A very Mali Christmas

For me Christmas at least felt like Christmas from a weather perspective as it was hot and sunny. However, Christmas isn’t really Christmas without your family and loved ones. I think everyone on this trip has missed some momentous occasion. I already have… L It is difficult being away from home for an extended period of time and particularly at this time of year but we really made the most of being with each other in Bamako.

The food was incredible with a pig on a spit (for the meat eaters)

(Zach ate its eyeball),

a pot of punch and a zillion other indulgent things that we kept eating until we nearly burst.

Our Christmas spirit was definitely not lacking with an inflatable santa, santa hats for all (which some of us wore into town and attracted even more attention than usual), a wreath on our truck and a Christmas tree.

Most of us dressed up in local attire for the occasion, some even having had clothes tailor made.

Kristy had organised a secret santa so we all had presents on the actual day under the tree.

The second best present went to Guber with a pair of yellow leather shoes with the points turned up,

but I received the stand out present – citizenship and a key to the Royal Kingdom of Domainia! What the hell you may ask. Well if you read back to my descriptions on the people on the trip, Dominic initially started talking about creating his own kingdom (like the concept of Micronations) and it has really progressed from there (updated descriptions of the group to come soon). Luckily I was spared from being the first national as that poor soul was meant to be executed. Instead I was made the 2^nd National and given the title of “Comtesse du Camion for French Translation Skills and General Sucking up to Embassy and Border Personnel during Dominic “The Only’s” Regal Procession around Africa”.

Yes, you might add we are truly going mad on the truck, but I guess that’s what you get when you spend 24/7 with the same group of people for several months, right? Heaven help whichever truck we bump into around Namibia as they will not know what hit them. We are a strange bunch with way too many in-jokes (and hand gestures) already. [Whap-baaaap, mullet!, Mek-menet, whaddarya mumbling about!, TC, Just to name a few…]