Street Vendors in Douala

Jobs are impossible to find in Cameroon.  There is a 70% unemployment rate.  People sell anything on the streets to buy food for the day.  These are a bunch of random pictures of different ways people try to make a living.

Before Christmas, we saw this man selling beach balls.  I love his glasses and nose.  He is walking down the middle of the very crowded street.


This is a fish shop.  The man wanted us to pay him to take his picture, but we finally got him to hold up a fish so we could take the picture.


This lady does hair, sells palm oil, phone airtime credits, bananas and many snacks at the one little booth.


This man pulls his flip flop store with him all over town.  He has quite a variety.


This is an outdoor grill where they sell shiskabobs.  We haven’t dare try them, but the look and smell really good.  They are cooked over an open fire.



A popcorn and water vendor


Large avocados for sale.


Potatoes and other vegetables for sale.


More Shiskabobs for sale over an open fire.


Shoes for sale on the side of the road.


Home Depot on a cart.


Fresh fish straight out of the Wouri River.



Our peanut ladies.  They didn’t want us to take the picture, so we told them no more sales unless we could.  They were then eager.  We drive up and roll down our window and 5 of them will be shoving bottles in our faces.  We pay $4 for a bottle of roasted peanuts.


Auto Zone


Fresh pineapple is available all year round.  We eat it until we get sick of it and then wait a few weeks and start eating it again.


This is taken from our truck as we drive through the central market where the locals do all of their shopping.  We pay a lot more in places where you can move.  This road is two way traffic.


This lady sells many different kinds of beans.


This is a little souvenier market by our apartment.


Backpacks and school supplies


Wicker furniture is made from bamboo poles that are stripped into strips.  They along with most other furniture is sold sitting in the dirt on the sides of the road.