Yesterday I walked out of a coffee shop – got in my car and was surprised at just how similar the road I was on – looked to many in California. 

And then at other times (most times) I look down a street and marvel at how African it is 

           and that I am here and navigating it.

It’s a bit hard to quite capture the hustle and bustle that goes on at every road side.  If you look closely in this picture on the right – you will see that someone is hanging clothes to sell from the tree…

…and you might notice the large open gutter and the cement building in the process of being built…

…as well as all the road side stands.

Today I got up the courage to go shopping for some groceries at the road side stands. 

I bought dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans) here:

And was quite delighted to simmer then into a delicious creamy meal for our family!

P.S. these are pictures of roads IN the city.  Roads outside of the city are a whole different ballgame and may require a separate, future post.  But here is a taste: