From Agadez I journey south by bus. We stop midway at a nearly deserted settlement (Aderbissinat) and have some grilled meat for lunch. Many buildings have been abandoned and the ruins are being slowly swallowed up by the encroaching Sahara sand.

After seven hours we reach the Zinder, a busy town not far from the border with Nigeria. Osma, the Argentinean, and I soon discover that most of the budget accommodation has been booked for Le Festival du Sahelwhich frustratingly doesn’t actually begin until the day I intend to move on. We end up going slightly upmarket and sharing a room with air-conditioning. The man in shorts thinks he's in heaven.

Wed 31 Mar - Thu 1 Apr
I visit the mosque and wander around the African part of town, admiring the ornamentally plastered fronts of the older buildings. In the afternoon I visit the director of an NGO I had met in Niamey and he kindly lets me burn another CD with latest photos.

The guidebook recommends the weekly market in Zinder. It may be that there’s not much else to recommend, but I have nothing better to do so I go along anyway. Magnificent! Over quite a large "fair ground" there are stalls not just for fresh produce and imported goods but there are lots of things being while you watch. More like a cultural festival with craft workshops and colourful flags.