One of the joys about spending time in a new place is seeing the neighbourhood. It stops people in their tacks to see my face wandering about. It really does make them gaze in wonderment.
Within the view from my 12th floor window there is quite an extensive market among the dense housing. In fact within a short walk in two directions there are street market areas. There are also the three "super markets", the largish store like buildings that carry their goods inside, out of the weather... but not out of the cold.
The street markets are my favourite places. In some places I've been, the people actually live right there at their little store front. They just close up shop at the day's end and climb up to the bed in the loft or the bed behind the curtain at the back of their stall. But not at the market here in my area. Here, they come and bring their wares every day and go home when they've sold out, or get tired. I have seen the market double in size on a warm day, and shrink to minimal in the cold and rainy days.
And everything happens there. The stuff of life. The families are there, kids and merchants, and seniors... the card players, and game players. They have tents with food, like restaurants, kinda, that feed all the people who work there, pass by or are on lunch break. The park where they gather and play is in this same place.
Here's part of the mystery... where does all this fresh food come from? The place is teeming with fresh veggies and fruit but I never see a truck delivering anything. OK, it likely happens when I'm not looking... or still sleeping, sure. But just the other day, while busy getting un-lost, I discovered a small source, two in fact.
One area lies just a block or two behind the busy downtown street... the other is the waters edge. Since they have had so little rain here since september, the water level low enough that the industrious ones have planted greens along the river side. Very clever this... and the watering is so easy as the river is right there. Just don't think about about that water going on the food you will be consuming and you'll do all right.
The garden in the heart of the community is blocked by the shadow of the high rise apartments on the main street. I think this is a very old area. The houses in close seem to be from another time. But the gardens are lush and each small garden plot is watered by hand (actually bucket) from open cement wells. Again, you aught not look too closely at the water. And think of the inherent danger to the local children?
We in Canada are such sissies.
Within the view from my 12th floor window there is quite an extensive market among the dense housing. In fact within a short walk in two directions there are street market areas. There are also the three "super markets", the largish store like buildings that carry their goods inside, out of the weather... but not out of the cold.
The street markets are my favourite places. In some places I've been, the people actually live right there at their little store front. They just close up shop at the day's end and climb up to the bed in the loft or the bed behind the curtain at the back of their stall. But not at the market here in my area. Here, they come and bring their wares every day and go home when they've sold out, or get tired. I have seen the market double in size on a warm day, and shrink to minimal in the cold and rainy days.
And everything happens there. The stuff of life. The families are there, kids and merchants, and seniors... the card players, and game players. They have tents with food, like restaurants, kinda, that feed all the people who work there, pass by or are on lunch break. The park where they gather and play is in this same place.
Here's part of the mystery... where does all this fresh food come from? The place is teeming with fresh veggies and fruit but I never see a truck delivering anything. OK, it likely happens when I'm not looking... or still sleeping, sure. But just the other day, while busy getting un-lost, I discovered a small source, two in fact.
One area lies just a block or two behind the busy downtown street... the other is the waters edge. Since they have had so little rain here since september, the water level low enough that the industrious ones have planted greens along the river side. Very clever this... and the watering is so easy as the river is right there. Just don't think about about that water going on the food you will be consuming and you'll do all right.
The garden in the heart of the community is blocked by the shadow of the high rise apartments on the main street. I think this is a very old area. The houses in close seem to be from another time. But the gardens are lush and each small garden plot is watered by hand (actually bucket) from open cement wells. Again, you aught not look too closely at the water. And think of the inherent danger to the local children?
We in Canada are such sissies.
Not a good example, but part of my local market.
The heart of the city - who could tell?
The green at the river's edge.
Maybe a stick of sugarcane? Or a tipi of sugarcane?
Or a bag of eels?
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