A Trip to Central Market

One of the best spots we like to take our visitors is the Central Market. It's kind of your one stop shop for anything that you might ever need. The prices are right and the environment is amazing! It's a busy hub of people and shops from sun-up to sun-down and then some. The market is set up on a square patch of property with a one-way street circling the entire thing. Along the outside are little shops crowding onto the sidewalk selling jewlery, clothes, household items, fruit, eggs, anything really. Once you get to the center of the block there will be a entrance that looks like another shop but when you look inside, it's endless. Once you turn into the Market you are in a maze of hallways filled with peoples stores. It's really buzzing with sounds and smells.

When you walk in one entrance you are met by the "wet" market which is meat, poultry, and fish. They will chop it up there for you if you find something you like. They sell all parts of the animal, pig legs, pig head... you get the picture:

Once you get into the market a little further there are aisles of fish, crabs, prawns and veggies!

From the main aisle with the veg and fish you can turn off onto dozens of different aisles filled with crafts, clothes, jewelry, restaurants. There are tailor shops with the busy sound of old Singer sewing machines buzzing away as they quickly stitch up beautiful dresses, uniforms and traditional clothing. They have farming tools available for cutting the sugarcane crops, rice fields, chopping coconuts and just for own protection. They have wonderful woven purses, hammocks, mats, window blinds and hats that must have taken hours to weave together. They also sell household items like dust pans, pots, rags, wash basins and other small necessities. One of our favorite spots has tonnes of pretty necklaces, bracelets and rings. She also sells some really nice place mat sets, wind chimes and an endless supply of key chains. Everytime we buy something from her she throws in a little trincket for Sydney, who now has quite the collection.

On our way from the Market there is a small market made up of maybe a dozens stalls on the side of the road quite close to our house. It has a fruit stand, a couple of veg stands, fish stands and then our favourite.... the MEAT. If you drive by around 2pm sometimes you get lucky and you can watch them unload a pig out of the back of a jeepney and they'll chop it up on the table right on the street. Spreading it open and then hanging the cuts up on display for people passing by to check it out!! There is always a pig head or two on display. You always know how fresh it is based on the colour. The longer it's been sitting out there the darker the head gets, with black spots starting...