To travel on the main artery between Bamako and Mopti these days almost always brings an encounter with a very long convoy of French military vehicles either on their way north with loaded lorries or on their way back south with empty loads. The vehicles are always driven by young French soldiers. There is an almost palpable sense of POWER as the long convoy- often in numbers of 60-80- vehicles pass.  We wave and they wave back.

I am here to send off lots of parcels to Australia- the fruit of the ABC TV programme!- and also to  work with Adama the MaliMali cobbler- more of this later!

After the hardship  of the road I found myself rapidly consoled and in the lap of luxury once more, this time invited by my friend Anne Maria from the Danish Embassy, and this is where I am now about to escape for a dip in her pool!