Post 91: Our last days in Sucre; The Mercado Central and a ride in a 'collectivo'

Fellow foodies,

"Chorizo, pollo caliente, churrasquira, chorizo!'

That's what you hear from women attempting to lure you to sit at their tables, as you walk through the many, similar 'comida rapida' food stalls of Sucre's Mercado Central serving set dishes for 'almuerzo' (lunch).  We had read that visiting the central market was not to be missed in town. It's also been suggested to go for lunch. After settling in at the B&B we had switched too, we decided we'd do just that.

Upon entering the outdoor square of the market, our eyes gazed upon the fruit juice stands that surrounded us.  Each stand was blue and elevated, topped with varieties of mostly imported fruits.  A woman in a blue smock stood behind the stand to take your order. The only difference in the presentation of each stand was perhaps the display of each menu. On it you could choose something familiar or something exotic, freshly squeezed, mixed or blended with milk or yogurt. Fruit salads or the multivitamico, which consists of a blend of fruits, milk, cereal, cocoa and beer. Parched, Gavin ordered a simple orange juice, while I went with maracuya (passion fruit) con leche (with milk). Both were quite ripe tasting and refreshing.

Entering the indoor market, we passed numerous meat stands. There were many flies buzzing around, and the conditions for the meat looked a bit unsanitary. I'm not sure how thoroughly each stand is sanitized at the end of the day. It's certainly not someplace I'd purchase my meat, but then again I do need to consider that it's likely the meat that we've eaten in restaurants has come from similar conditions.

Nuts, chocolates, pastas, spices, sauces, dried fruits, produce etc...  it's likely you could find it in the Mercado Central. As mentioned before, the woman of the lunch stalls were quite verbal as you passed by them, offering the dishes of the day. We hesitated in the beginning, but after walking through the food didn't look too bad and it was quite cheap. Gavin and I are firm believers in eating as the locals do from time to time, so we took a seat. Our soup was quite good, hot and nutty in flavor. Our main courses however were luke warm and so unsatisfying we couldn't finish the chorizo or chicken with hot sauce. We planned to make dinner in the evening, so upon leaving the stands we bought some produce, pasta, and fruits hoping it'll provide for a few meals.

After some la siesta time back at the inn, we wondered over to Park Bolivar where we picked up some ice cream and popcorn from street vendors and just strolled around. The weather had been lovely in the white city, warm and sunny on most days. We also discussed changing our plans for the remainder of our time in Bolivia, needing to be sure we could get to where we needed to be without the New Year disrupting those plans. It would be necessary to cut our time in Sucre, and to move on to the city of Potosi.

Our last day was yesterday. Most of the day was spent at our inn, but we headed out towards dusk to the Mirador overlooking the city, hoping to catch the sunset and get dinner there. We had some great views, as well as being able to watch an impending storm develop in the distance.  As the storm drew closer, the clouds expanded over the city in the shape of a massive hand.  Occasional lightening would strike far from us as we enjoyed a gourmet dinner and ice cream for about $12 total.

Today we set out for highest city in the world, Potosi.  I was a bit bummed to be leaving a warm climate for the chilly confines that come with high altitude. To our surprise, the morning buses were sold out. Not wanting to wait in the terminal till the afternoon, we looked for a cab service. We didn't find a cab, but we did find a 'collectivo' service for 30Bs each. A tad more expensive than a bus, but still only about $4.50 each.  In the van seated for 6 people, we crowded with about 7 other adults, 1 infant and 1 child for our 3 hour ride to Potosi.  When in Bolivia...!

Tomorrow we will be going into a mountain to visit a mineral mine.  I've been considering just letting Gavin go on his own, as I am a bit claustrophobic. However with much peer pressure, I think I may be joining him. Here's to hoping I don't feel very anxious, and that all goes well during our time in the deep, dark mine.

June y Gavin