Had a tough day at work? The air conditioning in the office failed again, the bus was 15 minutes late, projects are piling up and there was no chicken noodles left at the shop for lunch?

We hate it when that happens and we’ve had some rough days like that here in Africa, but just imagine if your day was a little more like this.

Children of the Granite mine from Amateurs in Africa

Imagine if in your local capital city, there was a quarry hidden away behind a few overshadowing buildings. Imagine if this was a quarry with no machinery where people worked for 12 hours a day breaking down, lugging and sorting pieces of granite with their bare hands in unfathomable conditions.

You don’t have to imagine, this is a day in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and this is a reality for hundreds of people who work in this mine day in and day out, from sunrise to sunset in extremely dangerous conditions.

Of course, this is before you even consider where you are in the World – the middle of West Africa, where temperatures often exceed 40 degrees celcius. This is before you consider the additional heat which fills the mine, generated from burning scrap tyres, used to heat rock in an effort to soften the granite so raw strength and hand tools can penetrate. This is also before you consider the toxic fumes which fill the air with the smell of burning rubber, not to mention a myriad of other safety issues.

This is life for hundreds of children that are born into a life in the mines and if you were to think back to when you were 10 years old or younger we imagine the environment you grew up in was markedly different.

What’s it like for the children of the workers here?
They can grow up at home or stay in daycare or with a baby sitter, right?

Unfortunately not, these Western luxuries aren’t an option as entire families work in the mine, struggling to make ends meet on an unimaginably low wage. Facilities simply don’t exist and when they are avaliable, they are out of reach of most Burkinabe on their level of income.

Children as young as 10 years old have been found working in these unsafe conditions for even the most experienced workers.

Travelling overland through West Africa, you are constanly reminded about the daily struggles people endure to feed their families and to meet their basic needs. Here in Burkina Faso, we’ve been lucky enough to meet people who are taking a lead in trying to break down barriers.

Thankfully a local organisation AEJTB – Association des Enfants et Jeunes Travailleurs de Burkina (Association of Child and Young Workers in Burkina) in partnership with Save the Children Canada established a nursery, the Bii-songo school 10 years ago. It was built adjacent to the site for these children to spend their days in a safe environment away from the harsh life and dangers of the quarry and provides the opportunity for the children to receive basic education.

What’s it like in Bii-Songo?
For us, entering the gate of the school was surreal. We aren’t rockstars but try to imagine deafening screams of excitement from around ninety four year old children as they swarm you on mass with hi-fives and hugs, their smiles so big you that it even hurts your facial muscles.

If you’re lucky, you’ll be treated to a couple of welcome songs from the kids and you’ll never forget the sound. The teachers do sensational work and it truely is a santuary for learning, in what seems a world away from the dangers of the open granite mine and the life that accompanies it.

There is still much to do, young children are still around the mine outside of school times – metres away from flying pieces of rock, swinging hammers and the toxic fumes.

You can play your part the work of these organisations by helping people improve the lives of children. By getting involved in the work of Save the Children in Burkina Faso you can ensure that kids can continue to go to school away from the dangers of an open quarry. These guys facilitate numerous projects with local organisations all of which are run by Burkinabe for Burkinabe.

By supporting this work you are giving these kids a chance to learn in a safe environment you can play a part in giving them an opportunity to get a good education and a future where they have the ability to work wherever they choose to.

This is your chance to stand with the children, the workers, and the communities of Burkina Faso striving for a safe, prosperous and better future.

We were lucky enough to be allowed to film an extraordinary tour of the school and mine and as soon as an internet connection permits – we’ll have that online so you can get a feel for the mine up close and personal.

Thanks to Bernie, Janet, Pegue, Jean Paul and everybody at the Save The Children (Canada) Ouagadougou office for making this possible.

Legends aren’t born overnight, something only becomes legendary after stories are passed on through the decades over hundreds of years. When it comes to travel destinations they don’t come much more legendary then Timbuktu. Now we know why that legend lives on.

Yes – Timbuktu really does exist and you’ll find it in northern Mali on the edge of the Sahara.

Tired of reading already? See the road to Timbuktu as we filmed it!

What can we say about it? The town itself is far from an oasis, but it’s the lengths you’ll take to get there that tells the real tale.

Wait around in the shade of an old wooden hut hiding away from the searing heat in a car yard as you wait for enough passengers to arrive to overload a 4 x 4 Toyota. Begin the journey north and as the sun saps the life out of the surroundings, kilometre by kilometre the road evaporates into little more then a dusty sand dune trail.

With 140km to go, with the mercury nudging 47 degrees celcius and cars exceeding load capacities you can guarantee you’ll be required to help out others on the way – if you don’t break down yourself. Packed 4 to a row it’s hard work amidst the incumbent sandstorm. If like us you decide to go in the middle of hot season, you’ll experience the hot winds and the anger of the skies as they turn a bright orange like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

Sounds too easy? Don’t be fooled, as usual things don’t just go to plan.

Stop to push a broken down bus out of a boggy sand jam and your hopes of reaching Timbuktu begin to fade amongst the haze along with daylight. You can only dream of what it would be like to reach the last ferry which leaves to cross the Niger at 6pm. As a weary driver pushes on into the darkness, the panic in local passengers is obvious as increased speeds on deteriorating roads can lead only to danger. In our case, the driver did almost roll the vehicle on two separate occasions before protests intervened and locals threatened to get out.

Reach the river crossing in pure darkness and wonder what you will do for the night. Most stay and await daybreak to cross into Timbuktu. Naturally, we didn’t want to wait. Find a French speaker, find a local with a boat and find some CFA (local currency). Paddle across the Niger in the middle of the night, share some cigarettes with checkpoint police on the other side and follow into the darkness. Walk through dried up rice paddies, through fish markets, wade through shin deep water and after 5km of darkness rendevous with a van which is usually designated for the transportation of animals.

It’s not an orthedox approach but it’s authentic and although unadvisable given the currently security warnings for the area – in the early hours of the morning – we made it.

That’s right we made it to Timbuktu.

You’re in the town that’s famous for personifying ‘the middle of nowhere’ and it’s the gateway to the Sahara, so there’s plenty to see. Camel rides, mud mosques, markets and museums with the tales of those who’ve gone before and those who weren’t so lucky to survive.

The ride back isn’t particularly easy either, but at least we made the ferry. By not particularly easy we mean – 400km in 43 degrees, you only have one breakdown, one ongoing argument over leg room with an angry individual, one baby pulling you hair, hitting, spewing and urinating on you and the new experience of a warm breast feeding over your arm on the bumpy road back. But don’t worry, that was only for the first 5 hours.

That aside, at least when you make it back like us you can stand loud and proud and say – I’ve been to Timbuktu and back.

If you don’t believe after all these years it’s still that hard? We filmed it and the heat alone destroyed most of our gear, so check out the video.

It’s a place most have probably never heard of and it’s a place with an unforgettable name which is fitting as it’s a place you’ll never forget.

What is it?
Dogon Country – once you make it to Mali, it’s all the hype and deservedly so, it’s incredible. This is a stretch of villages lining a 150km escarpment in southern Mali and it’s something else. It’s a must do in Mali, well let’s be honest, it’s a must do in West Africa and what’s best is you can do it all by foot.

What can you do?
Stand in awe of the traditional villages built into and along the sides of the mountains, mingle with the locals like nowhere else and step back in time to listen to the sounds of the lively villages from amongst the mudhuts scattered across massive cliff faces – it’s a feeling like no other in this special part of the world.

What’s amazing about Dogon?
It’s like that place you imagined existed in your mind but it’s like the place you’ve never actually seen.

The Dogon people have lived in the area for 1200 years, and some of their old villages – mud huts made by hand, are nested under the overhanding cliff face halfway up the rock mountain. What is perhaps even more incredible are the Pygmie villages that remain even higher in the escarpment.

Hold it! Sometimes words can only say so much – Check out what we filmed along the way.

Climb through the cliffs and from the summit overlook the picturesque savannah, towards the villages below to experience the sights – the traditional way of life, the sounds of women and children crushing millet, the chaos of animals roaming the narrow walkways and the feel the life of Dogon.

One of the first things that you’ll notice is the elaborate greetings between Dogon people. It’s more than a simple hello, it’s a detailed introduction and story and what might sound like mumbled words are actually acute interactions discussing each others’ families and problems. We won’t even try explain how it works, but simply say it is something to experience and take with you.

The mudhuts, the smiles and the greetings will welcome you in every village and if you stay longer you’ll get the opportunity to sleep on a mudhut rooftop in a small village under the stars which in reality, is one of the coolest things you could ever do. If like us you have all the luck, you’ll even be rained on by the survival rains in the middle of the night – adding further more to an unbelievable experience.

Don’t worry, when its 40 degrees, in baking sun and you’ve just hiked 4km across rock and plain there is a unique feeling of relief in reaching the next village and knowing the hospitality and water that awaits.

Is Dogon country too ‘touristy’?
As a backpacker it has many of the things that you’ll do anything to avoid like having to take a guide and a tour, but for this part of the world we’ll say it again – it’s a must.

First things first, getting a guide for Dogon country is a pretty expensive (around 25,000 CFA per day or about 40 Euro) affair and its never easy forking out a lot of cash in one go. To soften the blow, get a few people together and go for a minimum of 2 days. Initially, you’ll have to suck it up, but you’ll soon see why the guide is a necessity when it comes to gaining an appreciation into the lives of the Dogon people.

If you’re like us and go in low season, you’ll barely see any one else travelling the area – which for us made it a more intimate and memorable experience. You will however battle the temperatures climbing well above 40 degrees every day, so take a towel.

With a guide you can ask whatever questions you want and feel at ease within the Dogon villages. It’s also important for sustainable and responsible travel that you find an authorised guide and as you travel the region – you’ll see the effects of those who have gone before without. We don’t think that is has been overrun by the tourist trail, it’s just one of those places that you should read up on beforehand to ensure you respect the local way of live and negotiate with the guide on what’s included in the price.

What do we say?
If you’re in Africa get there. Leave your big packpack behind, take the essentials, make some new friends to bring along, find a reputable guide and you’re set for Dogon country. It’s one of the only remaining places in the world that we know of where you can get an insight into traditional lifestyles in Africa and see first hand the challenges and opportunties that tourism brings to these fascinating communities.

Sounds too good to be true? It isn’t – check out what we filmed along the way.

It’s not only probably the longest train in the World, it’s not only probably the wildest train ride in the World, but it’s almost definitely one of the most epic things you could ever do anywhere in the World and it won’t even cost you a cent.

3.30pm any day of the week at Nouadhibou Station in the Sahara desert, Mauritania there’s a hive of activity. For most locals, it’s another day of commuting and transporting supplies but for a few, it’s much more. We dared to be one of the few.

We won’t lie, until about an hour beforehand we were still unsure whether we would jump upon this infamous, yet largely unknown train, but as we waited amidst the chaos and the sandstorms, the thought of stowing away in a train carriage is something you could only dream of in most countries – Naturally, it was far too irresistible.

Yes – we’d read the Government warnings that advised us not to travel and we had heard all the hype about the Western Saharan border region with extremist groups etc, but we’d also read about a train, the Iron Ore train and the more dangerous it sounded, the more seductive the it became.

Through the winds and sands in the distance it arrives. A seemingly endless number of sun-baked old wagons waltz by in the searing heat of the Sahara. As the train eventually comes to a halt you’re almost pulled into the carriages by it’s character and charm. In our case, we were actually pushed in by a local Police officer, either way we made it in.

Clamber aboard, dump your backpack and look around. If you’re like us, it’ll be hard to wipe the smile of your face. Within a few minutes we were amongst the locals and after the initial looks of surprise, the nervous laughter and the awkward exchanges (we don’t speak French) it was clear the locals were pumped to have a couple of fresh faces onboard. It more than stretched us trying to hold conversations amidst the excitement but failing that, as always you can count on football to communicate.

As always, we were incredibly unprepared for the next 12 hours, we had both just lost our head scarves, had only a litre of water each and a couple of bags of nuts. By the end of the trip we’d had a loaf of bread each, a range of snacks, fruits, 5 cups of Mauritanian tea and a local had even offered his jacket to us as the sun set. Yes – of course we shared our nuts.

The locals were only too happy to share their culture and even rolled out the red carpet for us – literally. If you haven’t figured it out yet, this simply isn’t your average train ride. Each carriage isn’t just another carriage, they might only measure about 10m x 3m each but the cultural exchange you’ll experience in that space transcends thousands of kilometres.

So who else is actually on the wagon?
18 Mauritanians. Mining company employees up one end organising the fire, tea and food exchanges and the young lads at the end of the carriage quick to dance, play Western tunes on their mobile phones and pose for photos. You’ll get a bit of everything on this train and it’s something special to see 16 men on a open carriage on a moving train assemble as one when it’s time for prayer.

Hold up! This article is pretty long, particularly for us. Why not break it up and get a real feel for the journey! Check out the video we filmed on board.

What else can you expect over the 12 hour journey?
The winds and the sandstorms are relentless and the taste of Iron Ore is something you’ll have to get used to. It’s incredibly hot in the day and incredibly cold late into the night but you can expect to see the Sahara at her best and its hard imagine clearer skies and as many stars elsewhere. You probably won’t sleep either, but you can find space amongst the crowd and bags to huddle in for warmth. You’ll also get the added bonus of seeing the Ben Amira rock, which is the world’s 2nd largest rock after Uluru in Australia, which despite the surrounding darkness still casts an impressive shadow on an otherwise desolate plain.

What else can we tell you?
The conditions are pretty rough and it’s definitely not for the faint hearted. You can of course get a ticket on board the one and only passenger carriage but that would set you back about 5 Euro. We’re sure it would still be a great experience, but the feeling of stowing away in Iron-Ore wagon without paying a cent for us was far more appealing.

The train runs from the Saharan Iron-Ore mines of Zouerat to the port city of Nouadhibou and links communities from the Sahara to the sea. Once on board, you’ll soon realise that the train is a lifeline for the remote communities as along the way dozens of locals will make the trip to the tracks to greet those onboard, from groups of women to young kids, there is a sense of excitement as the train rolls by.

3.30am you’ll make it to Choum, a decrepit station some 400km later where you would think your journey ends, but it’s just the beginning of another. It’s a strange feeling – one where despite getting off probably the world’s longest train in the middle of nowhere, you realise you have just been somewhere you had never imagined and experienced something you will never forget.

That said, we hadn’t anticipated an hour later we’d be sitting on top of a Toyota Landcruiser packed with luggage and supplies with 6 others pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle. Luckily for us, Michael Schumacher had recently come out of retirement and was driving, with precision at top speed across the dusty, corrigated tracks, narrowly avoiding wildlife, trees and everything else guided only by the 20m of visibility provided by the headlights.

So how does a Landcruiser loaded with 8 people and a few tonnes of cargo hold up in the conditions? Maybe we were just lucky, but we received a lesson in Mauritanian roadside mechanics as one of the tyres blew out at top speed.

What lasting advice do we have?
Do it. There’s nothing else like it. Take some food to share, plenty of water, be ready for anything and just go with it. Everything else is provided and if you can’t speak French like us, know that everybody supports either Barcelona or Madrid so choose wisely.

We need to mention as well that the region is still considered to be highly dangerous, so be sure to speak with locals in the area and other backpackers for the latest information. We did and we went.