This week we were paid a visit by the famous world traveler, Mr. Flat Stanley.
Because our kids have not yet been exposed to Mr. Stanley we needed an introduction:
Once we got to know him a bit we decided it would be best to give him a tour of the nearby Badalabougou market.
Mr. Flat Stanley prepares for his journey to the market with a stop at a beautiful garden. So as to be sure not to insult anyone, his first stop after that was the "goro" table. Goro, also known as Cola nut, is chewed by many in W. Africa as a mild stimulant, and it is frequently given as a small gift to friends and acquaintances, and has a formal role in baptisms and festivals. Mr. Flat purchased several hundred CFA of goro to give to new friends during his journey.
Shortly into the trip we introduced Mr. Stanley to our neighbor Fatima, also joined by a Flat's friends Jenna and Jenna. After this we introduced Mamadou to Mr. Stanley and let him try his hand at blanket weaving.
Weaving can bring out the appetite, and Mr. Stanley quickly made his way to the "massa" rice pancake lady, and then onward to purchase rice and sauce.
He then topped off his lunch with a couple rounds of tea and did some shopping for watches.
It turned out that Mr. Stanley had never eaten a mango before, and he was quite curious about them. He then made his way to the bulk grain section of the market and practiced his bargaining skills for a few kilos of millet.
He was also very intrigued by the colorful array of pagnes cloth on display.
For a while we were afraid we had lost Mr. Stanley, but after a frantic search we found him looking over a selection of plastic cups. Realizing his tour would not be complete without a peruse through some of Mali's renown artwork, we made sure to show him a beautiful Terracotta statue from the Djenne region.
Bon voyage Mr. Stanley!
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