Market Adventure

Well, I finally did it! I asked my friend Marlene if she would like to show me how to ride the public transportation to the market. She was an excellent guide. She had to show me around as I acted like a giddy tourist.  It proved to be such a fun experience. So we visited the Agdao Market. First we hailed a tricycle.

This is a motorcycle with a covered cab attached in the back with 2 benches to sit on. It filled up quickly…I  think I counted 11 of us. I was not sure we would make it up  the hill. Really it is one motorcycle carrying 11-12 people only 7 PHP (.16 USD). We paid our fare as we exited the cab at the bottom of the hill. Now we crossed the street and waited for  a Jeepney that was going on the route we needed. Here is a picture of the ones I like…the older ones. The fare was just 8PHP (.19 USD).Ours looked like the second one.

   

Not a long wait at all. The Jeepney dropped us off right next to the market and there we were.

 

The market reminded me a lot of the Petite Marche in Niger. Lots of small stalls full of things to buy…produce, eggs, meat and beggars too. The fish were the first thing we came to. Big and small fish. Beautiful chunks of fresh tuna and swordfish.

      

 

The meat section turned from fish to beef, pork and then chicken…and then the produce. Many great veggies and fruit I recognized but many I did not. Lots of leafy greens. Root vegetables. Eggs, and h snacks….see the pork rinds a hangin?

 

I enjoyed looking around. One stall was making fresh lumpia. The man would dip his hand down into the large container of batter and just apply it to the hot griddle with his hand. These are used to wrap and make egg roll type foods. I have had both savory and sweet lumpia.

 

Palm heart, coconut, bean sprouts and tofu, I think….

 

  Another stall was selling nuts and Marlene had fresh peanut butter ground. MMMM.

Chicken heads anyone? How bout chicken feet?

 

Flowers

 

It is funny here. I still pause when I want to take pictures. In Africa so many times people would want money. I always want to make sure that it is okay….it is almost always more than OK….. here are a few guys who wanted their pics taken. These first guys were selling these dolls. When I said no thanks, they said, “just take our picture then.” The next set of guys were just goofing off and they even posed. So fun.

 

We finished our shopping and hailed another type of tricycle to get us to a main plaza where we could catch another Jeepney home. Here is our driver, a view out the front (you can see us in the rear view mirror) and another cab that was the same, smaller size than the first.

 

We made it to the plaza and watched for a Jeepney that would take us where we needed to go. The Jeepneys have their route printed on them. They get pretty full and I was instructed to stay toward the back so I could get off easier….would have been easier if I was not lugging a watermelon everywhere….there it goes after dropping me off…it was pink.