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Shopping, Shopping, and Still More Shopping
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"Crossroads of Culture"
February 28, 2001
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Within moments of our arrival at the Mopti airport, a Fulani vendor, whom we had seen at the gas station on the main highway, pulled up on his bicycle with a selection of handicrafts. Shortly afterward, several more purveyors of goods arrived in expectation of a good sale.
Mali is a land of endless shopping. You needn't look for it, it will find you wherever you are, be it in a jeep, eating in a restaurant, or waiting for a ferry, bus, or plane, or actually on the ferry, bus, or plane. The crafts are well worth even their initial asking price, which in some cases will be an outrage by local standards. Do bargain; it is expected. Besides, the artisans will make some money and you will wind up with beautiful things.
© 2001 by the Archaeological Institute of America
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