During my first week in Nairobi, while I was still trying to figure things out a bit, I was fortunate to be introduced to a fellow traveler, Michelle, that now lives in Nairobi and goes to school here. She mentioned that she and her mom were going to be visiting the masai market on the following Tuesday if I wanted to join them. Since I hadn't really gotten into the city I jumped at the chance and rose early Tuesday, caught a ride into town and met Michelle and her mom on a street corner near the market, and we headed into the market.
The market consists mainly of a series of small, square, low dirt mounds, where goods are laid out, with narrow pathways between each mound to allow people just enough room to squeeze by each other. Although on a much smaller scale, the atmosphere was very similar to the grand bazaar in Istanbul in terms of people trying to get your attention and show you to their stall, however, with a slightly more laid back demeanor. Since I wasn't in the market to buy that day, I found that 'I'm not buying today' was a pretty good deterrent.
We wandered around for about an hour and a half laughing and joking with stall owners, with Michelle driving some hard bargains for a few select items of her mom's choosing from the vast array of wood carvings (both animals and masks), brightly colored beaded jewelry, wall hangings, spears and knives, sarongs, and more. While I didn't pick anything up this time around, I will certainly be making another trip back to the market to find a few things that caught my eye.
The market consists mainly of a series of small, square, low dirt mounds, where goods are laid out, with narrow pathways between each mound to allow people just enough room to squeeze by each other. Although on a much smaller scale, the atmosphere was very similar to the grand bazaar in Istanbul in terms of people trying to get your attention and show you to their stall, however, with a slightly more laid back demeanor. Since I wasn't in the market to buy that day, I found that 'I'm not buying today' was a pretty good deterrent.
We wandered around for about an hour and a half laughing and joking with stall owners, with Michelle driving some hard bargains for a few select items of her mom's choosing from the vast array of wood carvings (both animals and masks), brightly colored beaded jewelry, wall hangings, spears and knives, sarongs, and more. While I didn't pick anything up this time around, I will certainly be making another trip back to the market to find a few things that caught my eye.
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