Many people find a day at a flea market overwhelming, extremely cluttered, or disorderly. I on the other hand, thrive in all the excitement of outdoor bargain shopping. Saturday June 22, 2008, our day began at 9:00 am for an adventure in one of Lusaka’s most well known craft markets. Paying the low fee of only $2,000 Kwacha (75 cents), I was let loose like a kid in a candy store.
My eyes danced from corner to corner inundated astounding jewelry, wooden sculptures, traditional Zambian clothes and much more.
With no idea what to tackle first, I made the decision to shop for loved ones before I began spoiling myself. After bargaining with a local Zambian artists I purchased two stunning paintings for my mom and sister—and the deals just kept rolling! Twenty minutes and $200,000 Kwacha ($67) later I had purses, earrings, necklaces, leather shoes, four wrap skirts, a dress, and more was still to come.
In a crowd of Africans, Britons, Indians, Chinese and Americans, it was refreshing to run into a fellow LearnServe traveler and peek at all the souvenirs he/she had purchased for family. Many of us were impressed with the amount of talent being showcased and excited we were able to take our favorite chunk of Zambian talent home with us.
With $20,000 Kwacha ($6.50) set aside for lunch, I treated myself to Asian noodles and had great conversation with a couple from the UK. As I was on my way to load the bus, an exquisite traditional Zambian tapestry caught my eye and cleaned me out another $100,000 Kwacha ($33.50). With one more beautiful aspect of Zambian culture under one arm, my day of fun-filled outdoor craft shopping may have come to a close, but my bags full of goodies will last a lifetime!
