To Market, To Market

So you want to go to the market or the local grocery store and pick up a few items...Well here the process is not so quick and easy.

On Friday we choose to accompany our house help Sarah and go to the big market in Silibwet.
This was going to be an adventure for the children and I. So, armed with our grocery list, we began with a 30 to 40 minute walk along a dusty road in the hot sun. It was one of the warmer mornings that we have had recently, which made for a really hot walk. Not the best start as Little John was already saying the backpack was hot and he had blisters and wanted different shoes, since the last time he went to market with Sarah our house help he had worn his sandals.

Silibwet Friday market.

Okay so I have a list which includes beans, rice, tomatoes, peppers, onions, carrots, sukoma wiki (similar to kale), green onions, lemons, bananas, pears, green onions.

As I walked in the market I realized this may take a bit more time than I originally thought.

Upon our arrival we were greeted with sounds of the matatus and motorcycle beeping at all the people walking along the road.

Looking up one side street with the rows of shacks which are stores for selling, where a myriad of items such as cell phone time, stationary and many other various items were available, I also noticed a few donkeys waiting to be loaded and grazing, which has become a common sight around here. Many animals were found wondering through the market including chickens, dogs bathing in the sun, tattered sheep, and donkeys -things are very different here!

Mom wandering through the market.

The main road consisted of various merchants selling a dynamic range of things from one selling rubber boots, to the other trinkets or pots. We then made our way behind them to further reveal the clothing section of the market. Each merchant had a small section of wood or some other material on which lay the merchandise of pants or tops of colourful fabrics. Rows of pants lay on the “ground”. I am not sure how you would manage to find your size or know if it even fit! We did not spend long in this section with everyone tired and hot we needed to focus on the main purpose which was to get the weekly groceries.

You have to be careful to show limited interest because if you show much interest as they will want you to buy it right away.

Little John waiting in the shade.

This first section in the food area is packed with people selling their beans which the lay on the burlap bags or some such item. Some of the women were shelling peas to be sold.

I have never seen so many beans out in the open in my life. The area is a patchwork of various colourful beans, none of which have any labels on them, oh no, how do I tell them apart? In the end I decide it didn’t matter, I will try a variety. But now who do you buy them from and what price to pay!

Oh how I am thankful that our house help Sarah speaks Kipsigee and knows her way around as she begins weaving in and out of various spots and discusses prices.

The women use an empty tin can and the puts in a couple handfuls into the bag. I hand over the shillings which is not easy with one arms in a sling but that is another matter.

As we are loading a backpack one woman approaches Em, asking if she would like onions that she has in her bag. Sarah tells us they are a good price we purchase some of the better ones. It is a completely different method of selling!

Matatus at the market.

We move on to a different section as I let Sarah lead the way, and we buy tomatoes and peppers.

Then we are off to look for rice now we are down an alley way back to the main street turn left and find one of the ”stores.” This store has many items in his shop rice, creams and many items on the shelf behind him. The store clerk brings a bag of rice, the larger bag is a better deal and will last until I leave, along with a treat for the family in the form of some concentrated juice.

When looking across the street we discovered there were no pears, so we had to do without, the overripe bananas which they were charging 2x as much as last week we decided to pass on. Oh well, you can’t get everything in one trip!

Big Bro waiting in the hot sun.

Eventually we finish and climb into a matatu to return home, avoiding the long trek back with exhausted children, and are crammed in a car built to seat 5, now packed with 10 people, a small number compared to how many they usually carry!

What a fun adventure!

Mom