Tuesday, July 15, 2008

En La Pulga

I mentioned yesterday in my post on the ride I took on Saturday, that we went to the "Flea Market" in Brownsville, Texas. Flea Markets are big business here in the valley. Almost every town has at least one. Some are open throughout the week, while others, like the Brownsville Flea Market, are open only on weekends. In Spanish, the word for "flea" is "pulga". When my wife was teaching here she would ask the kids where they got a particular item of clothing, and many would answer, "en la pulga." Literally translated, "at the flea." My riding partners, Rudy on the left, and Joe on the right are standing the the first of five long covered cement runways with open air stalls on either side. In the last runway there are some more permanent stalls.
At the end of these runways, open air stalls are set up all around the perimeter of the Market grounds. We were looking for a stall that sold leather goods for motorcycle riders. We found it and looked at all the available gear before moving on. I cannot begin to list the items to be found here.
There were several vendors with great looking fresh fruits and vegetables.

In the section with the permanent stalls, there were vendors selling boots, hats, clothing, plants and a variety of other items. Food vendors were in every runway and the smell of good things cooking made me want to feed the muffin top. I will go back when Bebe can go with me and will take a vehicle suitable for hauling everything she buys.

Honest criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger. Franklin P Jones