MIA Report : Ali found in southern Mali

Hello my friends ...

So sorry to have been all quiet on the blog front - this is just a lightning update to assure you that I am still alive, and back in Mali for another season of Syama 90210.

I arrived back on Saturday after a fabulous, although exhausting, trip home to Australia - I even managed a quick Aireys sojourn!

My first week back onsite has been full-on - Saturday night, following our 7-hr drive back to site, Marcus arranged for a party in Fourou to help us shake out our spines again. After a terrible night's sleep (I dreamt my tonsils went to war with each other and started a punch on) I woke up on Sunday morning with a full blown - and I might add - uninspiring cold (courtesy of Air France). And in 40+ degree heat we all know how much fun that is! Everyone else has been dropping like flies too - we've been two men down most of the week, with bugs requiring heavy duty care from la clinique - so I've been a bit of a meals-on-wheels chick as well.

I also discovered that I managed to leave my download cable behind at Burke Road, so I've been searching for an SD card reader for the last few days in order to share some holiday snaps with you. Fortunately Chris has been able to oblige me today ... so gear up ... I plan to commence my Sunday Syama updates again from this week forward - Melbourne round-up will be hitting the pages first up.

Yours in tissues, Ali de Mali