Anyone hungry?

Meet Nanda, and her cute daughter, Aliena.

I think you met them once before when I took you for a tour through their flooded house.

Nanda sells spices in the big New Amsterdam market place and helps me pick out my produce when I come in to shop. She has been a member of the church 3 years. That is a long time for around these parts. The church has only been in this part of Guyana 8 1/2 years.

This market place is in a big old building in the middle of our little town. It is has the best selection of every kind of produce available here. It is pretty much the center of the activity in New Amsterdam.

Check out all the cute gals that are selling their fresh greens and stuff.

I bring dad along to carry my heavy bags that are full of pineapples, bananas and etc. to the car. See how the work out is developing his rippling muscles?

Who is that hiding behind this counter full of mangos?

When I walk by these ladies, they always ask, "Are you shopping?" Anyone for a banana?

At the back part of the building is where the ladies sell the fish. It is a little different than I'm used to and I haven't quite gotten the courage to try any of it as of yet. Maybe that will change before our 2 years is up!

She is measuring off the portions carefully so she can take a big whack with that big knife.

What more can I say?

Here are the chickens. They love the feet around here. They make some kind of soup that they all go crazy over. We haven't tried it yet.

There are other places we shop. This is Donna's stand...just down the street from our apartment.

She doesn't have the selection of the big market place, but just check out her big smile. She always has a big hug for me when I come a-shopping to her stand. And, she saves her best for me and Sister Larsen.

She gets up at 2:30 am every morning and travels to buy her produce from the fields. When she returns from the fields, she sets out her produce and sells it all day for 12 hours until way after dark. There is a hammock behind her stand and I've caught her sleeping on the job!

Down the road about 30 minutes is another booming little town, Rose Hall. Their long, spread out marketplace is up and down the highway on Saturdays.

There are always a lot of hazards in getting to this market of which I'll show you a few.

Animals on the road........ (and remember we're in our car facing them),

Cars travelling in a helter skelter fashion.... bikers and pedestrians darting in and around from both sides,

Donkey carts.....do you suppose they are trying to move?

And more donkey carts.

And of course, there are always some big fat pigs making their way through the stands to munch on all the garbage that is everywhere on the ground. Sorry, no pig photo this time around!

I'll end this post with three random photos:

Some choice beachfront property.

Four adorable ladies I met on the street all decked out for church...I think!

And a typical view of Guyana as we drive down the coast.