Flea Market Field Trip

Bob and I are not shoppers. Our limited skills get us through Christmas and birthdays, mostly with gift cards. Still, I did want to walk to the flea market, if only to get a few photos. Off we went after breakfast, past the street entrance to the hotel and through the gate manned by a security guard. We could see a couple of buildings a few hundred yards away so we were quite sure that we couldn’t miss our destination. On our right, the jungle extended as far as we could see. Being a little afraid of “crawlers”, we walked in the street rather than on the path.

We were greeted by a vendor at the entrance to a narrow corridor flanked by shacks. The wares on sale might have included items of interest to us, but probably not. It was hard to imagine anyone transporting the large canvasses of African inspired art that filled nearly every concession. We were accosted by aggressive men as we walked between the shops. I am a timid shopper even in the low pressure Twin Cities, so the experience might have been somewhat frightening to me if I had gone alone.

The sun beat down on us and we choked on the dust – sea sand mixed with dirt -- in the air. “Abject poverty” is the phrase that came to mind. I got only a couple of pictures before we hightailed it out of there, back along the hot road, past the entrance to the Oasis resort, ending at our resort. It is a short walk but it left us depleted of fluids. Despite the winds, the beach seemed inviting.