Manual Labor
Mali, West Africa 2005: The infamous salt mines of Taodenni
Miners pitch in to help a friend prise a salt slab from the earth. The only tools they have are homemade pick axes. Their feet are bare or they wear a thonged sandal.
Taking a Break at Taodenni
We tourists were a novelty at the mine which is 500 miles north of Timbuktu. The younger men left the work sites and came to look at us and talk to our crew. My husband is a physician and when the miners learned that, they lined up to have him look at their injuries.
Sick Call at Taodenni
My husband’s cap is stained with red dust. We all looked like that. The red dust billowed into the windows of the cars as we left Mali on the beginning of our journey and we stayed dirt-stained the whole three weeks. Often, we covered our face with a kerchief and wrapped our head in a chech. We did stay in a hotel of sorts when we arrived at villages. Sometimes the hotel had showers (a luxury) and sometimes the hotel was an abandoned police station. It was an adventure.
A severe sandstorm had raged all night. My husband and I are not good campers and we failed to add the protective shield to our tent. Sand blew through the fine weave and we and all our gear was covered with it. I’d foolishly removed my contact lenses the night before and that morning, I didn’t dare try to put them in my eyes. The sand was still blowing and there was no way to hide from it or clean my hands. I choked back the frustration and got out a small digital point and shoot. I didn’t care so much if it got ruined by the sand. In the end, I was satisfied with the shots I got. I especially like the men prising the salt slab.