Aboard the 34-Guest Yacht Callisto B E TCHART E XPEDITIONS Inc
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THESIGMA SCIENTIFIC RESEA XIRCH SOCIETYExpeditions B ETCHART E XPEDITIONS Inc. THESIGMA SCIENTIFIC RESEA XIRCH SOCIETYExpeditions B ETCHART E XPEDITIONS Inc. The Road toTo Timbuktu and the Rivers of West Africa SIGMA XI Expeditions Aboard the 34-Guest Yacht Callisto B E TCHART E XPEDITIONS Inc. 17050 Montebello Road, Cupertino, CA 95014-5435 February 3 - 18, 2006 AAASTravels Sigma Xi Expeditions Betchart Expeditions Inc. 17050 Montebello Road, Cupertino, CA 95014-5435 SIGMA XI Expeditions Betchart Expeditions Inc. 17050 Montebello Road, Cupertino, CA 95014-5435 Guest Lecturer The Honorable Harry A. Cahill is a senior career diplomat with over 35 years of State Department experience around the world. In West Africa he has served as Counselor of Embassy, Charge d’Affairs and USAID Director. Appointed to represent the U.S. at the United Nations by two Presidents, one of his key duties was liaison with Africa. He has also lectured on economic development throughout Africa for the U.S. government. In 2003 he was part of the Joint U.S. Forces Team that resolved the Liberia crisis. After retirement with protocol rank equivalent of major general, he has continued to work in the State Department, largely in political-military affairs. Since 1999, he has been an adviser to the U.S. Army, focusing on Iraq, the Balkans and Korea. He has served as president of an international foundation and producer of PBS television documentaries. A professor of international management at Pepperdine University, his book on China’ s industry played an important part in building China-US relations. During our trip he will speak on the history and current status of Mali, Senegal and the Gambia, the regional development of West Africa, and the role of Africa in the world today. THESIGMA SCIENTIFIC RESEA XIRCH SOCIETYExpeditions B ETCHART E XPEDITIONS Inc. THESIGMA SCIENTIFIC RESEA XIRCH SOCIETYExpeditions B ETCHART E XPEDITIONS Inc. Dear AAAS and Sigma Xi Members and Friends, At the end of the Earth, dusty light hallows corridors of clay. Figures walk by in indigo robes and white turbans, smiling, laughing, singing, and praying. At the end of the Earth, musty tomes, centuries old, describe ancient his- tories—themselvesSIGMAXIExped butiti onsmysterious transcriptions of tales told to children, handed down to generation after gener- ation. AndB E TCHAR a fantasticalT E XPEDITIONS temple Inc. rises up, studded and turreted with hand-sculpted mud, forged anew each year for the 17050last Mon thousandtebello Road, Cupert years.ino, CA 95014-5435 This is the road to Timbuktu—the legendary city poised at the edge of the Sahara, as far away as the imagination can peer. In the long centuries before Magellan, Timbuktu was the destination of camel caravans, bearing salt from the SaharaAAASTravels in exchange for gold, jewels, and precious ivory. It rose to prominence as a scholarly center of Arab Africa Sigmbeforea Xia Expelong ditioperiodns of decline, with the sand dunes inexorably closing in. Only in 1828 did the first European traveler return from Timbuktu. Almost nowhere else is a place so fabled and so prominent in history and Betchart Expeditions Inc. myth17050 also Mon tebellso isolatedo Road, Cupert inofrom, CA 95014-5435 the rest of the world. Join us in February 2006 as we explore not only this most fabled of West African cities, but also the exotic sites en route and thereafter. Our journey takes us to the 19th-century French colonial town of Segou, the Grand Mosque of Djenne, and the bustling city of Mopti, known for its trade in carved wood sculptures and dramatically colored fabrics. Explore the Dogon region, where a complex animistic cosmology reigns, inspiring mask ceremonies, vibrant rock paintings,SIGMA XIandExped mysticalitions cliff dwellings. Unlike most pilgrimages to Timbuktu, a short flight will transport us to this mostBetcha legendaryrt Exped itiofons cities, Inc. bypassing a lengthy and arduous drive for your comfort and convenience. 17050 Montebello Road, Cupertino, CA 95014-5435 Sub-Saharan civilizations are only half the story of West Africa. And we will complete the picture. Join us aboard the 34-guest Callisto, an elegant private yacht hailed for its wonderful combination of superb cuisine, impeccable service and intimate ambience, for a dazzling cruise down the Casamance, Gambia, and Saloum rivers of Senegal and The Gambia. You will be surrounded by the extraordinary wildlife of the Casamance, Kiang West National Park, and Abuko Nature Preserve—a completely different experience of nature than in the well-trodden safari routes of Kenya and Tanzania. Kingfishers swoop, baboons howl, and warthogs rut and snuffle along the banks; marsh mongoose and roan antelopes dart through isolated expanses of woodland and grassland. An awe-inspiring display of bird life, with hundreds of species from carmine bee-eaters to yellow-billed storks and paradise flycatch- ers, will amaze champion and neophyte birdwatchers alike. Conclude in Dakar, the musical capital of West Africa, for a pilgrimage to Goree Island, creating a comprehensive educational experience in the natural and cultural history of this unbelievably varied region. Please join us for this exciting, illuminating, and thoroughly awe-inspiring exploration of West Africa. We encour- age you to reserve soon, as spaces aboard the 17-cabin luxury yacht Callisto are extremely limited. Sincerely, Margaret M. Betchart President, Betchart Expeditions Inc. For AAAS Travels and Sigma Xi Expeditions For reservations or more information, phone Carol Larsen at (800) 252-4910. Front cover: Djenne’s famed Grand Mosque Left: Timbuktu street scene Itinerary Monday, February 6 where handicrafts, including jewelry, Friday, February 3, 2006 SEGOU | DJENNE | MOPTI sculptures, and Dogon and Peul blan- USA In the morning, depart for Djenne, truly one kets are on display. (B, L, D) Depart the United States on a flight to of the great towns of West Africa. Wednesday, February 8 Bamako, Mali. Picturesquely situated on an island, Djenne has changed little since its heyday during the MOPTI | DOGON REGION Saturday, February 4 14th and 15th centuries when, like | MOPTI BAMAKO, MALI Timbuktu, it profited from the trans-Sahara Drive to the Dogon Region, which con- Arrive in the evening and transfer to the trade. See mud-brick houses and madrassa tains some of the most impressive sites Hotel Salam Bamako. (D) schools en route to the Grand Mosque, a in all of West Africa. Visit the Dogon wondrous, Gaudi-like example of Sahel-style villages, built along the cliffs of an Sunday, February 5 architecture and the largest mudbrick build- escarpment, where we can see their BAMAKO | SEGOU ing in the world. Its design dates from the elaborate art forms and unique architec- This morning, visit the National Museum, 11th century, and is repaired and rebuilt each ture. (B, L, D) housing one of the best ethnographic collec- year after the rainy season. Continue to Mopti and the Hotel Kanaga. (B, L, D) Thursday, February 9 tions in West Africa. After lunch, drive to MOPTI | TIMBUKTU | Segou. Built on the banks of the Niger River, Tuesday, February 7 BAMAKO Segou was the capital of the French adminis- MOPTI tration in the 19th century and retains an air Fly from Mopti to Timbuktu, once one of of its former colonial glory. Transfer to the Mopti, once the third largest city in Mali, the wealthiest cities of Islamic Africa and Hotel Independence for the night. (B, L, D) lies at the confluence of the Niger and Bani a center of Muslim scholarship. Tour the Rivers. After a walking tour of the city, city, visiting the Djingareyber and spend time at leisure exploring the markets, Along the Casamance River A typical Dogon village Senegalese sculptor at work Sankore mosques, both dating from the 15th meet with its chief and visit St. Joseph explore Banjul, including visits to the century. Walk through the city’s narrow School. Reboard the ship and spend the rest National Museum and the Albert Market. streets to see its distinctive architecture. In of the afternoon at sea. In the evening, Then, sail to Senegal’s Saloum River, whose the afternoon, fly to Bamako and spend the Callisto will enter the Gambia River. delta comprises the Saloum Delta National night at the Hotel Salam Bamako. (B, L, D) (B, L, D) Park. Formed by the convergence of the Saloum and Sine Rivers, it is an area of Friday, February 10 Monday, February 13 channels, lagoons, sand islands, and man- BAMAKO | DAKAR, SENEGAL GAMBIA RIVER, THE GAMBIA groves. (B, L, D) | EMBARKATION This morning, Callisto continues cruising Thursday, February 16 Fly to Dakar, the capital of Senegal. Upon upriver to call at the traditional village of arrival, embark on Callisto and sail in the Albreda, known for its batiks and dyed cloth, SALOUM RIVER | DAKAR evening. (B, L, D) characteristic houses and huts, and fortified This morning, continue exploring the trading station. Continue to Jufureh, which islands and channels and visit the village of Saturday, February 11 became famous in the 1970s after the publica- Fediout, whose houses are built of shells. CASAMANCE RIVER tion of Alex Haley’s Roots. Return to Callisto Spend the afternoon at sea cruising toward In the morning, Callisto enters Senegal’s and enjoy lunch aboard as the ship journeys Dakar. (B, L, D) upriver to Tendaba. (B, L, D) Casamance River, a maze of creeks and Friday, February 17 lagoons dotted with small islands. Anchor Tuesday, February 14 close to Karabane Island, an early trading DAKAR | DISEMBARKATION center near the mouth of the river. Land at KIANG WEST NATIONAL | GOREE ISLAND | DAKAR the village of Kachouane, where we are greet- PARK | BANJUL Disembark in Dakar and visit Goree Island, ed by local dancers. After exploring the vil- Explore the Kiang West National Park, where a UNESCO World Heritage site.