It must have been a year since I hung out with @dswigle for #marketfriday. Let's GO!
What better way to dive into #marketfriday than with a vibrant look back at a market in a place far away from me? My friends and followers came along with me via the blockchain on my grand adventure for 10 October days in Mexico. I am hard pressed to imagine a more colourful scene as we perused the shops in the market.
All sorts of wares and characters are on display as you take a walking tour of downtown Playa Del Carmen on the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula. About an hour south of popular Cancun, this town sits joyfully on the east coast, gazing out at the island of Cozumel. If you are in Playa, I would recommend taking the ~45-minute ferry across to the island as it really is a special place, especially for divers. By comparison, Playa Del Carmen seems like a city compared to the island village for a contrasting style and experience.
Care is taken to keep a spot clean and capitalize on all space available to sell the goods. Many of these items are found in every second shop as you go along but sometimes, you can find one-of-a-kind, handmade treasures. Just imagine the hours spent assembling each of these pieces, or the joy on the face of a child that receives one of these unique little stuffed animals.
While it is a joy to discover the variety and spend some money with the locals in exchange for a memento of travel, it is a little stressful to be shilled every second step by aggressive vendors who will stop at almost nothing to get you into their shop. White people problems I suppose but I don't like being rude and saying, "No gracias" so many times.
One of the funniest experiences came from a fellow with a rather unique and light-hearted sales pitch. "Buy my crap! Same crap as everyone else! Slightly cheaper!" I will have to admit that honest, light-hearted approach made me laugh. "Good crap?" "Oh yes! See? Oakley sunglasses! Almost real!"
You will be able timestamp this picture when you revisit it on the blockchain a few years from now. Hopefully there will be fewer Covid tests available in these markets as the demand dies down with the virus. These farmacias seem to sell more viagra than medicine and many have a special covert sales agent looking to sell you white and green. Just not worth falling into that trap.
As night falls on the markets, it is just the colours and sounds that change. A little more neon, a slightly louder crowd as the day drinks accumulate (Why not? Bacation!) and the clubs start to kick into life. It doesn't really feel like the quiet season in the middle of a pandemic and it is so nice to sit and drink it all in during a warm evening.
I am sure I could not balance a ball on a stick held in my mouth, juggle fire, or stay upright on a stretched out unicycle. This fellow can do all 3 at once and captures the attention of the marketgoers. Happy to slide him a couple hundred pesos for the effort and time it takes to make the night that much more special.
It may have taken me a year to assemble enough photos and a story worth posting to the #marketfriday group but I have finally done it. Hopefully it won't take me another year and this edition put a little warmth, colour and travelling adventure into your day.
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