Thursday in La Penita means market day. It runs from 7 AM till 2 PM. Most of the artisans are in the town square in front of the church. We went at 9 this morning to try to escape the heat. Most people get there around 10 and as I mentioned previously, restaurants are open to try to catch the brunch crowd. We were more interested in some of the finer jewellry from the craftsmen and craftswomen in the area, not the commercially made stuff thats sold on the beach. We found a beautiful piece made by a Chilean artist , Angelo, and negotiated what we felt was a fair price for it. Helene is very happy with it. I had actually seen the artist 2 weeks ago and thought that she would like this one. I'll put a shot of it later.
Since we're both much darker than 3 weeks ago, the vendors aren't as persistent and we're much more comfortable looking at their wares. You can sure notice the newbies because they're not used to the heat. One couple was looking for a Mexican mirror, so we helped them find a store that we knew of to get that. We're sort of feeling like locals now when we talk to the tourists. Its sort of nice to say that we '' live up the hill'' and that '' we're here for 2 months'' when they ask. We know we're very fortunate to be here at this point. When you have the opportunity to do something different like this, you have to do it. I think that the worst thing to happen is to think " I wish I had done this" or " I wish that I would have done that" , and you're too old or ill to do it. Take the opportunity when you can. That was the advice I gave a colleague who is retiring at the end of the semester.
Other than the square , there is a few streets that are full of booths, almost like a flea-market. Anyone can be a vendor. You can purchase from the wholesalers in Tonala , a huge market that people come to from everywhere. Its about 4-5 hours away. So the vendors buy very cheaply in Tonala, ( for maybe 10-20% of what they will sell for here) and then they travel the market circuit in the area. Thats why you can bargain with them. The trick is to distinguish between the crap and the original works by the artists. We've been here for over 3 weeks and have only made a total of 2 purchases, other than food and supplies. There is a lot to see, but you can only have so many glasses , t-shirts, rings, etc.
One of our neighbours who rides his horse into town from higher up the mountain. You can hear clip-clop on the cobblestone streets regularly. Its easier to ride a horse up our street than drive a car. The taxis get very creative with their driving. This gentleman is an example of how friendly and authentic the locals are. This is why we love La Penita.
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