One of the most frequent questions I get is about how I’ve been able to pick up temporary work throughout my travels without falling afoul of the law.

Frequent readers will know that Western Africa is one of my favorite parts of the world, so my expectations were already high when I secured a lift to Bamako.

Just as sailors abide by the laws of the sea, desert inhabitants live by a code that keeps them safe in this often extreme environment. Lesson number one: Your water is everyone’s water.