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North Africa: Trans Sahara Part Two
Sitting on the terrace of the Grand Hotel in Niamey, I order five gorgeous, grilled meat skewers in broken French, "Cinq brochettes, s 'il vous plait!" To get on in West Africa, French is essential since neither English nor German are commonly spoken. Everyone who wants to chat with the locals should learn some French in advance. I turn up a cool Niger beer, the perfect complement to this local specialty, and enjoy the sunset over the Niger River.
After roaming the Libyan and Algerian Sahara without encountering any real problems, I've reached Niamey, Niger's capital. Here I'm happy to indulge in some modern comforts, relaxing for a few days, and also taking advantage of the mechanical assistance available to give my bike, a KTM Adventure, some well-earned "rest" and servicing. Renate, my wife, has flown in to join me in Niamey and brought along a new rear tire, a Pirelli MT 21. The old one definitely needed replacement after 10,000 kilometres of wear and tear.
We explore the Niger on a good asphalt road running north to Ayorou, a typical village in the Sahel zone that usually offers little more to view than dusty roads and a deserted market place. On Sunday mornings, however, the scenery changes drastically. It's Market Day then, and trucks from all directions head for Ayorou. The small port landing brims with canoes that have travelled the river from northern Mali and Nigeria. To us, it's a scene of mass confusion, and before diving into the situation we hire a local boy to guide us. I am most impressed by the women of the Bella (former slaves of the Tuareg). They live in small villages surrounding Ayorou and transport huge loads of wood to sell. The Tuareg tribesmen earn their money trading livestock, primarily cattle and camels. By late afternoon, buyers and vendors depart and silence descends again on Ayorou....
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