Saquasili Market

---

I did make it into school at 7am on Thursday morning for my first ever school trip. 6 other pupils, our respective teachers and myself all headed in a minibus to the "local" (2 hours away!!) Farmers market i.e. Saquasili Market.

I was tired and hungover at first but Im so glad I went. Saquasili market is completely off the beaten track and not designed for tourists at all, which was really refreshing. There were little old women sitting on the floor separating peas from the pods and animals of all varieties protesting against their constrains amid stacks of Alfalfa. Its hard to explain all the hustle and bustle but it was great!

I wouldnt want to be an animal welfare officer in the market as there a bags of puppies on sale, chickens tightly packed on top of each other in crates and squealing pigs lifted onto trucks by any piece of spare flesh going. However, because this way of life is a necessity and people have such a "matter of fact" attitude, it doesnt seem so bad.
We had a great look around the market and I made a couple of purchases ...fruit, woolly hat (the essentials). Then we stopped for lunch in the "food tent" which consists of lots of women and boiling pots with a few benches here and there. I selected a rather handsome looking Guinea pig for my lunch. Thats right I actually consumed Coy!!! It tasted a little like how I imagine the farmyard smell to taste! Wouldnt be my first choice on the menu but for novelty value it was fun and at least I can say Ive eaten it!

The trip home from the market was as eventful as the trip itself. Apparently someone failed to check the radiator for any water before we left. We were not long into our journey when the whole van filled with steam and naturally refused to move. Some of the more enthusiastic group members took it upon them selves to run to the river to collect water to cool the engine, my friends and I opted for the more relaxing option of not moving an inch and getting very drunk on a sugar cane liqueur made, apparently, by women who chew the sugar cane and spit the remainder in to a bowl. The spit helps the Liqueur to ferment and after the third glass the though of drinking someone else's spit became easier to bare! The bus broke down a further 3 times but it was safe to say I couldnt have cared less, there was way to much singing and dancing on board to be had!

---