Morogoro Shopping - Sunday Markets

Sunday after church 6 us headed down town to shop... this will give you a good sense of life in Morogoro and its vibrant shopping market.   Very practical items for sale over a many square block area.  Sights, sounds and smells.  Got it all for you right here!!

Our month long chariot... we get a lot of looks .. hey and upscale bus with
windows  closes (ie AC) including an international case and plenty
 of Mzungus (white people) creates a lot of attention.

We step out and first sight... a taxi stand... these guys excel in taking people down country roads and mountain paths.  They zip along beside the traffic... looks dangerous for driver and passenger to me.  They also carry the oddest cargo at times.   The alternative a bicycle .. Mark....need a flat fixed?  Mattress shop in case you need a nap while waiting.

First stop was lunch ... out door cafe and a chance for eggs and chips again... Ashish had his separate... mine mixed together and pan fried.  Flies like outdoor food also... so waving a hand often is becoming a habit at mid-day meals. 

I noticed a bar across the street and given something I had noticed a week earlier when we went to a local spot for a beer and dinner I went over to capture on film.   Notice the bars... the gentleman explain given robberies bars put a grate up between the counter and the bar tender.  Your beverage is served through an opening after money is received.   Seems to cut down on surprises.   

Ok we are realy to hit the streets.. but as you do that be very  very careful... this is what appears to be a finished drainage ditch running the length of the street... about a 3 foot drop of a very uneven sidewalk every 4 or 5 feet.  Doug K... we could use an engineer.

Watch your step

Fall in the ditch or need a rest.... consider buying a chair or couch.

The ladies were full of energy looking for Kanga wrap skirts

At which point the guys considered just buying a paper and reading it.
Remember the couches

A number of gentlemen were selling roast
corn on the cob

A bit of coconut and its juice sold from the
back of a bicycle

One thing that strikes me is the lack of animals helping to do the heavy work.  Very different than for example what I saw in India.  Fellows like the ones above pull these car tire sized vehicles often loaded ... up and down the streets sometimes long distances... some of them are just glistening in the mid day sun and look amazingly strong. 

This streets drain was nicely covered with planks

Petra's high end  flip flop happened to break and I suggested I had seen
 repair shops. she found one and for 33 cents (she actually tipped  double
 the price .. so a total of 2000 Tanzanian shillings) it was as good as new!!    

Had she not wanted to fix the flip flop she could have
 bought  a slightly used pair at any one of a
 number  of piles we saw.

A street view.. with lots of Sunday afternoon action ... the people selling the shirts are university students and called out to "IBMers" after recognizing the lecture we did.

 The new young in Tanzania are leading in the small business sector                               

Finally we checked out the food section of the market.  I figure a lot of this produce travelled down the mountain side we hiked yesterday. I love the colors.

Tomatoes, carrots, ochra, pepper, eggplant, cabbage and a few things I did not recognize 

Xaio doing some mango, pineapple and limes negotiations

Cabbage, tomatoes, ochra

Banana,  casava, and in Swahili nyanya chungu (a bitter tomatoe) 

Eggplant, cabbage, pineapple, ochra, potatoes, coconuts

That is Christie and Petra's feet .. they bought
 a selection from this ladys

Tomatoes

 I also bought two bags of a mix of these items for 3,000 shillings.  I planned to give them to someone on the street but decided to take it back to the hotel and give one to Mary and Jacquiline the maids that have been cleaning my room for 3 weeks.  Hope they like it as much or more than the Canadian note pads, pencils, button, colouring books etc. I have been leaving every second day or so.  A lady at the front desk said "you love your country very much" the other day ... then said she loves Tanzania!  Another female restaurant staff member asked me for my Canadian tie and for a coloring book for her niece.  Reminds me of the old days when I was consulting and travelling every week when we would roll into a city and hotel staff made us feel at home.  Hope the maids like the veggies  Our team sure enjoyed browsing and buying a few things!!

Jam packed weekend... with 4 or so hours of work mixed in to boot.