Thursday, August 15, 2013

Castries Market: St Lucia

Castries Market in the Caribbean island of St. Lucia is bustling with vendors selling local produce, art, craft items, spices, clothing, gifts, and more! 
This is where locals come to shop. Opened in 1894, there are about 300 permanent vendors housed inside buildings, and more who set up outside.  There are even a few small restaurants.

cutting bananas off a tree branch


interesting produce  (The green fruit is probably soursop.   Duni says the pink fruit is jambu fruit.)


We visited on a Saturday, supposedly the liveliest and most vibrant day of the week.  The market is open every day except Sunday.






more interesting produce


I bought some soap and spices such as whole nutmeg with its mace intact, and a block of cocoa.


A favorite drink is fresh coconut juice.  This vendor is slicing the top off a coconut for the customer.


more produce



 a street view



This man watched me taking photos and wanted me to photograph him.  Of course I obliged!  He was quite happy with his portrait!
LINKS:
National Geographic--  Castries Market made the "World's Best Top Ten Food Markets" list at #3! 
a brief history of the market and a few photos 
MAP of Castries, the capital of St. Lucia





Alphabe-Thursday, hosted by Ms Jenny, is so much fun!  This week our letter is "M." Come visit others' submissions HERE and join in the fun! 




photos by me © 2013   all rights reserved
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24 comments:

  1. Abby / LindaAugust 15, 2013 at 1:42 PM

    WOW! What an experience! Great pictures! Feels like being there!

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  2. NatashalhAugust 15, 2013 at 2:11 PM

    It's so cool how things are similar and dissimilar to what I see in Hawaii. Bananas and coconuts are all over here, but those coconuts are actually different from Hawaiian coconuts. There certainly isn't whole nutmeg! That's really neat - I'd love to see that at a market.

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  3. fredamansAugust 15, 2013 at 5:50 PM

    Some groovy finds, like that fruit. Wonder what it tastes like?

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  4. pasqueflowerAugust 15, 2013 at 11:14 PM

    LOVED those market photos! Nothing like that at my local farmer's market!!

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  5. DuniAugust 16, 2013 at 4:42 AM

    Oh, I LOVE these photos! I love the hustle and bustle of these type of markets. I remember those pink fruits from my time in Indonesia. I think they are called jambu fruit :)

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  6. Trina PrenziAugust 16, 2013 at 8:18 AM

    What wonderful photographs!! Thanks so much for sharing, looks like a great experience!!!

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  7. Rose ClearfieldAugust 16, 2013 at 12:57 PM

    What a great tour! I love the wide range of produce. How funny that the man wanted you to take a picture of him. Many people don't like having random strangers photograph them.

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  8. EG CameraGirlAugust 16, 2013 at 2:27 PM

    I very much like seeing where the locals shop. Way more interesting to me than the standard tourist fare. :)

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  9. KathleenAugust 16, 2013 at 8:51 PM

    Great photos! I love how colorful everything is.

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  10. lissaAugust 17, 2013 at 10:54 AM

    interesting fruits though I've never seen them before. thanks for sharing these pics.

    hope you have a great day.

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  11. Memories for LifeAugust 17, 2013 at 4:01 PM

    What interesting produce! I love street vendors like this, such fun experiences!

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  12. LeoviAugust 17, 2013 at 6:26 PM

    Yes, wonderful photos, a nice place, wonderful street market, I like ...!!

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  13. Barbara RosenzweigAugust 17, 2013 at 10:11 PM

    Fabulous market photos full of vibrant colors and action!

    I appreciate your visits and comments! Hope that you will enjoy the progress of my new painting!

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  14. GattinaAugust 18, 2013 at 4:58 AM

    Wished I could see this market life, seems so cheerful and interesting !

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  15. UnknownAugust 18, 2013 at 4:16 PM

    This was a very nice post! Photos are incredibly beautiful. The pink fruit is another type of rose apple. Thanks for the good share.

    Hugs,
    Scudds

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  16. JennyAugust 19, 2013 at 2:21 AM

    You've taken me to a new world. Love the vegetables. xo Jenny

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  17. Personalized Sketches and SentimentsAugust 19, 2013 at 8:45 AM

    Oh! So many wonderful sights to see in this market and I can imagine all the activity bustling around!

    Blessings & Aloha!
    Thank you for visiting too!

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  18. LolaAugust 19, 2013 at 5:40 PM

    Great post - once visited this market myself! Great place (except for smell of Durian fruit!)!

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  19. betty-NZAugust 19, 2013 at 7:46 PM

    That looks like an exciting and busy place. The variety of goods is just amazing!

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  20. Ellen WhyteAugust 19, 2013 at 8:19 PM

    Interesting looking place. Was ti safe and friendly?

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  21. Paige @ Little NostalgiaAugust 21, 2013 at 9:16 AM

    I'm so intrigued by the produce from around the world. I eat a lot of fruits and veggies and I have no idea what most of that stuff is! (Well, bananas I know. Haha.)

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  22. JennyAugust 24, 2013 at 4:30 PM

    This looks like a really cool market...

    Seeing all of the different produce makes me want to mess around with new recipes!

    Marvelous post for the letter "M"...

    Thanks for linking.

    A+

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  23. CatherineAugust 27, 2013 at 7:39 AM

    So many rich colors and vibrant people. I especially love the last one ~ he looks very pleased with himself! LOL!
    xo Catherine

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Your comments make my day! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!

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