Day 9: To the Markets!

Today, the construction and documentation crews spent the morning in the markets, unlocking our inner tourist. We spent the morning buying souvenirs, clothing, and spices, which was something I was really looking forward to doing. I also thought it was really cool to see all of the differences between the shopping venues. We went into the port and its shopping establishments, then to the local vendors outside the fenced off port, and then finally to the local market.

First, we traveled to the fourth gate of the port, where our passports were checked in order to enter into the actual port to see the ship; which took an absurd amount of time to complete. I have experiences with going on cruises and have been exposed to things of the like, and it was somewhat like what I have experienced. There were many name brand stores like Harley Davidson and Breitling. There were also many restaurant chains in the port such as Dairy Queen and Margaritaville, along with the usual touristy gifts and clothing.

Unlike what we found inside the port, there were no name brand stores or restaurants that lead you outside the port. It was just the standard tourist souvenirs and local novelties. It was also cheaper from what I had noticed, but the vending stalls were made out of tarps or inexpensive or salvaged materials, not like the permanent structures found in the port. I also thought it was particularly interesting visiting both shopping venues because what the mayor and many tourist had told us was proven correct by our experience; that the salesmen outside the fencing were overwhelming in the way they tried to lure in potential customers. This may help explain why there were not many tourists actually shopping there.

After our visit to the outer stalls, we traveled the local market. The experience inside the local market was my favorite of the three shopping stops. Smells of spices, smoked chicken, and fresh produce were in the air. With bunches of bananas still on the limbs and piles of shoes and clothing everywhere, you really felt apart of the community. It was really interesting because you could see how people spent their daily lives, from selling counterfeit Nike's and Converse, to selling the watermelon and sugarcane they may have only gathered that morning. As many of us had expected, there were very few tourists inside the local market, aside from a few couples and groups of people passing through and looking around.

It really makes you think about how different an experience as normal as shopping is so different  here in Falmouth compared to the experience in Houston.