(Continued from City Tour Part 1: The National Palace)
The Central Market in the city has three levels underground. It's huge.
The first level has the usual tourist trinkets. Bags, shoes, souvenirs, dolls, clothes.
The second level is the food market with every fruit and vegetable I can imagine, as well as several small kitchens offering tables and menus of the day.
Also, fried fish.
(In the background is a woman in her small kitchen cubicle).
The third and lowest level is an artisan floor.
There are things like homemade baskets, candles, and clay items.
I can't wait to go back at Christmas to buy Christmas decorations.
Just about every seed or nut or dried seasoning I could want.
As we walk around the city, we find local vendors, chopping or peeling their produce as we pass.
A couple women in traditional Guatemalan clothes (usually indicates they are indigenous) selling homemade purses, necklaces, and other items made from the bright colors that Guatemala is known for (similar to what can be found on the first floor of the Central Market).
What city tour would be complete without passing by a local Wendy's?
One of the best parts of this day: the downtown Post Office.
Why was it one of my favorite stops?
Because of this:
Our first mail! A birthday card for Michael, a baby announcement, and a stack of notes and cards from the Moms Group I was part of back in Fresno. Though the envelope was postmarked from June, we just received them this week. (It's possible the mail hadn't been checked in a while.)
One specific note came at the perfect time: Trust God when you wonder why you're there.
After a week of taking in the poverty, danger, and reality of the place we work and live, this was a much-needed reminder.
The post office also serves as an Arts Center. I'm certain I've never seen this sign before.
It's hard to walk far without being offered a shoe shining service.
Almost every business offers a delivery service. You can order delivery to your home from every fast food place. We often see bikes from Burger King or Pollo Campero, the local chicken chain, driving around.
We recently had the local pharmacy deliver antibiotics to our front door. It's a genius system.
Tomorrow we are going to El Salvador for two days but I am planning to post pictures from the cemetery and city dump, the last part of our city tour, soon.
1 comment:
awesome pictures! totally jealous of that market...honduras doesn't have markets like that. and it looks so clean and organized!! (well, you know what they say...the grass is always greener, right?)
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