of course, there are more beautiful places in the world. and probably there are places where the people are more generous, the children more lively, and the vistas more spectacular. i am sure such a place exists and when i figure out where it is, nothing will stop me from going there. as of now, that yet-unvisited place must compete with the grandeur of dogon country.

i managed to catch a ride with cristina nardone of USAID to bandiagara, where i hoped to track down timothee dolo and moussa tembine, two of anna friends. i had the wonderful, if somewhat nerve-wracking task of delivering funds from the tandana foundation that are designated for three school garden projects in the area. i arrived in town just as timothee was leaving for a few days, so i the opportunity to dash out to the escarpment for some hiking. i reunited with some folks i had met in bamako and spent three nights under the stars, re-fueling. getting outside after the rush rush of town is a medicine for me that helps me to find my feet and keeps things in perspective.

i returned to bandiagara and hooked up with timothee and moussa, in addition to daniel and isaac. these four men make up the non-governmental organization called dje yamen, which in dogon means "the messengers". they work as liasons with external organizations in specific local areas. as the five of us sat and chatted that first day, it was clear that these men maintain only the highest hopes for their communities and their families. the solutions they see are practical and manageable. it was decided in that brief meeting that they would take me to see the sites of the proposed projects. on friday, daniel would take me to kori-maounde where he is the primary school teacher. then saturday to sunday isaac and moussa would take me to tereli for the night the return via kansongho the following day.

my french is ok. there's a lot i miss. but there is also a lot i catch. let's just say, i was pretty excited for the upcoming expedition, as we took to calling it.

it turns out that all four men wanted join all legs of the trip, so we had quite a posse. the first day at kori-maounde was lovely. a picturesque village on the plateau, kori-maounde is the site where fourteen volunteers from tandana will be visiting in january to help construct a canal for watering the school garden. when i arrived, the village president came to greet me and was thrilled about the new work. a thousand photographs later, we hopped back on the motorcycles and returned to bandiagara.

we decided to wait till the afternoon to leave for tereli. the midday heat can really be something. the ride that afternoon was just incredible, out through the bush, over the rocks, to the very edge of the escarpment and an expansive view of tereli and the plains below. we left the bikes there and began our descent down the cliffs on foot. seriously. i love this, i am thinking the whole time. really? i get to do this? yes. i do.

the hike was short but dramatic. about 45 minutes later, we strolled into isaac's compound and met his beautiful wife and children. we toured the school and isaac spoke excitedly about the many ideas he has for the school. so much to do! he is a man of inexhaustible energy and humor. we walked through the village and i was presented to various important people.

my four guides arranged a place for me to stay at the local campement where i passed the night again under the stars, letting my drowsy mind float from place to place, but always coming back to stillness.

in the morning, we ascended the cliffs, hopped on the motos and went screaming toward kansongho. a journey, to be sure.

as it was sunday, we arrived just in in time to catch the last bit of church. and that is another story altogether...