Hello, I wish you a wonderful day! 🌻
I loved the #MarketFriday initiative by @dswigle, when I saw it recently and it just so happened that I had to go to this place that is very close to my house, to buy a pineapple and some ginger. So I decided to participate.
I live in Havana, Cuba, and that bridge you see there is the one at 100 and Boyeros, the road leading to José Martí airport.
Under the bridge are a lot of small shops, selling everything. If you can't find what you're looking for in the state-run shops and markets, these so-called self-employed people or "merolicos" probably have what you're looking for. It is a kind of black market that survives in the city under the watchful eye of the authorities, who sometimes raid them, but the next day everything remains the same as if nothing had happened.
I was going to buy things from the agro market as I told you at the beginning, that's why I went first to my favourite kiosk in the area.
It is a small establishment and the truth is that they do not put much effort into presenting the products they sell cleanly, although the prices are quite high. Here in Cuba we are seeing frightening levels of inflation, after the situation with Covid-19 and also a very sad shortage.
Even so, this kiosk is acceptably stocked.
I was a little short on time because I wanted to visit some friends, but two or three people were waiting to go in. The manager wouldn't let customers crowd inside. Only two or three could stay there. I decided to wait and I took this picture of what I could see from the door of the market.
An old man with a Panamanian hat got ahead of me in line and I said to him: please, sir, it's my turn to go in, I'm in a hurry. He looked at me in surprise, I think he thought I was lying to him. And before he could articulate a word I reminded him that when he arrived I was taking the picture.
He mumbled something like I was altering the dynamics of the line by doing my will and that I was delaying the others, anyway... I told him to go first. I wasn't going to wait much longer if that happened.
Finally, I went in and besides selecting what I was going to buy, I was taking some pictures to show you here.
I spent 150 CUP on these two things, which is equivalent to 0.91 USD. The minimum wage in the country is 2 100 CUP per month, which today is equivalent to 12.73 USD. It is critical, isn't it?
Once at the cashier's desk, paying, I started talking to the manager and asked her if I could take the photo shown below. Sometimes it can be difficult to use a camera in establishments because they think we are doing journalistic work to denounce price violations or mismanagement. In almost every place there are price violations.
As we left, the old man who was anxious to go in had already paid his bill and was putting in his little bag what he had managed to buy in the grocery store, I imagine, with his scarce bills, because this is a reality that impacts us all.
We talked again and as I was still on the subject of the photos, I asked him if he wanted to be in it. He said no, that he was not photogenic and I kindly replied that he was very handsome and that hat looked great on him.
Selfies are clearly not my thing.
Can you believe we ended up walking together and talking? He showed me a photo of his youth and commented that he had fought in the Sierra Maestra. I confess that I don't like anything that has to do with wars, so this topic did not prosper. Besides, I was short of time.
Notice how his hand is full of dirt, which shows that he got them dirty when selecting the sweet potatoes in his bag.
We joked a bit. I told him that I would write a blog about the experience in the kiosk and he was enthusiastic to read this chronicle later.
Almost ready to capture a ride that would take me close to where my friends live, in Santiago de Las Vegas, near the airport, I continued photographing the small but stacked stores on the bridge of 100 and Boyeros.
That man over there sells the nylon bags for 5 or 10 CUP. These are the bags that are used in state establishments to take home your purchases and they are not sold wholesale anywhere. So, one wonders, where does he get them from to sell them like that?
This passageway under the avenue to cross to the other side is a bit creepy.
Until next time, thanks for the company and for allowing me to share something about my daily life.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) because my native language is Spanish.
Wow!... A lovely post, with excellent photos and very well written, it's like listening to you narrate this!... Good job... A meeting with a veteran of Sierra Maestra, Wow!!!!... And what a photo he has shown you, a whole document!... A pleasant experience... Although I'm terrifed readid about about inflation issues in yur conuntry, because is something that we are also experiencing here in our own live flesh!... What a problem with these, our beautiful countries, which, in order not to be complete, are always in an unbearable economic mess!... Thank you very much for sharing!...
!discovery 35
!PIZZA
Yes, what a problem with these paradises. Because I love my country. I would never want to have to make the decision to leave my home because I feel suffocated by the economic situation. But my friend, it is hard to see that you work and work and I, for example, only want to be able to buy things to work, it is not even possible to have that. Imagine if food is like this, how much is the laptop I need? How many sacrifices to buy a phone... well, I don't want to get cathartic.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your appreciation, you are a reference for me.
💅
Prices are very high 😮💨.... I don't know if I would reach my salary today to buy enough to cover my diet.
Excellent photos thanks for taking us shopping at the market.
I don't even think about it. I have to deprive myself of many basic and essential things, things I need to work, even, but well, I also spend my days trying to change that reality, working with what I have, being creative, or investing what I can for the future.
I hope that someday I can see the fruit of my effort and dedication.
Thank you for taking the time to read and appreciate my work. Best regards.
Las fotos están espectaculares, y la compra fue un éxito, comprar en cualquier mercado particular a estas alturas es una aventura sin igual.
La piña vino perfecta para el pollo asado :oD
Y ayer probé la bebida con el jengibre y la piña.
Oh, la bebida... 😆 sí, satisfactoria. Ayyyy, ese pollo, como me lo recuerdas y me dan ganas de ir otra vez para volver a degustarlo. Fue una experiencia muy significativa, además de la compañía, por supuesto.
🎾
Wow, it is inevitable to feel like you are walking through a Venezuelan market, after seeing those pictures and reading about the inflation problem they have. Excellent publication, I felt part of the tour. One of the things that impressed me the most, was the calculator, because of how old it looks. Greetings.
My friend, we are in the same situation. This situation is worldwide, but our countries are more affected by intrinsic issues. We have to work and avoid complaining, in truth, that leads nowhere. Thank you for your assessment. Best regards. 🐝
Hi, @nanixxx! I am so glad to see your first post here! Welcome to the #MarketFriday community!
Thank you for sharing a day in your life with us! It is so sad to hear that these business people get raided and that they just carry on as if nothing has happened...
I think you handled the situation very well with the old man also wanting to enter the shop. With you remaining calm and friendly, you ended up having a nice conversation with him. That is always a better ending than ending up having arguments and each person leaves angry and frustrated. It takes a strong person to handle situations in the manner that you did!
Have a great day!
Hello, what a pleasure to find you here! Well, I always try to keep my composure because I think there is a lot of stress in the street and people find ways to let off steam that are not necessarily the best. But it was nothing serious, just a misunderstanding I think and in the end, I think we are on the way to being friends. We exchanged our contacts and today we were already talking. I was explaining it to @mipiano, you can read my reply to her comment.
The direction is reversed. They are not entrepreneurs, or business people, they are bandits who take advantage of the shortage situation in the country to buy things in a hoarding manner and then resell them without any consideration, taking more than 600% of their investment. To give you an idea, a bottle of oil that costs less than 60 CUP can sell for 700 CUP.
They do not have a license to do that. They do not work and what they do is line up in state establishments to buy things at normal prices and then make juicy profits, taking advantage of scarcity. There is also corruption and they play games with store managers who provide them with products on a massive scale, leaving many people without access to them at their normal prices.
See you soon, cheers and happy day!
🌿
I am glad that you have made a friend and that you are already talking👍.
I see what you mean about the bandits...yes, now I see the other side of the picture too. Thanks for explaining that to me.
See you soon! Have a great day!
!ALIVE
@nanixxx! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @jacoalberts. (1/10)
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
It seem that traditional markets sell quite a lot of kitchen needs for fruits and ginger,ginger can also be used for kitchen as well as for traditional medicine with turmeric. Thank you.
Oh yes, they are very good for making tea and curing respiratory diseases. I put ginger in everything and I make infusions with guava leaves, ginger, oregano, and turmeric... it doesn't have to be all at once, I make variations.
I also make refreshing drinks like shaking pineapple and grating some ginger. Or cucumber juice with ginger or tomato juice... in short, there are many things that I like.
Have a nice day and thank you very much for your visit.
🌴
Thank you are welcome,
Ese es el puente de 100 y boyeros yo vivo muy cerca de ahí. Conozco muy bien el lugar ahí venden hasta etcétera.😃😃😂😂😅 lindo día para ti un saludo grande
Jai... 😆¡lo menciono sí! por supuesto. Abrazo, ya veo que eres noctámbulo como yo.
Esta variado ese mercado considerando la poca oferta. Las zanahorias más baratas de como las compre hace dos días, así que no está tan mal.
Saludos
Pues ya sabes, vienes a dar un paseo al campo y listo.
🐌
Tu campo o el mío... El viaje hasta allá sale $$$
Que te puedo decir ????
Me siento inflada y no engordo una onza. Me quedo con un jugo de piña y jengibre, leerte y quedar para un café.
❤️❤️❤️❤️
I hope the old man will be able to read one day this blog 😇
What hair he had as young!!
Well, I gave him my number and he called me today. He said he read the post about my sister and asked me if she had crossed the border. There is a lot of concern with the new measures; here the memes about the "sponsors" go on and on. I explained to him that my sister didn't go that way, that she went to study for two years in Mexico.
She told me that she has a mango tree in her yard and that the branches fall on the roof and that soon I will be able to go there to eat mangos. He was doing something about the roots going under the house. And that he felt old enough for that kind of work. We talked about all that. He also told me that the people who left, that is, those who emigrated, were never happy. I think he and I are going to have some interesting conversations.
That's how the rebels were at that time... they had long hair and some of them had a lot of beard. They were called bearded.
🍀
Wow, all that in one conversation with that man? Seems he likes to talk and share his experience and wisdom, which is a good thing.
So your sister emigrated... I wish her a lot of success in the studies and many mangos :))
Mira esto qué bonito y yo lo dejé sin agradecer. 🥹
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You are too critical of your photos. The selfie turned out great, the double portrait and the little story about your walk together was a very interesting addition to the market story!
I always look so bad in photos, that's why I'm a photographer 😆
I like to tell stories and everything happens naturally, I never force anything. That's what I thought when he went home and I went to look for a cab. That without me looking for it I had a nice story to tell.
Thank you very much for sharing some time here, I will visit your blog to see what wonders I find. Are you Russian?
The naturalness of the story, the lack of forcing is exactly what I felt while reading it.
Yes, I am Russian.
Nice photos Nanixxx! I have a nice vibe about that tunnel bridge, It reminds me the times I went to Lenin school by public bus!
You see, I don't like that tunnel one bit. And I try not to go through it at night.
A hug, thank you!
i Understand that It can be a little scary and dangerous at night.
umju... 😑
Nice the passage with the man with the hat 😍
A story, that's the point.
🍬