Saturday Market in the Neighborhood

Every Saturday morning the vendors start coming into the neighborhood from the Campo (countryside) about 5 blocks from where Walt lives to set up and to sell their produce  It's quite an extensive market and very colorful and alive with activity and sound.  I could have taken a thousand images, but I try to be sensitive to these people and I am well aware that they really don't like to have their pictures taken.  I am fascinated by the people, their faces, their dress, their work and especially the children.  But I try not to intrude too much - and I am VERY obvious with my western dress and my big camera with big lens.  But I hope to share some of what we see when we go out like this.  And remember you can always click on the images to see them full size.  Look at their faces.

 A view of the shoulder of Vulcan (volcano) Pichincha between the buildings of Walt's apartment compound as we began our walk over to the market.

 Graffitti is everywhere and some of it is quite beautiful and creative.  (Notice the car!)

 I know these grapes taste just as juicy and delicious as they look!

 I am so often so tempted to eat on the street as some of the offerings look so delicious - but I don't cause I've been violently ill from eating in restaurants that are supposedly much more trustworthy.  But doesn't this look good!  A meat mixture with llapingachos (potato pancakes stuffed with cheese) and eggs.  YUM!

 A fruit called mora - kinda like blackberries.

 The "vendors" always have such neat looking, carefully arranged presentations of their produce.  This woman is shelling beans as she waits for customers.

 Looking for the best and the ripest!

 A young woman from Otavalo in her native dress.  Otavalo is a VERY famous market - anyone who comes to Ecuador absolutely makes a trip up to shop at the Otavalo market.

 Saturday was the day before Mother's Day, so there were many floral offerings for mom.

 A truck full of plaintain up from the Oriente or the Coast along with some bananas by the truck.  Plaintain is more of a vegetable than a fruit like bananas.

 Can't remember what these are called and I've never tried them, but they're colorful and interesting looking!

 Pineapple.  You can't believe how delicious they are.  Pineapples, mangoes, papaya are my most favorite fruits here.  Along with one called grenadilla, which is a very odd fruit, but excellent.  (Kinda like really tasty snot!!!)

 Cute little boy.  Couldn't resist including this picture of the fruit as it is coming off the trucks - just because he's such a cutie.  I was very careful to not take pictures of the children - as much as I would have loved to photograph ALL of them.  They are adorable.

 This little boy was working on something.  His dad was nearby, but not looking when I snapped this.

 I also liked this old woman sitting here in the display.

 And the meat market.

 And the fresh chickens!!!

 I am fascinated by the fish vendors - can'at imagine how they actually manage to stack slippery, slimy fish so perfectly.  It's a mystery.

 And the crabs fresh caught.  They're still quite cold, but get very active as they warm up. . . .

 Rather blurry, but I was glad to surrepticiously snap this group sitting shucking corn.

 Don't ask.  This is a tub of pigs' heads and I have no clue what they do with them - and I don't want to know.

 Hmmm.  A typical Latina from the city.

 A phone booth!  We don't see many of these in the States anymore.  And although most all of the country has cell coverage and we see them everywhere, they are still quite expensive for the poorer people, so there is still much use of public phones.

Roasted corn.  Yummy.  They use it as a condiment for ceviche and soup, but it is also excellent as a snack and we often buy it just to munch on it.