One of the European travellers at the Sleeping Camel, a Bamako guest house, notes that Africans tend to have a different perception of time. This is actually a polite way of saying that everything is always late, and there's a lot of sitting around doing nothing. Buses, for instance, never leave at the scheduled hour of departure, and even more rarely arrive when they're supposed to.
"Eight hours!" Daniel, a Ghanaian sitting behind me on the all-night minibus from the Mali-Senegal border to Bamako, had said with disbelief. I'd just told him what the man who'd sold me the bus ticket early in the afternoon had given as the likely driving time to the Malian capital. "Eight hours!" Daniel repeated, astonished, like he could hardly believe his ears. "Did you look at the map? It's not possible!" Indeed, we arrived the next morning, 16 hours after departure. This is, frankly, no big deal.
I'd already kicked around Bamako for several days, taking care of paperwork - my passport full, I'd found it more economical to apply for a new one and wait two weeks for its arrival than to add new pages - along with visa applications. Visas, in West Africa, are a major hassle. Nearly every country between Marrakech and Cape Town requires one for almost all nationalities, and they don't come cheap. A Burkina Faso visa costs about US$100 (Dh367) and twice that at the border, roughly the GDP of the country. Nigeria requires a letter of invitation unless - and this is information you can only pick up on the travellers' grapevine - you apply in Bamako, in which case it's a simply process of filling out a form and handing over a wad of cash.
"Did you see the price?" says the lady at the Nigerian embassy with a wry smile, looking up at a table of nationalities: over $150 (Dh550) for Americans, the costliest on the list. In a daisy-chain-like motif, for those coming overland from the north, a five-day Angolan transit visa - or so I've heard - can only be procured these days in Abuja, the Nigerian capital. And this is by no means certain.
Things tend to happen when they happen, if they happen. Waiting for my new passport would give me an excuse to explore the rest of Mali - something I'll call the Great Mali Detour, for my winding overland route down West Africa is now interrupted by a jaunt to Timbuktu and back again, taking in that fabled caravan town; a hike through the stunning land of the Dogons, a people who live on and in the shadow of a majestic escarpment, where they hang onto idiosyncratic animist practices; the city of Djenné, whose great mosque is the world's largest mud-brick structure; and a pleasant boat ride on the Niger and Bani rivers.
The receptionist at the Sleeping Camel assures me that the Bamako-Mopti night bus leaves at 5pm, even though they write 4pm on the tickets. I'm anxious to get moving again, so I arrive at 4.20, only to find the engine running and the conductor waiting at the entrance of the bus. "Scott," he says, for my name is on his list. "You are late. You are very late."
Late? I'd almost forgotten the concept even existed. Not only is the bus ready to leave and waiting for me, but it's also packed - and about 50 degrees inside. Guilt washes over me like the sweat running down my face, yet nobody gives me so much as a dirty look, either out of politeness or because waiting in such conditions is such a normal occurrence.
Shortly outside Bamako, a woman boards and sits down next to me. She's agitated, the way some people are always agitated, shouting incessantly in Bambara with florid, angry gestures. The syllables come out like gunfire, never ending, and I wonder what she could possibly be on about.
Riding this overnight bus was unpleasant, to say the least - the shouting, the dust, the filth, the heat and the strangeness of everything around me - and my mind was elsewhere, wishing my body was too, until something happened that completely changed my outlook.
The daredevil driver began racing the bus next to him, trying to overtake it on a narrow two-lane road. The woman stood up and began shouting at the driver, coming close to tears. Fearing for their lives, the other passengers did the same, but the driver ignored them. My pulse quickened as the passengers began screaming. I understood one word only: Allah. They were not addressing the driver anymore.
When the passengers calmed - yes, we all lived to tell of it - I found myself more present in the moment than I'd ever thought possible. I almost laughed. This is new, I thought. This is somehow vital. I leaned my head back and looked out the window, up at the stars, spotting the crooked W of Cassiopeia, fettered to her rock - the constellation a lone sign of familiarity in an utterly alien world.
Scott MacMillan is blogging about his journey on his website, www.wanderingsavage.com
PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
SERIES INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series
Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
Table
The top three sides advance to the 2022 World Cup Qualifier.
The bottom four sides are relegated to the 2022 World Cup playoff
1 United States 8 6 2 0 0 12 0.412
2 Scotland 8 4 3 0 1 9 0.139
3 Namibia 7 4 3 0 0 8 0.008
4 Oman 6 4 2 0 0 8 -0.139
5 UAE 7 3 3 0 1 7 -0.004
6 Nepal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 PNG 8 0 8 0 0 0 -0.458
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
THE BIO
Ms Al Ameri likes the variety of her job, and the daily environmental challenges she is presented with.
Regular contact with wildlife is the most appealing part of her role at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
She loves to explore new destinations and lives by her motto of being a voice in the world, and not an echo.
She is the youngest of three children, and has a brother and sister.
Her favourite book, Moby Dick by Herman Melville helped inspire her towards a career exploring the natural world.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal
Rating: 3.5/5
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The five pillars of Islam
Brown/Black belt finals
3pm: 49kg female: Mayssa Bastos (BRA) v Thamires Aquino (BRA)
3.07pm: 56kg male: Hiago George (BRA) v Carlos Alberto da Silva (BRA)
3.14pm: 55kg female: Amal Amjahid (BEL) v Bianca Basilio (BRA)
3.21pm: 62kg male: Gabriel de Sousa (BRA) v Joao Miyao (BRA)
3.28pm: 62kg female: Beatriz Mesquita (BRA) v Ffion Davies (GBR)
3.35pm: 69kg male: Isaac Doederlein (BRA) v Paulo Miyao (BRA)
3.42pm: 70kg female: Thamara Silva (BRA) v Alessandra Moss (AUS)
3.49pm: 77kg male: Oliver Lovell (GBR) v Tommy Langarkar (NOR)
3.56pm: 85kg male: Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE) v Rudson Mateus Teles (BRA)
4.03pm: 90kg female: Claire-France Thevenon (FRA) v Gabreili Passanha (BRA)
4.10pm: 94kg male: Adam Wardzinski (POL) v Kaynan Duarte (BRA)
4.17pm: 110kg male: Yahia Mansoor Al Hammadi (UAE) v Joao Rocha (BRA
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
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