Grand Marché Azeke
Visit the Grand Marché Azeke in Parakou and take lots of cash. This an international market that keeps you browsing around a block in a large covered hall overlapping onto the streets with stalls. Negotiate with between 500 and 1000 vendors over the price of pottery vases, cotton textiles, local CD's of local artists, local spices, fruits and wagasi, which is cow's milk cheese.
Apart form the hundred of sellers, there are also health facilities including the Pharmacie Albarika where you can stop for some energy tablets to give you the stamina to walk through the rest of the market. Parakou Hospital is nearby in case the exhaustion of shopping becomes too much as there is so much to buy and even more to see at the stalls. If Grand Marche Azeke is conquered, you can move on to Marché Kobo Kobo which lies across the street from the French Cultural Centre. This market is known mainly for its second hand clothing and livestock sales. Although it would be impossible to take an ox home, browsing through the market is a unique experience.
Stop at the third market for a bite to eat. The Marché Depot is located near Parakou Railway Station around numerous hotels and you can follow the smell of food to locate the market. The Marché Guema, located next to Guema Church and takes place every Sunday. Founded by the Somba tribe of the Atacora, the market sells grass huts, beef and pork and local millet beer so it is the perfect opportunity to go on a beer tour around the market.
