OLD CITY
Again we went grocery shopping, this time to the vegetable market which was in the old city. The downtown markets are traditional Mexico with a warren of small shops, often just narrow booths, with everything for sale.
Much of what is for sale is made by hand and is brightly colored almost to the point of being garish. This is more how I, in my ignorance, expected all Mexico to be.
Among the vegetable stalls and souvenir shops and stores selling practical goods were small meal counters where customers sat on stools and ate off the counter. I didn’t price anything, but this must be where ordinary Mexicans eat out, certainly much less expensive than the fine dining restaurants where Martha I have eaten. So when I am on my own I will have cheaper options. But I am only here a month and want to try everything out.
After shopping at a small grocery stand Martha, again with two huge sacks of vegetables, took me to Cafe Santa Ana which is in a huge building which also houses the bibliotheca or town library.
The courtyard restaurant among small trees covered with a cloth cover to keep ou the birds was filled with expats.
The food was terrific. Then we went through the library around a large courtyard, again protected by a cloth covering. It is a very inviting place with a used bookstore and craft shop under an brightly colored meural painted ceiling. In one corner was a booth where you could buy tickets for a number of tours to tourist attractions.
Outside we took a taxi back to our rented house where I napped while Martha cooked a meal for her three helpers —Caitlin, Bevi and Lucy—who were arriving from the Asheville area at 7 p.m..
BILLYBABA’S WANDERING 