1st March 08

Date: 1st March 08
Location: Sikasso, Mali
Weather: Hazy blue skies and sunshine but cooler, only 38°c
Status: Ben – shit, Luke & Colonel – all good

Woke up feeling awful for some reason, spent the next two hours throwing up in the bathroom (will explain later), lovely feeling when it so hot and your surrounded by the most mosquito’s ever!

Got it together enough that by 10.30am we were on the road and heading out of Bamako, passing the airport we headed south and east from the capital to finally stop 320kms later outside a small village where we set up our bush camp and enjoyed a spectacular 400gm T-bone steak each washed down with a 2004 Bordeaux around our camp fire. Live is very very good again JJ

For the first night in about a week we’re moving quickly again which feels superb, the evenings are cooler and there’s no Mozzies here, amazing!

REASON FOR BEN’S DOWNFALL: uncooked egg in a Calzone pizza served at lunch

RESULT: 4hrs of visiting the porcelain telephone to god and speaking only in ‘hughie and ralphs’

METHOD TO RECOVERY: lightly season two oversized fresh T-bone steaks, cook over an open fire until rare, pour two glasses of fine red wine, served at room temp and consume with pleasant company.

End of day location: Sikasso, Mali
Distance covered: 320kms