You would think that the similarities between the countries here in West Africa would far outnumber the differences, but for me, nothing could be farther from reality. Driving from Senegal to Mali and most recently into Burkina Faso has been interesting because although the terrain and topography is very similar in the areas we have been, the culture seems miles apart.
It may not look like much, but the Mali border was extremely hospitable
Almost immediately after crossing the border from Senegal into Mali, I got a sense that Mali was different. Not that I did not enjoy Senegal, but I immediately got a warm feeling from the people we saw in Mali as we drove down the road and the people we met as we stopped for food and fuel. The same held true when we crossed the border into Burkina. I guess that is why they are different countries… different cultures, different attitudes and different people. Sometimes the change is good, sometimes the change is bad, but if there is one thing that remains constant on this trip, it is that change is never that far down the road.
The Mali border only took 5 minutes? Did we miss something?
