Our intention is to ascend the escarpment to stay at the village of Benigmato. Although the Lonely Planet 'map' shows it as on the plain, despite them noting on the sketch that the suffix '-ato' means "High", it is definitely atop the cliff. But how to get up? There is a notch in the skyline of the cliff in front of us, and a broader valley over to the right, but no track is visible.

A passing fellow stops to chat and says that we ascend via the smaller valley to the left, so he gets a handful of kola nuts as well as our thanks. At 11:30 a mob of kids finally grows bored with us dozing, an hour after we had arrived at the tree, so I go for a wander to see if I can find a track, but no sign. The clear, but not very busy foot track on the plain that heads for the cliff peters out amongst the rock gardens on the lower scree slope. Obviously, not a through track.

Back to take some shade. Alas, the movement of the sun forces us to move to keep in the shade, so our slothfulness is not absolute. Around two there is talk of tea, so Sam and Chong go off to fetch more water, while I fend off a mob of inquisitive girls. They're fascinated by everything we do, even if it is nothing.

Visitors to the Green Toad

Along with the tea there arises some hunger, our rather feeble breakfast having faded, so I bring forth my muesli and milk powder rather than approach the people of Dondourou. The girls observe all, very keen on remnant powder but have little interest in the muesli, discarded raisins being noticed later. But their fruits are not much to my taste - a slime layer around a kernel for example, although the baobab seed-pod centre was semi-nice. These exchanges are conducted at extreme arm's length as the girls are afraid that we'll eat them or somesuch, their belief somewhat assisted by our occasional growls and grabs. They dare each other to approach the monsters more closely, and when one grabs her friend and forces her closer, the screams are fervent.

At four p.m. it is time to start moving. Sam and Chong go back again to load up on water and while they're away, some tiresome brats gather. We leave the tree at 4:30, heading for a nearby well, but as we approach, all persons happen to leave, except for an old man who assures us that we should head for the left-side notch. From this location, there can be no ambiguity of a waved direction so away we go.

When the path peters out, the brats direct us further left where indeed a track is found that continues up the scree to the trees filling the left-hand side of the notch. Once on it, it is quite clear, and looking back we can see where it started from the plain, well to the south-west of our shade tree.

Once through the notch we emerge into a wonderful suspended valley. The floor of the ravine is flat, filled with sediment and well-cultivated though not currently green. An obvious and well-trodden track leads on up the gorge and shortly a fellow directs us to turn right, up some steps out of the now shallow gully, and we've arrived at Benigmato.

Christian Quarter with Muslim Beyond

The shelter is directly ahead, in the Christian village, while beyond is the Animist village and away to the left (North-east) is the Islamic village, with small mosque and minarets visible. All the buildings huddle together atop bare sheets of rock on several levels.

We receive a cordial welcome at the 'campement', unlike that from the surly youths at Dundourou. Two cokes at 500, not 600, and Sam goes for a beer. In a friendly atmosphere not dominated by money, we relax and spend money. After a rest (on cane reclining chairs) and a discussion of eats (spaghetti is on the menu) we go for a quick look around. The view from the edge of the cliffs is magnificent, allowing us to see back the way we have come until the line of cliffs fades into the dusty haze, while below, our shade tree is clearly identified. Next, to the Animist village to say hello and admire the splendid view to the north-east from the huts on the brink, then we return to the Christian quarter, calling at Michael's house on the way for some samples of millet porridge. It's thin, but good and would be a pleasant change from rice, but back at the campement we have a good feed with good sauce, to which Sam adds a tin of sardines each. As we finish eating, a full moon rises, illuminating the rock pinnacles across the gully from us.

I awaken at about five-thirty with the dawn and its flies. The roosters started at three-thirty, damn them! Around seven we revisit the chiefs to distribute kola nuts. They're a cheerful lot here. Although people bemoan the time consumed in the morning greeting ritual, Michael diligently greets each friend on first sighting; subsequent encounters need only a hello. We head back for breakfast on rice and sauce, then, as the sun has cleared the dust haze, return to the cliff edge for another dose of the view.

We head away at eight. Our destination is Dourou, and our plan complex. Sam and Chong will return directly to spend a second evening at Benigmato, intending to go back most of the way we have come to go to Bankas, to chase the other members of the Truck Africa group who will be a day or three ahead of them now. I, however, will stay at Dourou at least for tonight, and if there is no prospect of finding someone with whom to continue to Sanga, will return to Bandiagara and thence to Mopti.

Our hosts are worried that the route to Dourou is unclear, but we have been hearing this so often that we reject their urgings to engage a guide, and offers to find someone going the same way. This turned out to be a mistake. Although the path was very clear when we started, again there is not so much "through traffic", so as we crossed the broad upper valley it thinned, and when we arrived at the far side, the stretches across bare rock were indiscernable from untrodden rock surface to our eyes.

Lucky for us, some fellows working in the fields hail us. One discards his hoe and comes over to show us the way, which was back to a gully we'd started on. The track would have been visible if we had gone a bit further to a stretch of dirt, but soon enough it vanishes again over wide stretches of bare rock that last for about a mile. Off to the right is the edge of the escarpment, but there are many small canyons to distract you from your direction. When we reach a stretch of dirt with a clear track, our guide quits; some kola nuts for him, and our thanks.

Onwards and slightly upwards, following the gullies' NNE trend, we reach a village above the now broad gully where we refill our water bottles at a pump that was provided by a Japanese aid project directed at eradicating Guinea worm. So said the small plaque. Although mostly adults happen to be at the pump, there is again no indication of any fee or "water tax" as mentioned by Lonely Planet.

We continue, but again, as we pass beyond the locally farmed area the track thins. There are some stretches of dirt but lots of rock and many small canyons. We stop atop one bluff, unsure of direction. I see a track in the dirt of a cross valley ahead, but off to the right above a canyon is a seemingly abandoned village. Well, down into the valley ahead, then, as some kids have been heard, Sam and Chong go off to check with them while I stay with the packs and have a look at the path ahead. The section on dirt is too well-trodden for only local traffic, starting and finishing abruptly with the sides of the valley, but it vanishes at once on the bare rock. However, a bit further on a crack is piled with loose rock as a footbridge and further on still, some dirt shows a well-trodden trail continuing NNE. It looks good, as Chong had thought from below.

Around 10:30 they return, having had to chase the kids. Yes, it is the right direction, so away we go. Subsequent rock sections are noticeably trodden, so we don't wander astray. Two women come the other way, and chorus "No, no, no", presumably because we have no guide. They point at themselves when "Dourou" is named, Sam and Chong thinking for a moment that they mean 'back the way we had come', but no, they next point on the way we were heading and from whence they came. So onwards, down into the small canyon to our right but still heading NNE. The track is now well-trodden as local fields are farmed from Dourou: we've passed the 'footshed'.

We emerge onto a plateau, a village visible to the left of the track, which bends right a bit. I say to continue a while along the track, to a rise from which we see a big village ahead, the earlier sighting being merely of its flank. Sam wants a pause as his legs are tired, but there is no shade to be had. Nor peace, as some kids run over to greet us. One suggests a direction to the piece to the left, but the others urge us on to the village on the skyline. Naturally, the campement is on its far side, but we arrive at last at a huddle of mud huts.

We have a splash to wash the sweat and dust off, and sit while lunch is readied. Now again we face incessant suggestions. View the souvenirs, a guide back to Benigmato, visiting the sevenfold village on the way, on and on. Peace and quiet would be far more to our taste. But no. From 2:30 to 3pm there are repeated suggestions of a guide back to Benigmato via the sevenfold village and three stairways, then a sackful of souvenirs is pressed onto our attention. We decline, but feel that we ought not refuse to view the village, even though we're not keen.

Dourou has some three thousand inhabitants, in huts separated by twisting alleyways. Across a gully is another suburb, and we're told that during rain the water runs high enough to inundate some huts. This seems dubious to me, as how would the trees growing in the gully survive the rush, but I don't feel up to arguing the point. We're introduced to our suburb's chief, so he gets the last six of our kola nuts though perhaps he has enough from previous visitors. We return via a small shop where Chong buys three teabags for CFA 105, then to our guide's hut and no, we still do not wish to buy any souvenirs. There is yet more talk of the triple staircase, but Sam and Chong are definite. They will return the way we came, and not engage any guide.

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