The City of Sikasso

I just returned from the Thanksgiving festivities hosted by volunteers in Sikasso. The town is big and I didn't explore as much as I would have liked, but made some good discoveries along the way. The market there is big even not on an official Market day. I spent one morning just walking around lolligallying in the market.  There is an underground and above ground market area. I was looking for some sandals and anything else that caught my fancy. I came across a shop selling soccer jerseys and went in, there were some nice Mali shirts with the country printed on the fabric and a wall of men's shoes, gucci, LV, nike, vans, etc. I found some sweet shorts that are really long and go past the knee, perfect for walking around in Mali, a little bargaining and sold.
I came across a guy selling monkey skulls among many other interesting items, such as bracelets, necklaces, masks, knives, bogolan-fini cloth, leather bags, etc. I really wanted a necklace, but I know he was overcharging me and he wouldn't accept my reasonable offer so I left. I didn't have much money with me and I wanted to be sure I had enough to buy the sandals I came there for. Finally I found a sandal man worth talking to, he sold his sandals in a wheel barrow and all of them were just a keme (500 cfa ~ 1 dollar). So with the help of the sandal man I chose a style and he dug through the pile to find my size. I think I went to the market a little early, because later that day many more vendors arrived with a larger selection of sandals, etc. Next time.
I stayed at the Hotel Ikhlass its about 30 minutes across town from the Peace Corps Bureau and Market. It was a nice hotel. I shared a room with 4 other girls. It had wireless internet, a shower with warm water, a tv, and a toilet.

 

Hotel Ikhlass Entrance

Walking towards the Bureau from the hotel you come across a Restaurant Al Baraka. They have a menu and most of the time what is listed on the menu they will be able to serve you. If you go in a large group expect a long wait. I have had the Shwarma, meat sandwich wrap, and the Hamburger. Both good choices. Down the road from the retaurant is another place that serves soft-serve Ice Cream. 



Placemat at the Al Baraka

All in all it was a good trip into town to see Sikasso and enjoy a Thanksgiving meal with other Americans. On Friday Hotel Maissa another hotel down the road and around the corner from the Ikhlass had a pool and was rented out for the afternoon. Very nice to relax in the water. Also there were donkey races before our meal. The best part though was getting woken up at 5:20 am to receive a Happy Thanksgiving call from my family in the states, everything served as a good distraction for my first thanksgiving away from family & friends. Love and miss you all. I'll be returning to my village today only to be back at an in-service training in a weeks time.