Marpusa Market.

We were under the impression that it was Friday so we thought we’d take the bus to Mapusa Friday Market. Mapusa (pronounced “Mapsa”) has a market every day but Friday’s is bigger. In fact, it was only Thursday but we didn’t realise that until we were coming home!

You can flag down a bus anywhere really so we waited under the cool shade of a large Banyan tree until one came along.

The buses can be very dilapidated in general but this one was very ‘posh’. Lots of chrome and seats with quite a bit of padding still intact! It was also quite empty as we left Candolim but that would soon change as the journey progressed.

Safely delivered to Mapusa it was the market we really needed. There are an amazing variety of fruits and vegetables available, all in perfect condition and displayed with pride.

After each sale the displays are rearranged again to present them in the best way.

There’s everything you could possibly want on sale from shoes and clothing to pots and pans, herbs and spices to jewellery. 

The flower shed was a pleasant fragrant paradise where we bought some garlands to decorate the apartment.

Much of the delicate goods like flowers, soaps and sweets are sold under cover and protected from the sun.

We discovered, what looked like black soap, but in fact it was almost pure molasses sugar to be eaten like fudge.

After a tiny sample to taste, of course, we bought some!

There’s a great ‘buzz’ around the place with local people buying their daily requirements.

Dried fish, and lots of it!

The stall holders are very helpful and are quite willing to take you to a stall that you can’t find. After that they take you to their stall – of course!

With a good afternoon’s shopping completed,and then some late lunch in a restaurant (superb vegetable Korma for James!), we returned to the bus station for the journey home.

Our bus was the same one we arrived on earlier – “Mother Mary”, and packed with passengers as it reversed into it’s space on arrival.

The journey home was pretty busy as well!  It was equipped with a good sound system so it was rather like a mobile disco on both journeys.

The bus needed refuelling on the way so we just drove into a fuel station and filled up – not something we’re much used to experiencing in the UK. Anyway, with enough fuel on board we were delivered back home right outside our apartment. 

And this is our apartment building right now. We’re being painted! The buildings have undergone a lot of repairs to correct the ‘concrete cancer’ which blights so many places in India. There’s not a lot of, what you might call, scaffolding! Just bamboo poles tied together which the painters clamber  over to do their work.

We stayed in this complex in Feb this year and we were hoping that, by the time we returned this time, it would all be finished. It should be finished by Christmas we’re told (!) but we really don’t mind.

This is our corner – we’re the bottom apartment with the biggest veranda! With steps directly down to ……….

…….  the lovely swimming pool which is well tended and kept in perfect condition for us (and the other residents of course!). It’ll be lovely when the scaffolding’s gone!