"Timbuktu or bust" a Timbuktu Travel Page by flynboxes

Growing up in the US we often joke with our parents about visiting Timbuktu or use it as a reference to a far away place that may or may not exisit. Well it does and unlike some other cities such as Palmyra, Timbuktu is still a working city..except no where near its past glory days in terms of opulence. It is a hot dusty city which for the most part serves as a major draw of tourism dollars for Mali. Most people only spend a couple of hours here. They arrive by plane from Bamako, take a quick walk thru the city and then jump in a 4x4 and speed away. In actuality you can see most of the city by foot in a day. A second is better if you want to spend time with the Taureg in the desert or just spending a lazy day with tea and broken conversation.