Talk:Niger

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[edit] Bridge on Niger

 In Niamey, walking across the only bridge over Niger river 
 is considered risky even by the locals, and therefore should be avoided.

Could you elaborate? Didn't cross the bridge on foot myself, but have no idea why would it be risky...

Also please see this photo. People on the photo does not seem to be scared ;-) --JanSlupski 16:03, 1 Aug 2005 (EDT)

Yeah, I know there's lots of people walking the bridge, as they don't have any other means on crossing the river (eg. money for the taxis) - and they've got nothing valuable with them. Still that's really the only place in Niamey where I never walked - and I walked a lot during the year I lived there - because really even the locals preferred not to walk across if they had anything valuable with them. During the one year there I heard of two robbings: one on the bridge, another in front of El Nasr -building (near rip-off row). It's not only one local who warned me against the bridge.

I can't really tell you what kind of monsters lurk under the bridge (well, sometimes there's hippos), but the risks are supposed to involve some mean, hairy goblins (or bandits or the like, bad guys anyway), who come from under the bridge and rob all nice little people (yes, I know, but the whole society there seems to go around rumors, without anyone really never having any first hand information). Tommi 09:42, 17 Aug 2005 (EDT)

During the two-plus years I lived south of the bridge, I crossed it countless times, never had an incident, and never heard anyone talk about being scared to cross the bridge. I didn't hear about any robberies on the bridge, either. Lots of tourists have been robbed in the area of the Petit Marche, though. The bridge comment to me seems not confirmed enough to be in this wiki, but ... I don't know who makes those decisions. -Conifertree 17 Sept. 2006

It's you who should make the decision. Or me, or anyone. But I've now removed the part about the bridge myself, as I feel that Niamey was really safe city and I don't want to add anything to that irrational fear these safety sections in travel guides usually cause. Safety issues are always too personal, and they can change fast. My experience is already three years old. About Petit Marche: I never had any problems near it, and I walked by it quite often even during night - though I always was pretty cautious there. Tommi 02:43, 7 December 2006 (EST)