Bamako, Mali

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You'd expect the capital city of one of the poorest countries in the world to be sullen and down-at-heel but Bamako is a brash cacophony of music, motorbikes, and people buying, selling and trading under the hot midday sun. Despite its problems it's got chutzpah.

Unfortunately the colonial-style Grand Marché Market burnt down in 1993. It's due to be rebuilt but until it is the stall holders are simply conducting business alfresco on the pavements and side streets around the old site. This greatly increases the chances of getting lost as all the streets begin to look the same but you can find everything here from indigo cloth to gold to tapes of African music. There's also a traditional medicine vendor should you find yourself running short of travel essentials such as porcupine quills, dried birds and monkey heads.

The Musée National is one of the best ethnographic museums in West Africa with architectural features inspired by the old-mud brick structures in Djenneé and a wide range of tapestries, masks, funeral objects, and weapons. The museum is desperately trying to hold onto its cultural treasures but is fighting an uphill battle against collectors illegally buying ancient terracotta figurines in Djenneé for next to nothing. Don't buy into this cultural devaluation: save your francs for the legal stuff.

Bamako is on the north bank of the Niger. The core city centre, where you'll find the main markets, shops, restaurants, and some hotels, is the triangle formed by Ave du Fleuve, Blvd du Peuple and Ave van Vollenhoven. The Grand Marché (or what used to be the Grand Marché before it burnt down) is in the centre of this triangle.

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