This morning, we drove to Mirriah; a small community situated about 20 km from east of Zinder. The journey took more than half an hour however, because the roads were so deteriorated and the Suzuki (which is not mine...) did not want to end up in every other hole...
Sunday is the market day of Mirriah (every city has its own market day, which enables to the businessmen to go from one market to another the whole week - in Zinder, the market day is on Thursdays) but although it was noon, it was surprisingly empty. People found the weather too cold; we however found it quite windy and some had trouble with all the sand that settled in our eyes...
Anette and Sofia tasted sugar cane for the first time. They said it was nice, but they did not need more than a little piece before being satisfied. Obviously sugar cane is very sweet, but it is also VERY rich in fibers, which is why you can walk around with it for a long time without finishing it off as you have to chew and spit all the time. Good mouth exercise!
Here, Renate and Sofia bought shoes, but I couldn't get the children (that flocked around us) to move away from the camera...
Every market is split into several deparments, and as we were seeing everything, we took a quick tour to the meat market.
The meat however was far from tempting, and I think both Anette and Sofia were happy that Hassane goes directly to the slaughter house to fetch the meat that we eat at home... Remember though that meat is a luxury item which few can afford. Most people in Niger are vegetarians, but not by choice but out of necessity.
Ah, in the end, we ended up finding quite a lot of little hand made things. Mirriah is a nice place to go to if you're looking for items made of stray, brick or calabash.
Clay turned into artwork - what more is there to say...?
Another of Anette's famous people's portraits!
In the end, we made it back to our car, but only because there were more things to discover...
Ishtar
Mirriah is not only known for its market place however; in fact, it is even more known for its huge Baobab forest. These trees were sowed a very long time ago and are of great value to the families that owns them. During the rainy season, they produce the much desired Baobab leaves (that are sold at every market) and during the dry season, they produce the very nutritious and very tasty Baobab fruits.
People on their way to the market, which opened late because of the dusty (and "cold"!) weather!
Two sisters-in-law enjoying the seat on a bent palm tree...
Sofia seems quite small in proportion to the 150 year old Baobab tree! But at least they both fit on the picture!
OK, so we could have climbed higher, but for the sake of the picture (and our security) we stayed close to each other... :-)
On the way home, we passed a herd of goats!
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