Little House on the Boowal

The funny-looking mountain to the left is Fello Lansa, the top of which is actually about 80 meters lower in elevation than Maali town. You can't see from here that it sits at the edge of the escarpment; the cliffs you see represent only about a third of the total vertical drop.

The notch on the horizon to the right is Ñiire Dali ("the tooth of Dali"), a massive knob of solid rock near the town of Madina Wora, about 50 km away.

Brian Morgan, the new Peace Corps volunteer in town. He is doing environmental education in the primary schools.

Penelope ("Puppy" for short) is a fine dog.

Maître Cellou Souaré, the head of the Maali taxi park in Labé, is a big Atlanta Braves fan.

Some of our former colleagues at the lycée.

Baaba and Neene Suntu run a local clinic. She is from Germany; he was born in Ñooge nearby, but has spent most of his life in Europe.

Ramatoulaye, the only girl in her class to make it to Terminale and the sharpest tack in the whole lycée.

The administration of the lycée.

La Dame de Maali, the area's primary tourist attraction. Wind and water have shaped a cliffside on the north face of Luura into the form of a standing woman. Legend has it she was an unfaithful wife who was taking food to her lover on the feast day of Ramadan. While passing below the mountain, she was turned to stone. To see the woman clearly you'll need to go to the full image; it's worth the wait.

Maître Amadou Oury Souaré (middle, shown here with his colleagues) is the principal of the primary school in Tensira, in the shadow of the Dame de Maali.

Maître Souaré would like for his village to be able to receive tourists who come to see the Dame. He has built a traditional hut in his compound to house visitors.