Shopping, Shopping, and Still More Shopping	"Crossroads of Culture" February 28, 2001

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 archive.archaeology.org/online/features/mali/segou.html