13 July
Hallelujah! And Allah be praised! ( Undoubtely the same divinity after all)
Electricity, in the form of the prettiest blue generator you have ever seen, bearing the reassuringly German name HATZ, has arrived at Hotel Djenné Djenno! It gives 18 KWA (that is what the French call it, no idea what this is in English)
We were therefore able to receive our first guests of the new season, and the Hotel is now up and running once more!
Keita and Kaba arrived back from a successful trip to Bamako with a carload of equipment- not only the lovely generator, but another 3 airconditioners which will complete the number and make all the rooms at Hotel Djenné Djenno air conditioned.

However: the latest plan is to build a little 'village' of huts like the one on the picture above, behind the kitchens in a new little banana grove which is being planted. This 'village' will provide cheaper accommodation for those on a narrow budget.
These distinctive huts are found in many Malian villages, particularly in The Dogon country. They are used for grain storage, and not for accommodation. We are going to try out one or two after the rains stop, and put traditional African beds in, but with real sheets of course, a light and a little fan in the ceiling. There will be a loo and a shower serving the needs of four huts.