Market Days

Every Saturday morning Matt and I make our way to the big outdoor market in nearby Rosignol. So, sometime between 7:00am and 10:00am (depending on levels of tiredness, rainfall and weekend morning motivation) we gather our re-usable shopping bags and flag down a mini-bus on the road in front of our house. About twenty minutes later we get dropped off right at the market entrance. The market is always a lively place to be. It’s packed. It’s loud. It’s dizzying at times. Countless vendors neatly display their colorful produce and attempt to make contact with every potential customer passing by. A common question floating our way as we squeeze through the crowds is “White gyal, white guy, wha you shoppin?" Some vendors are fortunate enough to afford the renting of a simple wooden stall while others lay out their products on tarps on the ground or simply walk around the market carrying whatever they are selling that day.

We have been visiting this market for over three months now, so we are finally at the point where we know what prices are fair (as people get to know us they no longer charge us the “foreigner” price), who sells the best tomatoes and what route through the market makes the most sense for us. One of our regular stops is the nice wooden stall rented by Patricia, a lovely and generous woman, who mainly sells baked goods and drinks. Every Saturday we stop to chat with her and no matter what we purchase (her coconut biscuits are my favorite!), we always get a few complimentary goodies in our shopping bag. She even started bringing us passion fruit from her yard because we mentioned once that Matt likes to make juice out of them.

 

Below a few pictures of our market:

 

Low-hanging tarps are draped over some of the stalls to keep things somewhat dry during the rainy season. Fortunately, the government is almost finished building a large roof over the market area.

A boy is entering the market.

A local vendor is standing proudly by his produce. In the background chickens are prepared to be sold.

Patricia arrives at the market every Saturday well before the sun rises to set up and operate her stall.

This is what we typically bring home from the market every week.