After Christmas, after good fellowship and good food it would seem we could spend a relaxing day at home. No turkey but wow all other animals were not spared!
December 26th, Boxing Day and that means most shops are closed. However the markets are always open and so we decided to walk there. We had done some wash and the sun was out as bright as it can be and so it was a good time to go into the market.
We hadn’t gone too far when we were approached by George who was curious about our visit to Malawi and soon he sold us two bracelets which I really don’t need. At the same time an elderly man worked at convincing us that we would love to have his batik cards. No we really did not need those either but we bought a couple because that is the way it goes. While I am negotiating a man in a shirt and tie approaches Hans and exclaims, “When did you get back?” Hans thinking he should know him tries to make some connections but can’t seem to make them. When the fellow suggests that Hans could help him with some fuel, Hans remembers! The same scam happened to him in Nairobi where he handed over some shillings but not this time! Hey it is all about making a living, honest or not. However I rather buy from the street vendors.
Finally we are on our way again and meet up with the young man who promised us a pineapple which we paid for two days ago but he had run out. He had some really nice ones and he remembered we had already paid for it. Well we would pick it up on the way back along with some avocados that another fellow was selling.
Finally we were off into the market where soccer balls, electrical paraphernalia and vegetables all for sale. So we negotiated for 6 potatoes and 15 meters of strong rope so that we can tie two bicycles on the car’s roof top when we go to Ulongwe on Monday. The bicycles are meant for the two supervisors for the Food for Work project. We go on to the local barbeques and negotiate for one. We however are walking and promise we would come back to pick one up. They are willing to sell us the charcoal too, huge bags for 3500 kw. We find out later that we can buy the charcoal along the road to Chipoka for 500 kw. When we return later in the afternoon we buy the bbq but leave the charcoal, a huge disappointment for them but we figure it is better to buy from the producers and give them a fair price then give the middleman all the profit. This is so difficult here because so many villagers end up selling their goods for such a low price to middlemen who come to buy from them because they cannot reach the markets themselves and do not know what the prices are. Doesn’t this remind you of fair trade coffee? Nothing is simple.
December 26th, Boxing Day and that means most shops are closed. However the markets are always open and so we decided to walk there. We had done some wash and the sun was out as bright as it can be and so it was a good time to go into the market.
We hadn’t gone too far when we were approached by George who was curious about our visit to Malawi and soon he sold us two bracelets which I really don’t need. At the same time an elderly man worked at convincing us that we would love to have his batik cards. No we really did not need those either but we bought a couple because that is the way it goes. While I am negotiating a man in a shirt and tie approaches Hans and exclaims, “When did you get back?” Hans thinking he should know him tries to make some connections but can’t seem to make them. When the fellow suggests that Hans could help him with some fuel, Hans remembers! The same scam happened to him in Nairobi where he handed over some shillings but not this time! Hey it is all about making a living, honest or not. However I rather buy from the street vendors.
Finally we are on our way again and meet up with the young man who promised us a pineapple which we paid for two days ago but he had run out. He had some really nice ones and he remembered we had already paid for it. Well we would pick it up on the way back along with some avocados that another fellow was selling.
Finally we were off into the market where soccer balls, electrical paraphernalia and vegetables all for sale. So we negotiated for 6 potatoes and 15 meters of strong rope so that we can tie two bicycles on the car’s roof top when we go to Ulongwe on Monday. The bicycles are meant for the two supervisors for the Food for Work project. We go on to the local barbeques and negotiate for one. We however are walking and promise we would come back to pick one up. They are willing to sell us the charcoal too, huge bags for 3500 kw. We find out later that we can buy the charcoal along the road to Chipoka for 500 kw. When we return later in the afternoon we buy the bbq but leave the charcoal, a huge disappointment for them but we figure it is better to buy from the producers and give them a fair price then give the middleman all the profit. This is so difficult here because so many villagers end up selling their goods for such a low price to middlemen who come to buy from them because they cannot reach the markets themselves and do not know what the prices are. Doesn’t this remind you of fair trade coffee? Nothing is simple.
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