Oriental Market & Naranjita

an email from end of July 2005

Shopping in Nicaragua is always an adventure. Dealing with unfamiliar brands, trying to locate stores that carry what you need, finding a business that understands the concept of inventory, avoiding what is known as the 'blue-eyed discount', communicating with a staff that never seems to understand your rudimentary Spanish; all these are just a part of life here. Yet nothing compares to the shopping experience one can have in the Oriental Market in Managua.

Located north east of the Laguna de Tiscapa, this market is the largest in the country and is said to carry anything and everything one could want. It is also the most dangerous of the markets and extra caution must be exercised when looking for bargains. The size of the market varies depending on who you ask and what you consider to be the market proper. My map shows it to be 12 blocks square and, on average, houses 30 stores or more per block. We've visited a half dozen times or so, but never without a Nica friend and only to a few perimeter areas.

Immediately upon parking in the guarded lot by the El Calvario church, you find yourself in the midst of what can only be called ordered chaos. Folks everywhere, in the middle of the street bargaining, hanging out in front of booths, hawking their wares from wobbly-wheeled carts, lounging in broken lawn chairs watching the crowds, attempting to drive ice cream carts down alleyways barely wide enough for two people, and don't forget the crazy taxis running every which way regardless of signs or pedestrians.

While getting through the crowds may not be daunting for some, avoiding that fella in the crowd whose sole mission is to grab a nice handful as you pass by...well, okay, it's just a bit more than daunting for me at times. But the Oriental is definitely an experience to be had and the bargains and selection one can find are amazing. From RIGID bolt cutters for 140 cords ($8.43) to an upper engine gasket set for 300 ($18.07), from eight Fruit of the Loom, solid-colored Tshirts for 80 cords ($4.82) to shotgun shells at around eighty cents a piece, it's one stop shopping for sure.

My favorite part of the market has to be the 'runners'. Each area is defined by the product sold and runners are an easy way to find exactly what you're looking for without alot of walking. When we ventured into the market on Tuesday, it was to find auto parts. Big Red needed a new thermostat as she's been running a bit hot lately, and our Nica friend needed a transmission seal. A runner approached us and said he could find our parts for 20 cords. It actually took thirty minutes and 40 cords, but walking away with exactly what we needed made it worth it, and I didn't even get groped that time!

Yet all the shopping excitement in the entire market couldn't compare to Roger's enthusiasm in his latest toy, a '92 Russian tractor that I have dubbed 'Naranjita'. Found by word of mouth, Roger checked this baby out before having our friend call on it. After three days and seven phone calls, the guys were able to finally meet with the seller and get an actual price.

With our friend's great negotiating skills, Roger now has a great new toy for $1,400. For that price, yes there's work to be done but nothing serious, and it won't be long until I'm driving her too...maybe!