Mopti - the Venice of Mali - Sarah Hickson's Blog

There’s a great cafe in Mopti called the Bissap Cafe in the heart of the port area. From our table on the first floor terrace we have an expansive view across the river, the larger boats across the water barely visible in the glare of the afternoon sun.

We happily spend a couple of hours here, watching the activity below - salt vendors on the pavement grinding down large blocks of salt, women selling smoked fish, boats being loaded with merchandise, furniture, food, goats and sheep (their legs tied and wrapped in sacking), and endless deals being negotiated.