The "real México" Juarez Sunday Market

Permission given to use these photos which were taken by Eliot Deutsch, www.lilaw.info

Catherine Watson, former editor of the Travel Section of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, has written in her new book that travelers should not overplan but "go with the flow," so to speak. Catherine is not only a good writer but also a wise person.

Yesterday morning Jaime and I hopped on a bus, rode it to the end of the line, and arrived at "the real México." Only on Sundays this particular neighborhood holds an outdoor mercado. The sights and sounds were fantastic. Other than a few streets left open and clear for buses and traffic, all the others were closed and filled from one side to the other with vendors. The regular shops were open, doing a brisk business as well. With nary a tourist in sight we wended our way from one stall or open area to another. The red tomatoes look and taste like real tomatoes instead of the hot house brand available in the USA. A pick-up truck parked at the curb was piled high with green peppers, another with round, ripe melons. Vegetables and fruit --block after block. Old and new clothes, flea-market style, lay on tarps along the sidewalk, and hung on make-shift rods. Old and new merchandise of many different categories were available for purchase. Huge vats and barrels of shrimp and squid rested side by side, along with rows and rows of fish of all varieties. Our prize was a kilo of shrimp, heads included, which were happily devoured for our evening meal.

Returning to our condo, we rode a bus that led from one spectrum of society to the other. The passengers reflected the neighborhoods--all this during a distance that took about 40 minutes. Can't wait to go back next Sunday!

Earlier in the week we met another Norte Americano on the bus who started the conversation by remarking on my Green Bay Packer hat. Turns out that he is one of our "neighbors" and is vacationing in a nearby location that is a mixture of tourists, expats, and Mexicans. What a find he has been. A former Peace Corp worker, he speaks very good Spanish, and has given us a tour of his rented house as well as many other tips. Haven't met a Peace Corp worker that I haven't liked, especially those who were in it during the 60s and 70s.

Time to walk the beach again!