meat market

We had a practical Spanish class today and went to Sangolqui market. Getting the bus in Ecuador is always an experience. Once again the bus failed to actually stop so we just had to run and jump. I banged my arm when I nearly fell back out again but I just tell myself that it´s all part of living life to the full.

Sangolqui was so busy and loud it was quite over-whelming. The pavements were packed with hundreds of stalls, even the road was used up. The lack of any free space didn´t seem to stop drivers though which made it interesting!

I´m afraid my bartering skills are pretty much none existant so I didn´t even try to negotiate which is fairly pathetic of me I know but I´ll get there...hopefully..one day...maybe.

  In the meantime I still enjoyed myself buying some lovely sunflowers and treating myself to a local biscuit/cake thing called a Melba. Then we walked around a corner and hit the live animal meat market.

 I think it would have taken anyone by surprise but since I´m a vegetarian I think it was an even nastier shock for me. There were hundreds of baby chicks in cages, huge hens tied up in bags and guinea-pigs being roughly passed around. I know the animals are going to be slaughtered and eaten so kindness seems pointless but even so; I found it horrible to see live hens all tied up already, chicks and ducklings squashed in cages and guinea-pigs being badly handled and squeaking madly. I don´t think I can have been the only one who was shaken because after that the other students stopped teasing me about being a veggie or about eating guinea-pigs. Good and bad, being here is certainly an experience!