We realize that our time here is becoming very short and we haven't shared too much about what everyday life looks like. So here we are to share with you the place that has been our home for the last 3 months!
This is our apartment building. Our apartment is windows 3 and 4 (from the left) on the second floor. Notice they are the only OPEN windows.
This is the infamous manhole. Or womanhole as we call it.
Notice the lid perched precariously on edge. That's how it tricks people into falling in.
Now on to the market. This is our favourite lady at the market. She's always really friendly when we come by unlike some of the other people. We usually choose who to buy from based on friendliness!
There are billions of booths selling the same things for the same price everywhere you turn. There is a food section, a clothing/housewares section, a hardware section, sections we haven't even seen or heard about!
This is salo a.k.a raw pig fat. It's loved by many Ukrainians and they're all shocked we haven't tried it yet and we just keep hoping they forget to bring us some! Although we did have some one time when we didn't even realize it, on baked potatoes...but then it was cooked and it just had a smoky bacon flavour.
There are tons of booths selling fruit and it's amazing to see how the prices vary with the season. When strawberry season first started at the middle of May, they were 100 greeven for 1 kg (about $13 US). I bought some yesterday for 20 greeven (about 2.50 US).
The area of the market that we most try to avoid is the fish section. Although some genius put it smack dab in the middle, right between the clothes and the rest of the food so it's unavoidable. On hot days (which are every day lately) we take a deep breath and run past. I feel sorry for the people who have to smell that all day!
And last but not least this is the clothing/housewares section of the market. It's really fun to browse through all the stuff and it's not uncommon to see someone trying on clothes out in the open. Awkward. This is a typical abandoned building. There are many like this everywhere you go.
And that's the end of our tour. Hope you enjoyed the experience!
2 comments:
Yay! I like those kinds of pictures. The fruit all looks really nice. The pig fat...not so much. For your sake, I hope they forget to make you try some too.
That open market looks similar to the ones here, only the fish area is the dominant section. True story; when I first went to the city I went to the biggest open market, which is massive and I somehow wandered into the fish section. I guess I was drawn in by the weird creatures that they consider food and before I knew it, I was lost in a maze of the most awful smells I've ever experienced. Just to let you know; I got out!
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