Things we’ve seen perfectly balanced on people’s heads as they walk along the road or have a conversation with a friend:
Bags of nuts in a basket
Home grown selection of organic vegetables
Large branch of green bananas
Long sticks of sugar cane
Sack of potatoes
Bucket of onions
Jerry can of water
Timber
Handbag
Wheelie bag (bit larger than hand luggage usually allows)
Sewing machine (hand operated)
School books
Stack of towels
Ten foam mattresses
Things we’ve seen strapped to bicycles:
Sacks of charcoal
Wood
Car parts
5 branches of bananas (two on either side and one at the back)
A chicken
2 goats (one on either side in baskets)
Numerous children
Set of 6 wooden dining chairs
38 pineapples
Ten foam mattresses
Things we’ve seen in wheelbarrows:
Building material
Car chassis(!)
Things we only do in Africa:
Always have toilet paper stuffed into my back pocket
Always have anti-bac handwash stuffed into the other pocket
Shake every immigration officer, customs officer and policeman’s hand at border crossings
Ensure the anti-bac handwash is still stuffed in my back pocket
Smile and share a joke with every immigration officer, customs officer and policeman
Pretend we don’t speak French in Tunisia, Rwanda and Burundi to assist with the daft foreigner look when stopped by a policeman on the roadside
Pretend we barely speak English in other countries, again to assist with the daft foreigner look
Pretend we didn’t see the traffic policeman waving his arms as we passed by
