On the way home from work I passed a bus with an illuminated destination sign over the windshield that said Boom-Schelle Winklerstraat. The names of some of Bamako's quartiers may be a mouthful (Bagadadji, Baco Djicoroni, Torokorobougou) but I'm pretty sure there is no Boom-Schelle Winklerstraat. The sign was probably a relic from the vehicle's previous life; Mali's buses are used buses, imported secondhand from Europe.

Ten years ago the public transportation was sagging pickup trucks like this, a few of which can still be seen today. The trucks have been replaced with vans like this which are in turn being replaced by big Greyhound-style buses. The Diarra line competes with the Bani line and my new favorite line, Zanga Tub.

The big buses make long trips as well as the regular routes around the city. When Tabaski rolls around, the buses come in from the countryside full of sheep for sale at exorbitant prices. A friend told me she once saw one of these buses, way out toward Douentza, getting ready to make the long trip to the capital. The sheep had gotten on the bus and climbed up on the seats and they peered out the tinted windows, looking like nothing so much as a bunch of tourists heading to Atlantic City for the weekend.