La Dispensa Familiar

---

Directly up 15a Avenida from the Hostal (and not at all in the place given by Rough Guide), La Dispensa Familiar sits hidden behind the busy market of La Democracia. Since I gather Steve is interested, I thought I´d give a little description. There are two guards and a row of lockers just inside the wide door, but inside things are much like a normal small supermarket, except a lot dirtier and more chaotic. I was somewhat surprised to see a man´s full torso sticking out from one of the top shelves - turns out he had climbed up to do the stacking. There´s not much fruit and veg inside, as why would you buy it from a supermarket when you could barter for it in the market? (This is something I´ve not quite had the courage to do yet). Like most non-English supermarkets, it's apparently impossible to buy normal milk (and on my first try, I didn´t get milk at all, but a cold, white drink derived from milk, called Milka, but apparently designed to not taste like milk).

Outside, the market is really the more interesting part. It reminds me a lot of WOMAD or another festival - stalls spread out in the sun with people wandering through them in a fairly relaxed manner. La Democracia seems to be mainly where you go for your clothes, CDs, toiletries etc but yesterday in the Parque Centro America (which is very near the Hostal) there was a market selling hand crafts, and in the street below the Hostal there were blackened bananas and other produce spread woven blankets on the street and presided over by women in cortes. Otherwise in terms of shopping there are lots of little booths selling small bits and pieces and mobile phone credit (I'm with Tigo and they seem pretty good, I have free texts for the month, not that I´ve anything much to do with them). Other houses have signs outside the front door saying 'Se venden tortillas'. These are simply cooked right by the door and look delicious - I may well get one now just before going to meet the people from Nuevos Horizontes for the first time.

---

Comments

[Ros]

getting more familiar
I like the idea of using a familiar dispensary to get supplies. But doorstep tortillas sound even better.