We visited the municipal market of Sao Paulo. Located in the city center, the market is has been around for over 85 years. The weather was sunny and bright. I was a good mood and ready to explore the sights! Once I entered, I was astounded at the size. The downstairs housed markets from A to Z and the second floor was filled with food establishments. There were so many sights and smells that it was overwhelming. Every step i took, every corner i turned, I saw something I’d never seen before.
We encountered a fruit salesmen that was very nice and gratuitous . He gave us many samples of exotic fruits and I felt obliged to purchase something. I ended up getting three fruits, a mango, a sweet lemon and something else i don’t know the name. At the time I was a little shocked at the price, but I didn’t know any portuguese so I just went with it. It wasn't until i got back and told my boyfriend about the experience that i realized i was ripped off. I ended up paying 50 USD for three fruits. It seems absurd but it was hard for my brain to grasp the conversion from Reals to Dollars. In the end I understand that tourists are more vulnerable to this type of behavior and take it as a tourist “tax” for the trip.
Afterwords we went to the second floor and ate traditional Brazilian sandwiches. I did not really like the sandwich because it felt like there was way too much meat but others were very happy with their orders and I'm sure there is a sandwich out there for me.
All in all it was a great experience. The market was the biggest market I’d ever seen. This type of market is also very popular in China. Centralized markets are very popular in areas where people cannot travel very far like small and developing towns.
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