HAPPY NEW YEAR from Hotel Djenné Djenno!
New Year was like an earth quake here- The Beast (the full hotel) arrived in full glory, like a bucking bronco on the fore court of the hotel, threatening to demolish all in its wake.
There were ant infestations in The Bobo room, the American in the Tamachek demanded to be woken up at 4.30 with breakfast consisting of omelette made with the whites of eggs only, and no fat whatsoever. And, Ladies and Gentlemen, I did it! Where does he think he is? The Dorchester in Park Lane?
A woman complained that the fruit wasn't ripe. I would like to point out -(although I don't, of course), that the Djenné Djenno is the only hotel as far as I know which gives fruits at all for brekfast. Normally hotel guests are thrown some bread, jam and nes cafe if they are lucky, whereas we give them real coffee, honey, peanut butter , bananas, hot rice cakes most mornings.... then the new pole for the mosquito nets broke in the Bambara, at the exact moment that one elderly German lady decided that she wanted to talk to me about her early experiences in Tanzania as a child, and simultaneously one of the guides insisted that he had to do the accountancy at that very moment. At the same time I glance out of the corner of my eye and notice that Beigna, my barman is offering my French guests red wine which he has been storing in the freezer!
And at the end of that, would you believe, people actually left saying they had had a marvellous time and they were going to recommend me to all their friends...Must rush, rush, rush now, speak later.....