Flea market on a rainy day

Howdy? Recently, I took a trip to the grocery & convenience market, which oyibo would call a flea market or farmers market. It's where most of the city shops foodstuff. As a child helping out at home, I dreaded going to the market especially on weekends. It was usually over packed with shoppers mostly civil servants and other workers who took the weekend off to do the week's shopping. We call the market Ahia Ohuru or New Market in South East, Nigeria. It's a place for the bargain shopper. A long time ago, a signpost of the market read AHIA OHU, which would translate as Slave Market or even Seer Market. Well, depending on how you would like to speak your own Igbo.

Kpakashaka usually sourced from Gboko or Jos

 I went out to Ahia Ohuru to get something that stores in my immediate vicinity didn't sell or wouldn't buy to sell. It was raining kinda like the usual morning drizzle of a rainy season day. Ahia Ohuru is known for many things including pick pocket, well there would be such everywhere. It's not advisable for heavily pregnant women to go shopping there on the weekend. Some unfortunate ones have collapsed there one time too many. I found the market unbelievably filthy. Well, it's usually this way during the rains, like spring in Boston, Massachusetts. No resident of the city is surprised at this statement. My feet (pictured below) are a testament to it. Thankfully, I found my item of quest and went home.

My dirty feet

But before I left, I took some pictures of note. Here are some things I usually would buy from the market. Truth be told, I LOVE AHIA OHURU. Lol! It's a delight when you have the delight and stamina to withstand the push and pull, which you need to learn in school; would you believe that?

Some tomatoes, Ngwa pepper and kpakashaka (I learnt the name recently) 

Barrow pusher, they are of tremendous help in the market, helping women to carry their groceries and wares

Enyimba Sports Stadium, Aba gate (below)

Up Enyimba!

Tatashe pepper (bell pepper)

Ngwa (local) pepper, usually very hot & spicy (below)

Some pepper, kpakashaka,  Ngwa pepper and danjarawa

Curry!! Now, is this a curry post? Haha!

Pepper, tomatoes and meat (beef)

Plantain (yummy)

Curry leaves, green leaves and plantain.

Like I said, it was raining....

  

Catch a raindrop