Markets are interesting in a new country. You can tell what crops grow locally and I have started going to my local market to buy fruit and vegetables. Msasani market is really dirty, dark and full of flies. Usually going to a local market is fun, full of noise and activity. Sadly Msasani market is… Read More »
I have written about Chinese fabric markets. They are wonderful places and I am overwhelmed by the choice and want to buy so much I cannot decide what to buy. In Africa it’s pretty much the opposite. I go to Tanzanian fabric shops and all they sell is kitenge which is wild colours and patterns.… Read More »
I had decided that I should make more use of my balcony which is normally only used by malarial mosquitoes. So I bought some cheap mosquito nets and then headed down to Kariakoo Market. I had seen it on the internet and it looked good. I wasn’t disappointed. It was not just the central distinctive… Read More »
I needed some new clothes for a job in the UK for four weeks and I couldn’t put I off any longer. I put on my hat, sun block and sun glasses and took the metro to Nanpu Bridge and to the Sputh Bund fabric market. I walked in the searing heat for 10 minutes… Read More »
I was going for a cycle ride to the river and decided to go down Damuqiao Lu for a change. Maybe it’s a Sunday market – I certainly hadn’t noticed it before. There were lots of stalls and sheets spread out on the ground covered with old coins, jade, beads, antique (or not!) items. It’s… Read More »
I didn’t need kitchen supplies but it was nice sunny spring day and I wanted to stretch my legs so I went up to the part of the city where you can pick up anything from a coffee machine to a rattan basket, delicate porcelain tea services to earthenware jugs. The firrst thing I noticed… Read More »
It had been a long time since I went out with my camera for the day and seeing as I had a rare weekend off I dusted my big SLR camera, wrapped up warm and headed out the door. It wasn’t long before I returned home having not taken the correct lens – an annoying… Read More »
I went back to the hutongs today to deliver the photos I had printed for the family. They treated me like a returning hero and insisted on feeding me what I am sure was offal. I tried (but very hard) to eat it and then said I was full. They said I couldn’t possibly be… Read More »