To market, to market
01/11/2009
At the local market
This morning Mallory and I walked to a local market for a bit of shopping. On the way we stopped to buy something that looked like a filled donut, only this one contained mung bean paste--very delicious. I wish I could capture the sights and sounds and smells of this vibrant place for you! People here go to the market early in the morning and are very social. It's the place to get your food for the day and also to have breakfast or a snack or a refreshing drink. Mallory stopped at one stall and ordered us two juice drinks from a woman who ground up carrots and pineapple, added sweetened condensed milk, blended it all, and poured the resulting drink into a plastic bag with a straw coming out the top (our to-go cup).
The fresh fruits and vegetables are lovely--I'm quite fond of the little bananas and tangerines, and today I saw pineapple, strawberries (grown around Dalat where it is cooler), carrots, beans, tomatoes, and much much more. As we wound our way up and down the aisles, Mallory greeted vendors with a smile as she pointed out her favorite places to buy each type of thing I needed. My Vietnames is very limited, but at least I think I've learned how to say "how much?"
Later in the day we took a bus to downtown Nha Trang to make another visit to the Maximart (where I shopped last night). What a contrast to the morning! Here everything has price tags and there is no negotiating for the cost of an item. It makes for easier, but less colorful, shoppinig. I'm glad Nha Trang has both options. I also walked to the beach and saw the tourist part of the city. There it's possible to find Italian restaurants, English-language books, and western-style foods. The park along the beach is lovely, with many ornamental trees. I'm not sure what you would call them, but they look like large bonsai trees.
This evening finds me quite tired after another lovely day. It's amazing how much energy it takes to figure out things like where to buy water and food and cleaning supplies. But it's a good tired.
