brief tour of the dam, and looked down into the large intakes for the hydroelectric generators. The dam was completed in 1961, and is still the primary source for electricity for the entire nation in addition to neighboring countries such as Burkina Fhaso. Electric power is in scarce supply here in Ghana, and they currently (no pun intended!) are rationing power. Every 5 days your power is shut down for 12 hours. Many businesses have generators to get them through the outages, but generally people just live with it. The energy crisis is serious, but they do have a plan: they have hired Gray Davis to look into options for them…….

It was at this point that our A/C died in our bus. This would not have been a huge problem if the windows were able to open. But luck was not with us. Our bus quickly turned into a rolling greenhouse without ventilation. The windows weren’t designed to open, and there were no ceiling vents. We drove with the front door open, but the back half was a total sauna, registering over 100 degree on Jon’s travel alarm. To add insult to injury the bus driver repeatedly got lost, and we drove in circles for about two hours looking for our next stop.

We did finally locate our next place, which was a small bead market. This was an interesting little facility because it was set up so differently from anything we have experienced yet on this trip. It was a small bead manufacturing facility. Everything is done by hand using recycled materials. They grind old glass bottles, and painstakingly mold and fire them into glass beads. They had a small gift shop, and our class bought a good number of their wares. But the unique thing was the entire place was neat and clean. The restroom was spotless by African standards, and even the dirt areas were swept clean. It was like a little oasis, and we were all reluctant to get back onto the rolling sauna.

The next place our little greenhouse on wheels rolled into was an elementary school. This proved to be the most memorable stop of the day. There were hundreds of children at this school. It was a rather open facility, with all the class rooms facing a courtyard. We met the teachers there, and all the children crowded to the windows to look at us. Then an amazing thing happened. Carlo Bocardo walked to the bus, and got a soccer ball he had brought to give away. Much like bees coming out of a hive, within moments the entire school emptied out, and Carlo was early over ran by excited students. Michael Frantz and Rob Harris handed out tennis balls and other items and were met with similar enthusiasm. The teachers told us it had been several years since they had a new ball for the kids to play with.

From the school we began the long trek to Kumasi to meet up with the other half of our class. This was a tough 5-6 hour trip with the extreme heat and humidity. Presiding Fellows Chris Sinclair and Jon Munger were unanimously voted the worst PF’s ever for not providing us with proper ventilation and cooling. All in all, they did a great job, keeping us in good spirits in spite of the adversity. Our class gets along remarkably well, and it is days like this one that make us stronger, and better friends.

We finally stopped at a road side grill for lunch. We were all very pleased with the air conditioning at the diner. We had several options to choose from. We had fried chicken, pizza, fried rice and cheese burgers. Almost like home!

By 7PM we rolled to a sweaty stop in Kumasi. Most of the group was in the pool in moments, and with that the day was complete. Another great day in Africa!!

Trip Writers: Michael Frantz, Aaron Heinrich, Kristen Bennett

Day 11 - Kumasi Break-out Group

Today we have two Class36 teams: the group exploring the area around Ghana's 2nd largest city - Kumasi, and the group exploring the area around Lake Volta. These notes describe the Kumasi team's experience.

Hey! We did a little something related to agriculture today. On impromptu roadside stops, we saw/poked/tasted cocoa pods hanging from cocoa trees, pineapples, cassava, palm-oil nuts, and calabash.

Also, having carried a big box of crayons, pencils, pads, hats, and toys halfway around the world, we finally found an ideal recipient. A first grade teacher (wearing hair curlers!) welcomed our unannounced arrival and donation to the delight of 35 students (and 12 gratified Ag fellows).

Next we explored the arts & crafts of the Ashanti region, visiting individual villages with different specialties such the famous Kente cloth, stamped textiles called "Adinkra", and wood-carving. Actually, we felt like bait on a hook. Wherever the bus stopped, a hoard would be waiting outside. We would send out the sacrificial PF to test the waters. A buying/selling/negotiating frenzy would then ensue. "What's your name?" "Where are you from?" "I have a friend in California. His name is David, do you know him?" "Because you are my special friend, I am going to sell this bracelet to you for 15,000 Cifas. What are you going to do for me, friend?"

Two bored shoppers decided to get a haircut at the "California Barber & Boutique", ending up looking like poorly shorn sheep. The haircut only cost $.70 - it was worth what they paid for it. We also ran into Marisa, a Peace Corp volunteer with three months on the job helping to promote tourism in this impoverished region. Having already caught and survived malaria in her first month, she still wore a big smile, and we felt that she was a perfect ambassador for the US in these villages. Hurray for the Peace Corp!

We rounded out the afternoon learning about the Ashanti kingdom & monarchy at the Manhyia Palace & the Ashanti Cultural Center. A day well spent!
Trip Writers: Jackie Crabb, Bob Knight, & Carlos Castaneda

Day 10 - Kumasi Breakout Group

Our day started with a trip around Accra as we visited a number of sites in the city owned by the U.S. Embassy before we found the correct buildings. Along the way we had a class member take a picture of a U.S. Embassy building where we weren't supposed to be taking pictures and he almost had to go inside to visit with the head of security, but after some negotiations, they let us go.

The embassy supplied a number of people to talk with us and gave us a great overview of the country. Ghana is viewed as a shining star for Africa in terms of democracy and economic development. While they still have widespread corruption and human rights issues to work on, it is easy to see that Ghana is decades ahead of Mali in terms of economic and social development. In Ghana you see people with Nokia cell phones and the shops have electronics for sale, in Mali you spent most of your time dodging the carts being pulled by donkey's.

After leaving Accra, we had a 7 hr bus ride to Kumasi and visited an area that produces Cocoa along the way. We had lunch at a very nice restaurant and after sitting there for awhile we realized there was a "local" side to the restaurant and a "tourist" side. They wouldn't let us see the menu for the "local" side, but we all bet the prices were 25% of what we paid.

The hotel in Kumasi is very nice and owned by an American who came to Ghana 15 years ago from Southern California. After a full day of riding in the bus, we turned in early after a quick jump in the pool.

PF's - Carlos
Trip Writers - Naty and Robert Hodgen

Day 9 - Travel to Ghana from Mali

We all gathered at 7 AM to be at the Mopti airport by 7:30AM to check in and catch the plane. 6 of us plus our guide were set to ride the commercial flight to "the Ivory Coast" which left at 8:30 and the rest of the 19 were on a charter flight to leave at 9 AM.

Well 3 hours and lots of charades later the charter plane arrived but to our dismay there was a weight issue. Too many bags that were over the 25 pound average (maybe too much shopping?) and we had to move people around...so everyone had to write down their weights on a long sheet of paper for the captain to calculate the amount of weight he would allow on the plane. Naty, Robert, Simon, Carlos, Mark and Benina ended up on the "fatty" plane along with almost $400 worth of extra bagged fees.

We all arrived safely in Abidjan, Coit d'Ivoire with enough time to grab a quick bite before we were back on the plane headed for Accra, Ghana. We arrived about 10Pm, grabbed our luggage, took another bus ride to the hotel, checked in, grabbed a bite and were off to bed to rest up for the next day of adventure in humid Ghana!

Trip Writers: Simon, Aaron and Benina
PFs: Kristen, Jackie and Bob

Day 8 - Tour of Mopti

Today was slightly slower paced and we stayed in Mopti as Day 7 really took its toll on the troops after bouncing around in a 4X4 all day. We started around 10:00 am with a walking tour of Mopti up the Niger river and into the market area of the city. Along the way we learned that Mali can ship and receive barge traffic up the Niger River from the ocean. We also learned that the salt for the city is shipped into the area by boat in slabs that were 1 inch thick and 1 foot wide by 30 inches long. It was really amazing to see.

We had an opportunity to have lunch along the river and watch the boats go by for an hour or so with little intrusion from the many people selling their goods and wares before the real fun began.

After lunch the class first walked through the fish market and witnessed first hand the variety of ways a developing nation can utilize fish. Then we ventured into the market area of the city and for a few hours haggled and negotiated over a variety of souvenirs that we now have to figure out how to lug around for the next 10 days before we come home. Several people in the class found great treasurers to remember the trip by for years to come. This was a great experience in negotiations for the class members as well. We met several people who claimed their name was "Mr. Good Price"

In the evening we took a boat tour on the Niger River Delta and visited the Bozo Fisherman Camp across the river from our hotel. These people live a very simple lifestyle based on what the river can provide for them.

After the boat tour we had a great dinner about 15 miles outside of Mopti and had the chance to experience a local music and dance group perform for almost an hour. This was yet another chance to experience more of the culture and traditions in Mali.

PF's for the Day - Benina, Aaron, Simon

Trip Writers - Nicholas, Robert Hodgen and Rob Harris

Day 7: MALI - Dogon Country

7:00 a.m. and we are ready to roll. It’s a beautiful day and the Niger River is at our doorsteps. After loading into the 4x4’s it’s off to Songo (Songho). As we distance ourselves from Mopti the wind is kicking up a lot of dust in the north while the landscape is turning more arid. Mud villages once the norm is now rock structures with a mix of palm frond and millet stem huts.

Our first stop is the village of Songho. Hiking up to the sacred rock carvings we were shown symbols only of which the Chieftain has knowledge. In this village there is one tribe made up of five different families. In this sacred area the guide described the circumcision ritual which the men of the class enjoyed immensely – yea right. On the way down we were greeted by children singing and playing music on simple instruments. Songho is a beautiful village.

On the two hour drive over rough terrain to Tirelli in this destitute land we were amazed at the agriculture wherever a stream or small waterway flowed. Onions were predominately grown, as were peppers, tomatoes and cabbage, all watered by hand.

As we approached Tirelli the rocky outcropping turned to shifting sand. Some say we were at the southern edge of the Sahara, or Sahal. Then the fun began for the next five kilometers as we had to literally plow full speed ahead in order to not sink into the sand.

In the village it was at least 40° C. where we watched the outstanding Dogon Mask Dance. A very colorful and energetic dance; many photos were taken. Afterwards we had lunch consisting of a vegetable sauce over couscous, rice or spaghetti noodles.

On the way to Irelli we stopped to view the sacred crocodiles. So how do they keep the crocodiles fat and happy so they do not eat the goats and cattle when they come to the crocodile pond to drink?

We also saw a few camels along the way. The Baobab trees are magnificent.

Entering Irelli we saw the cave houses built high into the cliffs. The span of cliff dwellings were 500 kilometers up and spanned over 250 km wide and were similar to the Antazi (sic) villages in New Mexico. A short drive down the road took us to the escarpment. Some took the strenuous hike to the top, roughly 1500 km high. Others took the 4x4 trial which was just as exciting, tittering on the edge of the cliffs.

On the way out we stopped to see the shaman who had sketched the village, household by household into the sand. At night he places peanuts out and in the morning, depending upon how the insects and mice have eaten and moved the nuts around, he makes a prediction of what will happen in each household; marriage, children, et cetera.

Oh, almost forgot the answer to the question – feed them chickens.

We arrived back at our hotel around 8:30 p.m. After an adventurous day, dinner and beer soon followed.

Signed,

Mark Quisenberry, Naty Jaime, Michael Frantz (Trip Writers)

Day 6 - Traveling from Segou to Mopti - Mali

Day 6 – leaving Segou and traveling to Mopti, Mali

It was a beautiful, sunny clear day in Segou, Mali as we once again boarded the bus for another day of adventure. Our hotel was located in an area with local artisans and we perused the vendors before departing. Many of the available items included local masks and fabrics, leather bound boxes, wooden carved chairs and various adornments. Local vendors did their best to make sure that we saw everything they had to offer and prices were African negotiable.

Leaving Segou, we headed out for the old city of Segou, which as about 13 km away. The original kingdom was established in the 15th century and continues to be governed by descendants of the original ruling family- Coulibali. The village is located on the banks of the Niger River. The people there raise their own cotton and spin and weave to make cloth. Fabrics are dyed using indigo and mud (bogolan). They raise cattle, goats and chickens and they grow various foods including rice, millet and sorghum. About 25,000 people live in the village.

We again boarded the bus to travel to Djenne. To get to Djenne we had to cross the Bani River. There is no bridge so we were shuttled across about a 50 foot span of the river by pinasse boats. These were long flat bottom canoe like wooden boats. We then boarded two smaller busses which took us into the city. The city of Djenne is one of the oldest in Mali dating back to 250BC. It is home to one of the worlds largest Mosque, established around the 15th century. The Mosque can hold about 3000 people the city is home to around 40,000. As with many villages they raise their own food locally. They city was beautiful and the people were very friendly.

Back to the bus, we headed North to Mopti. About half way along we heard a large bang and saw a piece of rubber laying on the road behind us, the retread of the inner right rear tire. We pulled over near a few homes and began the task of changing the tire. Several of the classmates helped the bus driver and we were back on the road again in about 30 minutes, which was good because it was getting late in the day. Several of the local people wondered over to watch and it was fun to interact with them. About 20minutes down the road a sound was heard that another tire had lost pressure but we just kept on along, we had a good bus driver. Not much we could do, we had used the spare.

We got to Mopti about 8:00pm, not much time to look around. Most of us ate buffet dinner at the hotel and went to bed. It had been a long day. In summary we had seen several different levels of Mali environments, a newer city, an old city, and villages. In general the people have many of the same challenges in day to day life, obtaining food. In the cities they have more opportunities but costs are high. In talking with the people and our guide Ali, some of the things that could help would be the availability for seeds and loans to help establish businesses, plus more schools and teachers.

Trip Writers: Les Crutcher, Lori Kautz, Bryan Wilson
Presiding Fellows: Michael Frantz, Naty Jaime, Mark Quisenberry

Day 5 - Recycling Village in Bamako and Travel to Sagou

Saturday, February 10, 2007

By far the most interesting day thus far on the trip.

First day sans international flight, or flights.

The Hotel

We began the morning with breakfast at the hotel. However, due to logistics and lack of communication the previous evening, not a single member of the group had the correct currency (Communaute Financiere Africaine Francs [$1.00 = 470 CFA]). Therefore breakfast, water and coffee was slightly more expensive than necessary due to paying with in US dollars. Regardless, group found early morning sustenance.

All luggage was stored in one corner of the hotel restaurant during breakfast due to the mosquitoes swarming on virtually all pieces of the luggage in the hotel lobby and the restaurant.

Just prior to our departure from the hotel our tour guide Ali arranged for currency exchange for the group. A large African gentleman entered the hotel shortly after breakfast and convened a make-shift exchange bank on a small table in the hotel lounge/bar. This gentleman exchanged approximately $5000.00 US for the group in approximately 20 minutes and was all business. There was much speculation within the group as to this gentleman’s affiliation(s) as he arrived to the hotel, exchanged considerable sums of currency with strangers, had the capacity to exchange considerably more currency (he had what appeared to be >$5,000.00) and did so without any guards and/or supervision. There was further speculation as to whether or not the gentleman was armed. His armament status was never was never confirmed.

After successful currency exchange, the group assisted our bus driver and the hotel concierge in loading the entirety of the luggage onto the top of the bus. Once loaded, the luggage was secured to the top of the bus with a cargo net and several long ace bandages. After securing the luggage, the group boarded the bus for the day ahead.

Once on the bus and seated, the day’s presiding fellows began outlining the upcoming events for the group. This brief presentation was interrupted initially by various group members audibly expressing concern for the direction the bus was traveling. The audible expression of concern reached a crescendo of fervent shouting and yelling as the bus nearly passed under a low overhang at the hotel entrance that would have cleaved the entire load of luggage off the top of the bus right back onto the asphalt from whence it had just been loaded. Luckily, spurned by the shouts and screams, the driver stopped just in time, mere inches from impacting the overhang with the first bag. After averting the luggage catastrophe the driver reversed the direction of the bus and we began on our way into downtown Bamako.

The Recycling Village

Our first stop of the day was the recycling village in downtown Bamako. En route to the recycling village the bus passed through a large open-air marketplace. The poverty that exists in this community was immediately evident as we made our way deeper into the heart of the city. We passed a multitude of vendors tending innumerable piles of cassava, plantain, citrus and various other horticultural products that were placed near the street, mostly un-shaded, wholly un-refrigerated, and usually inundated with flies. On the journey to the village we also passed an open-air meat market that appeared to be staffed by flies. Approximately 20-30 minutes after we had departed the hotel, the bus made a left hand turn onto an unpaved road and proceeded just far enough down the road to get the bus safely off of the extremely busy street and away from the throng of humanity that comprised the marketplace.

Once off the bus, the group proceeded up the road approximately 2 blocks to the recycling village. The “village” was actually an area approximately 3-4 blocks in diameter situated directly at the bottom of a small escarpment. Within the “village” were numerous “shops” where young men toiled with hammer and chisel taking apart old car parts, empty 55 gallons drums and various other pieces of metal debris to produce usable raw material for their craft. These young men worked in almost perfect coordination as they converted these dismantled metal pieces into makeshift cooking stoves, agricultural implements and various others saleable items. The men worked under the most difficult of conditions. Most “shops” were nothing more than 6’x6’ areas of dusty soil covered with a roof of corrugated sheet metal held up by misshapen logs harvested from nearby barren trees with a small fire burning near the center of the “shop” for heating metal. Instead of the heavy aprons and gloves typically worn by blacksmiths, these young men wore tattered cotton pants and t-shirts (one had a Dan Marino jersey) and usually plastic sandals as they formed heated metal into various shapes with coordinated hammer and chisel reminiscent of a Stomp performance.

The car parts, large drums and lose debris used to manufacture goods in this industrial mecca were salvaged and brought to the men’s “shops” by the women and young children from 2 separate piles of trash that were directly adjacent to the village. The piles resembled large hills of trash like those found in any landfill in the US. They were so large that they significantly obscured the view of the escarpment that stood directly north of the village.

The sights and smells of the village were very interesting.

The Musso-Laddamean Project

Our next visit was to the Musso Laddamean project. The project was located in a thatched hut village approximately 30 minutes across town (with traffic) on the outskirts of Bamako.

Apparently, several years ago a group of Brown University students had organized funds solicited from private donations (French and US philanthropists) to setup a school house and a curriculum to educate women in this village. Annually the project selected 120-180 women from the local and surrounding villages to enroll in the 2-year program and attend school, learn to read and write the local language (Bambara), learn child rearing and learn a skill (weaving, cloth dying, gardening, etc.) to be used to generate income for the family. We were told by our hosts that the project selected women only due to their status as the “backbone” of African society.

Our arrival was met with a multitude of smiles and handshakes from the village people, children and village elders. As we stepped down from the bus into the village we were immediately escorted into the un-powered 10x10’ school house for the presentation by the Community Action Committee (local literate [majority French] village elders).

The village chief Shaka Kone presented to our group the concept behind the Musso-Laddamean Project and how the program came into being, then each member of the CAC introduced themselves to our group and described their role within the village and the project. Luckily, our guide Ali was able to translate from French to English and from Bamabara to English, though somewhat unclear at times.

After the presentation, our group described our function and the reason for our visit. We then presented a plethora of donated items (pens, paper, hats, a video camera, etc.) to the project via Shaka Kone and the CAC. Once the donations had been distributed, the local women and CAC members presented the fruits of their labor to the group for purchase. The list of items for sale included hand dyed cloth shirts, scarves and various other small cloth and leather coin purses. The village sales people were very happy to transact considerable business with our eager and generous group in the space of 5-10 minutes.

Once business had concluded, we proceeded back to the bus stopping along the way to shake hands, exchange pleasantries, briefly investigate the nearby village and play a few quick games of soccer with the awestruck (and apparently very happy) children of the village.

As the bus made its way out of the village we were given a warm send-off of smiles and waves by our new found friends.

The Mali National Museum (and lunch) was our next intended destination.

The Mali National Museum

The bus made its way back through downtown Bamako en route to the Mail National Museum (about 30 minutes with traffic).

On the way to the museum the bus made a brief stopover at a local bank to allow group members to exchange dollars for CFA and stretch our legs. As members of our group were accessing the ATM and replenishing their financial resources, one member decided (unwisely) to take a picture of the bank. Unfortunately, the gentleman in the camouflage fatigues standing near the door of the bank was none-to-happy about foreigners taking photographs of the bank. This man’s agitation and displeasure at the situation were immediately evidenced by his shouting and gruff facial expressions. After a few minutes of heated exchange with Ali we quickly boarded the bus and beat a hasty retreat out of the bank parking lot, leaving the bank guard shouting as the bus sped away.

The museum itself was housed in a large, very aesthetically pleasing, series of buildings within a few blocks of the previously visited Recycling Village. Once off the bus our hungry and increasingly agitated group made its way through the sparsely populated museum and took in some Malian history, trade and textile exhibits before making our way to the museum restaurant for lunch.

Lunch was again an exercise in frustration as their was not adequate seating for our entire group due to 1) the medium-sized group of Europeans who had arrived just before our group, 2) and our time constraints. Hence, everyone got a cool drink from the restaurant and the PF’s arranged for our sandwiches to be packaged up to take and eat on the bus. Unfortunately, as we made our way to the parking lot (sandwiches in hand) to board the bus we quickly discovered that the bus was no where to be found. We found out later (after about 20 minutes) from Ali that the bus had developed a slow tire leak while waiting for us to finish at the museum and that the driver had left for a nearby repair shop to get the repair before setting out for Segou. Once back on the bus we set out for Segou and the former Bamabara kingdom.

Bus Ride to Segou

After the National Museum we boarded the bus for a ~3 hours ride to the town of Segou. Approximately 1 hour into the trip the bus developed a slight lean to the left (driver’s side) due to having blown a tire. Luckily 2 of our more industrious classmates helped the driver remove the destroyed tire and replace it with and effective spare.

During the approximate 30 minute tire change ordeal several of the class members were able to visit a roadside medical clinic in the middle of nowhere. During the clinic visit we were able to hand out some toys (a doll and a soccer ball) and some good old-fashioned American goodwill to the local population. The locals at this destination were considerably different from those who we had encountered before in so much as they were not approcahing us with their hands out, but instead with genuine interest in finding out who we were and why we were there.

Feeling filled with the satisfaction of charity we again boarded the bus for Segou…

PF's: Les Crutcher, Lori Kautz, Bryan Wilson
Trip Writer(s): Jon Munger, Kevin Steward, Kevin Healy

Day 4 - Travel to Mali

Today was our 4th day of flying in a row. We boarded the bus at 7:15am for our sprint to the international airport. We checked in our bags and loaded straight on the plane. The airplane was unmarked (no tail flag) sort of like the movie Air America. The flight was crowded but thankfully short. We landed 40 minutes later at Abidjan, Ivory Coast for a 3 hour layover.

After yet another security check & long line, we boarded our flight to Bamako, Mali. Flying in Africa is very exciting; all of your senses are stimulated throughout the experience. The landings are also very different than in the states. At the airport we discovered a few bags had walked off, fortunately Jon Munger found his bag being carried away by a local and had to wrestle it from his hands. As we were walking to our bus, we had the opportunity to meet many Malians who were offering to sell us phone cards & other necessities including currency exchange. Our bus driver & crew helped us with our luggage and placed it all on top of the bus.

Our flight was late and we had to rush to the hotel to meet with the US Ambassador to the Republic of Mali, Terence P. McCulley. Mr. McCulley addressed our group for 30 minutes along with 3 other embassy staff. After the discussion we attended a nice social reception by the pool at the Grand Hotel where we met with other locals including scholars from the local university.

We then checked into our hotel where most of us are sharing beds yet again. We then had the privilege of having dinner at the house of Madou Cisse. Mr. Cisse was a connection through classmate Mark Quisenberry who is acquainted with the Contra Costa County Ag Commissioner who is from Mali. Dinner consisted of 4-5 courses of local cuisine and a very fun time speaking French/English with our hosts. There were about 15 people working on dinner for us and close to 30 besides our group. They were gracious hosts and we were very happy to witness the real life of Bamako locals.



Trip Writers: Dino, Carlo, Chris

PF's: Jon, Kevin, Kevin

Day 3 - Travel to Ghana

This was a day of travel from Dubai to Accra, Ghana. Upon departure our friendly flight attendants walked down the aisles with what we thought were air fresheners but were actually insect foggers. After 8 hours & fifty minutes, we arrived at the Kotoka International Airport and were greeted by a wall of heat and our smiling tour guide, Abraham Padi. We hopped on a small bus where the red carpet was literally rolled out for us. As we drove from the airport to the Novotel Accra, we observed suicidal driving, a range of cultures, people with baskets on their heads, pedaling of all sorts of items at intersections & flags to celebrate its 50th year of independence.

Once checked into the hotel, we left for the University of Ghana. On the way we noticed a billboard that read, “Eat Ghana rice, support local farmers.” This idea was reiterated by the speakers later that day. Our speakers were representatives from the department of agriculture and included a tour of the campus which has 28,000 students of which 1,000 are in the Ag department.

We ended our day with an evening in the downtown center “Oxford Street” where we had dinner including pizza, Lebanese food, grilled ham & American cheese sandwiches, and a few Ghanaian brewed beverages. We took in the sites.

Trip Writers: Kristin Bennett, Carlos Castaneda, Jackie Crabb
PF's: Carlo Bocardo, Dino Giacomazzi, Chris Sincair

Day 2 - Arrival and Tour in Dubai, UAE

Arrival at Dubai, UAE After such a long flight and not being able to check in and get settled, we had a nice surprise with a wonderful lunch that had lots of delicious choices. Kristen did a wonderful job managing 7 speakers. We were briefed on a general overview of Dubai. After our speakers we rushed downstairs to meet the bus that came over 1 hour late.

The bus finally came with just enough time to get into the port that closes at 3:30 and on top of that the bus' air conditioner left much to be desired. We had a great tour of the DP World Port facility from Henrik Peterson, General Manager-Operations of Maersk Line a Danish based company that is the largest container shipping company in the world. It is amazing how much product is being moved in and out of Dubai. DP World Port is the 3rd largest port in the world.

Following our port tour we were given a bus tour (on the same bus with no air conditioner) of the city of Dubai. Although there were many special sites to behold the lack of fresh air and sleep allowed many of us much needed naps. Upon return to the hotel Novotel we were finally able to check in to our hotel rooms. We pretty much split up for dinner on our own. Some ate dinner and some went straight to bed for another early morning flight.

Presiding Fellows: Kristen Bennett & Carlos Castaneda & Jacquelyn Crabb

Trip writers: Benina Burroughs & Aaron Heinrich & Robert Knight

Day 1 - We Made it to Dubai

Travel from the USA to Dubai

We made it to Dubai 45 minutes early and have checked into the Novotel Hotel. Our trip so far has been pleasantly uneventful and all flights were on time. The Boeing 777 was great from JFK to Dubai, the seats were comfortable and we had free video games and over 100 movies to watch. Some chose to sleep, others read and a few paced around the plane.Most of the group left LAX together on Monday night and three members of our class joined us in New York (Dino, Mark and Kristen). Of those three, Dino and Mark's luggage somehow was checked all the way through to Accra, but we will catch up to the luggage tomorrow. That has been our only real hiccup along the way.

Just traveling from the airport to the Hotel was amazing. In Dubai, the tallest building in the world is under construction right down the street from us, and there are cranes and construction sites everywhere. Almost everything is written in both English and Arabic, so getting around should be easy. We're off to our first meeting with David Williams of the US Ag Trade Office.

Presiding Fellows: Benina Burroughs & Aaron Heinrich & Robert Knight

Trip writers: Robert Hodgen & Robert Harris & Simon Sihota