Life in Pointe Noire

This tent awning is the type that is put up when there  has been a death in a family.  This was barely erected as we waited so we could drive under it to get out of the narrow alley we were parked in while we visited the family, whose mother/grandmother had passed away.  These children live across the road.  During the funeral, which will be held at the home behind the parcel wall, the street will be filled with people and traffic will have to go another way.

Firewood is bundled like this to sell.  Many vendors buy it this way and burn it to cook chicken and other food on their grills.

This little 'mini boutique' is on one side of one of the elder's apartments.  The little girl is probably buying some candy, but bread, eggs, tomato sauce, oil, and sometimes alcohol among other things are sold at these little stores. 

This is on the outskirts of one of the outdoor markets.  The trucks are either loading up or unloading things like green oranges, charcoal, bananas and plantains, etc.  When they load up, people and animals like goats and chickens are added on top of all the other things and the trucks take them out of town to their villages.

 We have a stove that has gas burners and an electric oven.  The propane for the burners has to be purchased at boutiques like this one.  Lately, it has been very difficult to find propane, even though we are told their is a plant in Pointe Noire where it is manufactured/bottled.  We went to this place and within just a few minutes it was packed with people.  Elder Wheatley waited in line (lines don't mean anything - whoever can push to the front gets the product) for a while until someone told him they didn't have any in the size of our container.  When the propane arrives, the whole truck has to be unloaded before any will be sold.

Can you see Elder Wheatley's gray head in front of the man with the red shirt?

We had to add this photo, because this is on one of the busiest streets and it was a huge container that is being turned around slowly and pulled by this tractor.  We are sorry to tell our little grandson that it is not a John Deere tractor!