Going to the market

Today was the day I went to the Mercado del Abastos for the first time. A recent article describes this market as "a massive, frenzied feast for the senses where locals hustle and bustle, and tourists are few." That may be an understatement.

My British friend, Fiona (who works at the OCS library), and I tried to be optimistic about not getting lost on our adventure into this huge market. We did our absolute best to be aware of our surroundings and stick to the outskirts of the market.

We actually lasted at least 3 turns. After that all sense of direction was completely lost. We went inside, then outside, then inside again. We went down rows of wooden furniture, squeezed through tiny aisles filled with baskets and other weavings (on which I kept hitting my head), passed a whole flock of live chickens. Hammocks, shampoo, Christmas lights - it was amazing the variety of things being sold. At one point I could see the mountains and knew we were on the north side of the market. That was helpful... for a moment ;-).

An hour and a half later we found our way back to the side we entered on. I was a few pesos poorer, having bought a table cloth, a guitar key chain, and pumpkin seeds. I'm sure we only saw a very small portion of the entirety of Abastos. What an experience. I think it could easily take an entire day to see it all. And, by the way, I did not see a single tourist - well, apart from ourselves.

When I told my landlady about my day, she laughed and assured me that she has never ever gotten lost in Abastos. I think it is pretty much inevitable for me. So, if I ever plan another trip to Abastos, I will also plan on getting lost at some point. Exciting times, eh? ;-).

Here's a link to that article if you'd like to see some photos: Weekend in Oaxaca - although, I'd be surprised if you could capture the experience of Abastos in a picture.