Why we travel

[Photo/The New York Times]

NEAR TIMBUKTU, MALI, JAN. 8, 2011

I went to Mali on a group trip for the New Year to explore and to learn while making an odyssey with a woman and her friends who are building a school in Nienebale village. One of our destinations was the Fes- tival au Desert, near Timbuktu. Even though the United States and French governments warned against travel to the region,we were determined to experience the great festival and camp in the Sahara. Many Tuaregs came to the festival on camels to share their song, dance and sell their crafts. Great bands per- formed at night. On the final day there were camel races. This image of camels on a dune while small planes fly overhead jux- taposes two forms of desert transportation.