Pretty much every knick-knack you could ever need can be found here, with the exception of electronics or household appliances. Prices are often cheaper than at the Wal-Mart back in the city. I'm not saying it's top-shelf quality, but the toilet paper is soft enough for foreign sensibilities.
All sorts of counterfeit movies sold here, right in front of the Police, who patrols the mercado constantly. The quality is not really good if it's a first-run movie (cam copies), but older movies are great and likely DVD rips. DVDs, often containing 2-4 movies each will set you back 5Q. For you gringo, it'll be 10Q, unless you know how to bargain. More on that later.
One thing I'm having trouble with are clothes and shoes. Most men sizes only run up to 10 US (they use European sizing here). If you ask for shoes size 13 US, the person behind the counter will open their mouth wide, say something like "Oooooooooh...", then walk around the counter to... I'm guessing personally tell their grandchildren they met BigFoot that day. Clothes run sizes waaay too small. I have been known to reject XXXL t-shirts for being too tight. Not impossible to find stuff, but not easy either.
Easy reference point if you're walking around the city. Everyonw knows where the Arch is. This street runs North/South and if you're walking towards La Merced, you're heading North.
Dubbed " The City of Eternal Spring", the weather constantly hovers between 72-76 degrees. It does get chilly at night, but it's warm by 10a.m. Not rainy season yet, that starts May, where you get occasional afternoon showers.
The city is full of ruins to explore, most for a fee. They're very well kept and gorgeous to walk around and think about how awful life is and what problems keep you up at night.
El Carmen Ruins. There's a handicraft market next to it, which is open daily. On the weekends, local sellers are allowed to bring their goods out and sell crafts to tourists.
Inside the tourists' office. Most houses, and for that matter houses converted into restaurants, feature the colonial style buildings designed around a main courtyard. And with the perfect weather year-round, why not? Reminds me of old-style Chinese houses.
This is a typical knob-free restroom faucet you find in many restaurants. You move the lever in any direction to open the faucet and it closes automatically when no pressure is exerted on it. I'm not sure this is a cleaner alternative to a knob-operated faucet, but I guess if you don't have a motion-operated faucet, this one at least saves more water.
Broke down and got a little puppy. My first dog as well. Didn't think it'd be a Miniature French Poodle, but I wanted a small-dog that allowed me the flexibility if leaving in an apartment if I chose to do so. The name is Sookie. Yes, I chose the name, and it has nothing to do with Asia. It just sounded cooler than Martha, or any other weird name for female dogs. If you have any tips on getting puppies to stop biting, please leave tips in the comments section :)
Comments 