It has been a long and exhausting day.  We left Shiloh at 8:30 a.m. and returned at quarter to five p.m.  It was the second half of our monthly shopping day.  I guess I must be getting old.  We can no longer shop in one day.  It now takes two.  It's a lot of work and I'm just not up to it anymore.

We started at the local ATM to get the money for the trip.  Long live ATMs.  We've lived through the day when it was a real effort to get our funds into the country.  It's true that we have been skimmed, but we now know what to look for and are very careful.  

Then it was off to find a gas bottle.  We trade in our old bottle for a new one.  Costs 6.500 F.  But alas, they are still scarcer than hen's teeth.  We spent the day stopping at one depot after another, but no luck anywhere.  So we came home with an empty bottle.  It starts long about mid-November and goes into January sometime.  It's all contrived, this gas bottle shortage.  We all cook on bottled gas so it is a necessity.  But once we have all adjusted to the "shortage" they can increase the price and we are so happy to finally find gas, we are willing to pay any price.  It works!

Next we went to Orca which is something like Ikea.  It's a great store and we are so blessed to have one in town.  We haven't always had such luxury.  We bought two pillows for our Eyene house.  We've gotten tired of hauling pillows out and back.  We also picked up shampoo very cheaply.  And we looked at table cloths, but didn't find what we needed.  

 

We paid our internet bill for the month.  Very important.  We are the only missionaries who took advantage of their introductory deep discount price.  Everyone else got pressured into the higher price by the used care salesman they sent out to put on the heat.  We are card carrying cheap-skates, so we didn't fall for it.  Sorry.

Then we went off to Mokolo, the biggest market in all of Yaounde and probably all of Cameroon.  Most missionaries and whites are scared of Mokolo.  I've been going there for years and love it.  You just have to be wise and know what you are doing.  I never go alone and hang on to my money.  I'm aware of my surroundings at all times.  The market is crowded and the vendors can be obnoxious.  But I've learned to barter and I find it lots of fun.  We found some nice material to make into table cloths.  I've always brought tablecloths from the U.S., but our current ones are worn out.  So we will have these made and be back in business.  I also managed to find some nice, though second hand, sox for Jim.  I had no idea you could buy them locally.  His mostly have holes in them so we are desperate.  I only paid 800 F per pair ($1.60) which is a steal of a deal.

We went to Reyone des Economy and bought a water filter for Guy and his family.  It was only 19.000 F and the filter lasts a whole year.  Good price.  

Then into the market itself to buy our produce.  Some years ago we stumbled onto a Manguisa woman who sells vegetables.  We get good prices because we are loyal customers and she is quick to go off and pick up something else from other vendors for us.  Loyalty pays off big time here in Cameroon.  Relationships count for everything.  She gave us four large grapefruit as a gift.  Then we bought fruit from the vendor right across from her.  This is a sweet Christian lady we have gotten to know.  We also bought eggs from "our" egg man.  He carefully picks out his best eggs for us.  (Did I mention that relationships count for everything?)

We went to a little hardware store that specializes in  electrical things to buy stuff for Jim.  He's busy repairing a chandelier for us and needs various and sundry things.  Just as we were walking into the shop he phoned to ask us to pick up some decorative chain and electrical cord, too.  Sounds easy.  Fat chance  We went to a number of places and ended up at one location that had what we wanted.  Or so they said.  We waited for  an hour for the young man to find our chain.  Finally he came back with the cord we needed, but the chain was almost ready, or so he promised.  In the end we said we would by the cord and if he ever got the chain for us, he could phone and we MIGHT come back and buy.  Well, he got serious at that point and produced the chain.  It wasn't exactly what we wanted and the price was too high, but we bartered him down and bought it anyway.  Jim was not happy with us.  In the end he decided we hadn't done too badly after all.  He mostly stays at home and lets us go out and face the wolves.  He has no idea what he is missing out on.

We bought all sorts of other things like bananas alongside the road.  Too numerous to talk about.  We were more than exhausted when we came back home. 

Then fun begins in earnest then.  All produce must be soaked in a mild bleach solution to kill off all the unwanted bugs.  Then things are put into containers and put in the refrigerator.  On day one of shopping (last Saturday) we went to a lovely store in Bastos (the rich part of town) and bought meat for the month.  Nothing comes in those nice little packages like you are used to.  So we have to package things up in the size we want and freeze them.  We also went to a large grocery store and bought lots of canned goods as well as cheese.  The cheese is cut into proper portions and frozen for later use.  We work hard while we are out shopping, and we work hard when we get back home.  You really have no idea what you are missing out on!