Yelimane

We made our first (of I am sure many) trip to Yelimane for Mark's 34^th birthday. Yelimane is a medium sized town in the north of the Kayes region not far from the border of Mauritania. Our friends Mark and Sam were thoroughly surprised at our arrival in that they were certain no one would ever visit Yelimane. For only $8 a person (and an extra $2 to sit in the front seat), we took the four hour bush taxi ride to Yelimane. At about hour two, we saw a troop of baboons crossing the paved road near a watering hole.

We weren't in Yelimane long, when we realized we were basically in the Sahara. It felt dry hot and there was a lot of warm, sandy wind. Each of the two mornings we were there, we went on long walks around the city to see the sights. While there were some trees, they were definitely sparsely planted (water is hard to come by in Yelimane). Our second morning, we climbed a large hill on the outskirts of town and could see Mauritania off in the distance.

It was definitely nice to meet everyone in Mark and Sam's Yelimane life. We ate some delicious bashee (millet grain, finely ground until it resembles sand) with their host family, the Imam's house. Aside from the welcoming people in Yelimane, my favorite part was the beginning of a battle of the sexes Euchre tournament (as of now 3 to 3, all tied up).