El Mercado!

Like most less than perfect events while traveling, the sitting-on-the-curb-in-a-deserted-parking-lot-in-a-neighborhood-that-we-still-didn't-know-the-name-of event had been largely forgotten by the time we'd had a good night's sleep. Just another travel story really. And then a big surprise! Our host was going to the market to buy the ingredients for Ceviche, and we were invited to lunch! The only thing that could have made this better was the chance to tag along to the market. And when I asked, she agreed that we could go with her. So off to el mercado municipal! And what a market! I kept poking Gene: look at all that beautiful fish! Look how big that one is! Look at all those different kinds of potatoes! Look! Those beautiful strawberries are only 2 soles per kilo (60 US cents for 2.2 pounds)! The variety of fish and vegetables was amazing! And the low prices were astounding. So after an hour of chasing around trying to keep up with our host as she raced through the market examining various things, rejecting some items which looked great to me but apparently weren't up to her standards, we were off to the house to prepare the ceviche.
But first: the taxi ride. Although we had taken the Combi (mini bus) to the market, we were to take a taxi back to the house with our purchases. Watching Gene try to fold himself into this little bitty car was enough entertainment for one day!