Everyone told travel writer Edward Placidi not to go to Mali. War in the north, a military government in the south, police checkpoints every few miles. He went anyway. Join Edward as he slips past the warnings and into a Mali most people will never see: forgotten villages where no cars exist, where a blind king still settles disputes from his crumbling palace, and where children burst into screaming delight at the sight of a stranger with a camera. From shelling peanuts with laughing villagers to wandering past 1,000-year-old mud mosques and watching artists burn intricate designs into gourds with heated iron rods, this is a journey straight into a world that feels centuries removed from our own. But the cracks are showing, and Edward wonders how much longer it can last. Read Edward's full article, ”A Rare Journey Into Mali: West Africa's Time-Forgotten Kingdom,” with stunning photos and details on visiting the south safely.