wandering the dusty streets of mopti

i landed in mopti with sand in my teeth and a vague plan to wander. the numbers 2290486 and 1384564974? no clue, maybe my boarding pass got scanned twice. the weather? 32.71°c but feels like 33.97°c, dry as a bone with 43% humidity. someone told me that's "perfect for exploring" but my shirt disagreed.

"don't trust the boat guys at the port," a drunk fisherman warned me outside a tiny bar. "they'll promise you the niger river at sunset, then leave you stranded."

i spent the morning dodging motorbikes and chasing shadows. the streets smell like grilled fish and diesel, and every corner has a kid selling phone credit. if you get bored, *sevaré and djenné are just a short drive away-though the roads might argue otherwise.

lunch was at a place called "Chez Baba" that a local swore by. the thieboudienne was legit, though the plastic chairs nearly melted in the heat. someone else mentioned Restaurant Le Djenné if you want river views and fewer flies.

by evening, the town slows down just enough for you to notice the muezzin's call bouncing off the mud buildings. i heard from a taxi driver that Hotel La Côte has cold beers and a rooftop that's worth the splurge if you're tired of sweating through your backpack.

i just checked and it's still 32.71°c* there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. mopti isn't polished, but it's alive-and sometimes that's all you need.

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