Well, since I figure the next entry would be in at least two weeks' time *I'm goin' home, baby, yeah* I might as well write about something totally useless but cool -- maybe -- to know.

So, what do we know about Timbuktu? Surely all you Donal Bebek fans out there have heard of this place. This is where Unca Donald (sometimes along with his nephews or his Unca Scrooge or whoever unlucky enough to be with him at that time) runs away to whenever (once a week if your newspaper/magazine agent is reliable) he's in trouble with anything from an angry mob or an enraged mayor to simply a jealous Daisy.

All along I thought Timbuktu -- or Timbuctoo, an alternate spelling -- was just an imaginary country. A thing that sounded funny -- just like dodol -- but did not exist. Or something that had once been there, but had vanished since. Just like the dodo. Or the Atlantis. Or Singapore winning an Olympic medal. Yeah, sorry, it's a bit of a low-blow, I know. Believe it or not, I also supported Susilo. He used to be a compatriot, after all.

Speaking of Donald, though, does anyone else find it strange that Huey and his brothers call both Donald and Scrooge uncle? I mean, if Scrooge is Donald's uncle and Donald is the kids' uncle, doesn't that make Scrooge their grandpa?

Anyway. Timbuktu, I just found out, did and still does exist. And not a country, just a city in Mali. Mali itself, BTW, is the biggest country in West Africa. What's so great about this Malian City, though? It was a trading and cultural center a few centuries ago, where the rich lived -- and the poor begged.

Timbuktu became a legend after many European explorers tried to reach it unsuccessfully. Not the easiest thing to achieve in the world, I guess, when you had to conquer the mighty Sahara to do so. Not to mention the violent warring tribes. So much so that it became almost a mythical city. Money and fame awaited those who could go "to Timbuktu and back" -- alive.

Ironically, when some finally did reach the city, they were unimpressed. It was not much more than a salt-trading post. Not unlike what Bison wrote.

So there. The infamous Timbuktu. From now on whenever Unca Donald says, "Kids, I'm off to Timbuktu," he earns more respect from me. Now this is a fellow who has been to Timbuktu and back. Every week.

BTW, I have switched to Firefox. About time, I think. Although, already I noticed things. For instance, what happened to all my MT formatting buttons?

Current music: Incognito - Colibri
Current mood: happy