Timbuktu

When I was a kid, I watched Buster Crabbe (Captain Gallant and his son Cuffy) (?) in the Adventures of the French Foreign Legion or something like that. About 25 years ago, my eldest son went to Africa with the Peace Corps and all the parents of the "new stationed kids" formed a support group to share news as we heard it. Part of our commonness was to go out and buy a big Michelin Map of Africa. This dates things of course as AOL was the browser of the day and Google maps was just in the imagination.

Some of us got into a sub-group as we were actively planning a trip to visit and wanted to make it an adventure. We also had a commonality in remembering the Buster Crabbe Foreign Legion stuff.

Our course was set.  Casablanca. Across the Western Sahara to Timbuktu and south to Benin. Wow.

Timbuktu is the star on the map. It appears to be just off the edge of the middle of nowhere.

Timbuktu and the Niger River to the South

We found that we would have to be careful to avoid the rainy [sic!] season as the plain floods like crazy and nearly reaches the city - it is about 50,000 people with 2 hotels, neither being the Ritz.

I went to a map store and found a street map, sent a few letters and just thought about things some - the rainy season you know.

The city has a central square (circle) and a big road that leads in and out of town.  The "avenues" are alphabetical.

I got a postcard back inviting me (us) to stay in a "hotel" off Avenue A run by this guy. I declined. It was a nice card though.

It showed me that there was telephone and electricity.  I doubt running water but probably. I declined.

Never made the trip. It is still on my bucket list.