Rhaly was born in the desert near Timbuktu and grew up in Gossi. Rhaly started to learn how to drive when he was still a kid. He drove between Algeria, Mauritania and Mali for a couple of years and spent weeks at a time in the desert transporting rugs, food, among other products. After that period, Rhaly spent a couple of years in Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso as a mechanic, then came back to Mali as a policeman to pursue the desert traffickers. One day, Rhaly fell in love with Amy, decided to get married and to quit his job with the police to have a calmer lifestyle. He went to work in a tourist agency to drive tourists in the desert. It is easier to show a camel to a group of Japanese than to catch gangsters between the dunes!
Now, Rhaly is working for Geekcorps and proves each time we travel that he is able to drive the truck even where a bicycle cannot go. You need to ride with Rhaly along the Niger River or through the dunes to understand what I mean. If you decide one of these days to volunteer for Geekcorps, ask Rhaly how to use the stars to find the right way and how to read the color of the sand to know where you are. No sure that you will be able to do the same but you will definitely be happy that Rhaly is your driver when your latest GPS system with Bluetooth and color screen dies!

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