More of Bamenda

We walk down Commercial Av. looking for which direction to head for the market area. We stop to ask and are pointed in the correct direction (we were actually about to pass it, good we stopped). Now down at this market, it looks more like a farmer’s market going on. There are stands with food and some other vendors kind of leading up to the stands. Not bad. But I never understand how so many folks can sell the same thing and still make out. Oh well.

So we pick up some avocados, garlic cloves, tomatoes, and a bunch of basil, onions and black beans. We were planning on caprice sandwiches for dinner and some type of tortilla or Mexican food tomorrow. Since Becky and Anita are expected to meet us, Akilah figured it would be good for Becky to fix her award winning tortillas, but if they didn’t we’d end up with something.

Last thing to get is some bread; we walk a little distance and don’t find the type she’s envisioned. So we continue and try to look as we’re walking to a cab to take to Titus’. No luck, we actually end up getting some regular bread (what we consider regular that is) not far from the Slum.

We’re now at Titus’ place. As Akilah mentioned, from the street it looks like a flower shop or someone’s garden area more than a tailor shop. We go in and greet Titus. He remembers Akilah from before. She tells him what I’m interested in doing and we confirm when he can have them ready for me to pick up; at least two weeks from now, before I leave in the end of January.

Titus takes us inside and pulls out some catalogs for me to look through and pick the style pants and cargos I want. While doing so he pulls out a book that I notice has PC and some other stuff written on it. Turns out he gets so much work from PCVs that he keeps them all in one book. Talk about popular.

I select the style cargos from something I saw in a JCrew catalog, and slacks from another. Before arriving I was told that all he needs to see is an image of what I want and he can create it. Well, here’s the test. He does my measurements and moves on to Akilah.

He and Akilah take a few minutes to put together what she wants. She ends up ordering a Bouba to be made from the fabric she’d just purchased. A nice design too; is even having him embroider a nice design on the front. Her fabric is a combination of a lime-ish green, violet and a deeper violet all set in this two toned light blue type material (women would call it another name, but hey, I’m a guy).

Now for the prices, I’m thinking its gonna be somewhere between 10000 to 20000 CFAs for the two of us. Hah, how wrong I was. Akilah’s set (top and bottom) come to 3000 CFAs and an additional 3500 CFAs for the embroidery. Okay, wait. That’s like less than ten dollars for something that she’d probably pay ten times that amount for in the states. Not to mention how ridiculous the embroidery price would be.

My price? A whopping 7500 CFAs! That’s 2250 CFAs each for the dress slacks, and 3000 for the cargo pants. I am about to pay ten dollars and change to have men’s pants made? What?! Not to mention that when you add it all together, I’m getting two pairs of tailored dress slacks and a pair of cargo pants for a grand total of about twenty-six dollars and change! Why am I about to go look for more fabric and leave an order to be mailed to me?

See what you’ve gotta understand is that unlike some men, I like shopping. Not just shopping, but my philosophy (adapted from my H.S. teacher’s wife, Mrs. Sue Bullock) “if it ain’t on sale, I can wait.” If you know me, you know I hold pretty true to this fact. So the fact that I’m getting something that would’ve normally cost me about three to four hundred to have done, for less than an eighth of that, I don’t have a problem paying for what the shipping charges may come out to be.

Happy as a beaver, we bid Titus adieu until about January 20th or so, and head for some place to have a cold drink; a soda of course.

For dinner we fixed our version of a caprice and hot tea. Though we’re not far from the equator, it does have a tendency to get a little chilly in this place. While we were fixing dinner I’d received a call from Sting’s road manager who informed me we were going to receive a special satellite feed of his “A Brand New Day” live concert tour. Well actually, I have the DVD.

Other than the cats whining at a little smell of food, it was a chill night.