It is easy to get cheated in the local, open market especially when considered as the outsider. The price of a mango or handful of herbs or bucket of potatoes soars high whenever we near the tender’s booth. Bartering is something I have learned to do over the years. It is easier is some places than others, but the system still stands as the way to buy and sell. The price is always begun much higher than the item is worth. My bartering price would start out with being lower than I would expect to pay. Thus the prices ping pong back and forth until the price is agreed upon somewhere between the two prices. The market is usually noisy, with tenders shouting out their prices, with crowds of customers swarming around from stall to stall and row to row, and with the blaring advertising on loud speakers. When walking through the market, it is just a loud roar with all of the sounds blending into one. As the sun beats down on the open market, their aroma fills the air with the sweetness of the pineapples and the bitterness of the onions, as well as the stench of garbage and animal refuse from the day before. Shopping in the market here is quite an experience!
Written by: Abigail S.
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