The Market Came to Us!

It's mango season in Niamey and the streets are lined with colorful displays of mangos...different sizes and different varieties.  Some are raised locally and others are imported from neighboring countries.   

We've wondered from time to time how long our lovely, wide sidewalks on Mulberry Street would stay clear for walking before turning into an open market like so many streets in the city.  No need to wonder any more...we now have a mango market right outside our front gate.  The shade tree is a huge plus and from noon to 4 there are always several people snoozing in the shade.  (No, no one asked if they could use our driveway!)

The vendors do a brisk market with people walking or driving by or taxis pulling over to allow their clients to buy up a dishful or two.  

The advantages?   Immediate supply of the yummy fruit.  And, we have more day guards and an occasional free mango.

  

 I love watching how they artistically stack the bowls with mangos of just the right size to fit and to make a perfect pyramid.   

 At the same time as the mango sellers moved in, our neighbors decided to do major house renovation and rebuild their wall.  The easiest place to put the sand and mix the cement in on the nice, wide sidewalk.  

Notice our "drainage" canal in the preceding picture.  Almost full with garbage, trash and sand and....sludge.  This is a years worth of sewage that is supposed to drain but it doesn't.  It gets fuller and fuller until city workers come and dig it all out and carry it off.  A huge nasty job to say the least.  

Nasty job done and the mango merchants were eager to get back in business.  We  loaned the hose and they scrubbed the residue off the sidewalk and set up shop once again.  

The walking "Starbucks" was on hand, in fact, at one time there were 3 of them parked in our yard.  

After mango season,  who knows what will come.