Sunday Morning in Mbour
Good day. Sunday, October 19th, in Mbour. We had been to a place, Brioche Dorée, which was like a bakery, boulangerie, restaurant — the whole nine yards. It turned out they had some of those in different places under the same name. On this Sunday morning, I set out to explore once again.
Quiet Streets and a Relaxed Start
I like Sunday mornings walking through African towns because things are generally relaxed — not too many people out and about. It’s a good time to wander through cities. So this time, we opted to look for a bakery.
The Search for a Bakery
Now, “bakery” means different things to different people. In this part of town, most bakeries were simply bread bakeries — baguettes and lots of them. There’s a whole network of people moving around on bicycles, motorbikes, and little carts, carrying bread from place to place. The bakeries themselves were busy baking and handling bread, but none of them served coffee or anything else. They just made bread — which was fine, just not quite what we were looking for.
Finding Coffee, African Style
Eventually, I found a place for coffee. In this case, it was someone with about ten thermoses out front — keeping either hot water or hot coffee inside. Coffee generally comes black with sugar, often instant, like Nescafé. You get used to it, and it’s better than nothing, I’d say.
Exploring the City and China Mall
We probably walked by ten bakeries that morning, and that’s all they had — bread. In the end, Johan went back to our place, and I continued on toward the China Mall — a three or four-story building where they sell everything under the sun. Most of it comes from China: household items, business supplies, car parts — you name it, they’ve got it, and usually at a good price.
Returning to Brioche Dorée
Eventually, I made it back to the bakery. It turned out there was another entrance I could use to get what I wanted. I wasn’t sure why all those people were still waiting in line — maybe for a specific item or time of day — but it worked out fine for me.
The Horse and the Photographer
On the way, I took a picture of a horse resting in front of a cart. The owner wasn’t in the photo — intentionally — but when he saw me, he came over and decided he should get some money for the picture. I laughed it off and said, “Probably not.” He was good-natured about it though. Everyone tries — and you do find a lot of kids asking for money. It’s not always easy to say no, but often you have to. Most of them don’t really need to beg; they just have plenty of things going on around them.
End of the Day
And so it goes. Back to the hotel to rest and prepare for the next day — a Monday. Thanks for coming along.
