AveLINO!

If I thought markets in China were big it's only because I hadn't been to Avelino yet. Since I got here I had been looking for Chinese or 'developing country' style markets. I figured they must have them here. I couldn't imagine that everyone was paying the prices that I've been paying at the supermarket for their vegetables. So I asked around and people told me to go to San Camilo, so I went and ok I can buy some vegetables or a lot of potatoes there, but I wasn't satisfied. Then Giovana and Milner took me to this market outside of town that is really big, about the size of the market in Fuyang. But for some reason I still thought the vegetables were a bit pricey and that there should be a market closer to the center of town, I couldn't believe that everyone had to trek all the way out of town to buy their veggies.

Then last weekend I asked Giovana to go with me to that same market to buy some vegetables, but she said it was too late to go because it's a morning market but that we could go to a bigger market that's busy all day long. And that's when she and Milner took me to Avelino for the first time. Last week I saw that it was big, but we didn't really wander around. Just to one of the vegetable and fruit areas. But today I went back on my own and wandered through about 6 streets, each with a market the size of one big market in China, and I didn't even get to the end! After 4 hours I was beat! But I saw everything imaginable; fruit everywhere, vegetables everywhere, meat markets, potatoes piled to the ceiling, lines of 18-wheelers parked full of green bananas and any other tropical fruit, clothes markets, shoe markets, a flower market, rows and rows of food stalls, CIVECHE!, electronics, electronics, household items.....on and on and on. I went looking for vegetable plants to put on the really sunny roof terrace just outside my bedroom door. Well, I didn't find them, even though I'm sure they have them there, but I did find oregano, rosemary, thyme, yerba buena, and some other herb for tea. Ok, that's still awesome and now I have to go back :)