Marketplace Beauty

My friend, Gaby, loves to shop at the open-air market here in Tegucigalpa because the prices are so much cheaper than at the supermarket. But I love the market because it's just like the third-world marketplaces you see on t.v. In fact, every time we're there I half-expect to see a gaggle of Amazing Race contestants breathlessly rushing between stalls with their oversized backpacks standing out among the sweaty young men pulling carts and the little old ladies peddling strings of garlic.

Gaby took Nick and I along for her weekly shopping trip yesterday. This isn't your everyday farmer's market, folks. There aren't words to describe the vibrancy of the colors, the richness of the smells wafting through the air or the sound of the vendors calling out their best deals as we passed by. But Nick did snap a few pictures that managed to capture some the beauty of the marketplace.

 

The tables are a rainbow of every kind of vegetable imaginable.

Citrus fruits are stacked high on tables and in crates.

Nick and I were a little dubious when Gaby explained that colorful peppers were actually how cashews are grown. But, as usual, she knows what she's talking about. Look close at the ends and you'll see the familiar shape of a cashew nut.

  

Beans are staple of the Honduran diet and there's no shortage of them in the market.

Melons cut in fancy designs are meant to entice customers to the fresh produce.

I love this photo of me and my best friend in Honduras!

Field Trip Day

Every kid looks forward to a field trip. And we are no exception! On Friday, our Spanish teacher took us on an outing to a tourist area known as Valle de Angeles. We had extraordinary views, mild weather and plenty to space to walk around and do a little shopping. But by the time we got home, our brains were exhausted from the day of Spanish-only interactions. Still, it was a beautiful day and a wonderful vacation from our normal study routine. Below are some photos we took of our first field trip.

Steve and I with our Spanish teacher, Rosario.

A little tourist restaurant lures in customers with its assortment of pets, including this guy who snuck up on us!

And here are his little friends!

This little one was on a short leash and pretty scared of us when we approached.

Poinsettias aren't just for Christmas here in Honduras. They grow everywhere!

For some reason every tourist shop in Honduras has these roosters (and a lot of them!).

We've only ever seen two squirrels in Honduras and both of them have been pets! This one was in a cage outside a leather shop in the Valle.

Steve and I in the center square of Valle de Angeles.

On the way home, we stopped at one of the many stands along the road so Rosario could buy some flowers for her home.