Adventures in Shopping
The rain continued throughout the morning yesterday and finally cleared around noon. Jean and I had been intending to do a bit of shopping as supplies were low but time was getting tight considering the siesta time starts around 2pm. I decided to try out one of the bikes parked on the side of the villa. There were two to choose from but they looked about the same. Both had rusted seat posts preventing me from raising them at all. The tires were inflated and the brakes seemed to be in working order which was good considering the the declines I would be traversing in the 3-4km to Katelios and back again.
With my empty rucksack I headed out. The hill from the volunteer villa to the center of Ratzkali is a pretty good grade somewhere in the the 20-30° neighborhood. It's kind of like trying to cycle up Enchanted Rock. I quickly discovered that the gear shifting ability of my steed was lackluster. I made it about 100 meters up the hill and had to walk it the next 100 meters to where the road leveled off. From there it was easy going with manageable grades and a nice kilometer long downhill around several switchbacks into Katelios. I also noted the bike suffered from some alignment issues that caused it to drift into traffic.
All total it took me 15 minutes to get to the Environmental Center. I peddled past on to the market Bree had pointed out the day before. It was a small building with a covered area out front. Outside were overpriced flip flops and various beach accoutrements.
I strolled into the building and said, “Yassis” to the bored looking young man behind the counter. Then I took stock of the market. It consisted of two aisles. I was immediately disheartened peering over at the fruit and vegetable bins. Brown spotted lettuce, abused granny smith apples, anemic tomatoes, shrunken peppers and strangely no onions. The produce looked like it had been transported on the slow boat from Borneo and then knocked around a bit for good measure. The tourists who trickled in while I struggled making kilogram to pound and euro to dollar conversions in my head didn't seemed overly concerned as they appeared to gravitate toward the plentiful chip and beer selection.
I turned from the produce and my spirits rose as I caught sight of the kitchen of the cleaning supplies. Tea towels, sponges, wash cloths, laundry detergent and dish soap! Now the body wash could return to its rightful place in the bathroom. I also picked up some butter, hummus, oil, a variety of pastas, rice and other dry and canned goods. As it appeared spaghetti would be a common theme in the evening meal preparation I found the dearth of onions and garlic troubling.
I ventured back the ten feet to the produce section. Onions had still not materialized. My hand basket was near overflowing but I thought a little fresh fruit and veg would be good. I decided on some passable red apples and tomatoes. At the register I loaded everything into my backpack and peddled off.
I ducked into the Environmental Center. Abigail and Joaquin were on the playground. Matt and Yvette were inside. I chatted with them a bit and brought up the quality of produce and the lack of onions.
“Oh, yeah the fruit and veg there are rubbish,” Yvette said. She directed me to a couple of shops just down the road near the sea. As it was 1:30 and closing time for the center I bid them adieu and peddled on.
I came to the first shop and didn't find any onions but did get some stamps. The other shop was a stone's throw away and had a small selection of onions and garlic. I purchased some and a couple of postcards and put them in the top of my bulging rucksack.
The sun had burned through the clouds and the day was now quite warm. I strained up the winding road I had coasted down so easily an hour ago. I met Jean a third of the way from the top. She had decided to take advantage of the sun to go for a stroll. I told her all about all my food purchases and she was true-to-character thrilled.
With my empty rucksack I headed out. The hill from the volunteer villa to the center of Ratzkali is a pretty good grade somewhere in the the 20-30° neighborhood. It's kind of like trying to cycle up Enchanted Rock. I quickly discovered that the gear shifting ability of my steed was lackluster. I made it about 100 meters up the hill and had to walk it the next 100 meters to where the road leveled off. From there it was easy going with manageable grades and a nice kilometer long downhill around several switchbacks into Katelios. I also noted the bike suffered from some alignment issues that caused it to drift into traffic.
All total it took me 15 minutes to get to the Environmental Center. I peddled past on to the market Bree had pointed out the day before. It was a small building with a covered area out front. Outside were overpriced flip flops and various beach accoutrements.
I strolled into the building and said, “Yassis” to the bored looking young man behind the counter. Then I took stock of the market. It consisted of two aisles. I was immediately disheartened peering over at the fruit and vegetable bins. Brown spotted lettuce, abused granny smith apples, anemic tomatoes, shrunken peppers and strangely no onions. The produce looked like it had been transported on the slow boat from Borneo and then knocked around a bit for good measure. The tourists who trickled in while I struggled making kilogram to pound and euro to dollar conversions in my head didn't seemed overly concerned as they appeared to gravitate toward the plentiful chip and beer selection.
I turned from the produce and my spirits rose as I caught sight of the kitchen of the cleaning supplies. Tea towels, sponges, wash cloths, laundry detergent and dish soap! Now the body wash could return to its rightful place in the bathroom. I also picked up some butter, hummus, oil, a variety of pastas, rice and other dry and canned goods. As it appeared spaghetti would be a common theme in the evening meal preparation I found the dearth of onions and garlic troubling.
I ventured back the ten feet to the produce section. Onions had still not materialized. My hand basket was near overflowing but I thought a little fresh fruit and veg would be good. I decided on some passable red apples and tomatoes. At the register I loaded everything into my backpack and peddled off.
I ducked into the Environmental Center. Abigail and Joaquin were on the playground. Matt and Yvette were inside. I chatted with them a bit and brought up the quality of produce and the lack of onions.
“Oh, yeah the fruit and veg there are rubbish,” Yvette said. She directed me to a couple of shops just down the road near the sea. As it was 1:30 and closing time for the center I bid them adieu and peddled on.
I came to the first shop and didn't find any onions but did get some stamps. The other shop was a stone's throw away and had a small selection of onions and garlic. I purchased some and a couple of postcards and put them in the top of my bulging rucksack.
The sun had burned through the clouds and the day was now quite warm. I strained up the winding road I had coasted down so easily an hour ago. I met Jean a third of the way from the top. She had decided to take advantage of the sun to go for a stroll. I told her all about all my food purchases and she was true-to-character thrilled.
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