The Dutch Reform Market – Lusaka, Zambia

Another month is coming to an end. Time flies… especially around here.

Every Sunday, there is a craft market at a shopping center called Arcades, and every last Saturday of the month, there is a similar, but much bigger market in Kabulonga, less than a 5 min drive from our home. It is Lusaka’s biggest market, where vendors come to sell mostly handmade crafts. There are food and entertainment also, so there is something for everybody.

I find this market very enjoyable, mainly because I get the opportunity to bargain in a bazaar-like environment. Unfortunately, some of the vendors know us already, and therefore there is not much negotiation to be done. However, generally speaking, the following is the “normal” experience:

For anything one wants to buy, the seller dreams up a random number, and says it out loud. Thereafter, the negotiation begins, and after a few times back and forth the parties settle on a price that’s usually much less than a third of the originally quoted price.

I have come to the realization that most everything does have a standard price after all. The key is to offer the price you are willing to pay and to be prepared to walk away. I cannot tell you how often the sellers followed us after we left their area, to offer us the item we wanted at the price we wanted. Once you buy a few items you’ll get a good feel for it, but it takes some “experience”. Of course, that makes tourists very vulnerable to overpaying, but they often feel that they have gotten a “deal” anyway, because they negotiated the price down a little bit. As long as everybody is happy, it’s all good.

After the “shopping” is done, we usually go to the food section of the market. There is a great variety of international foods. Probably the most famous vendor in the market is the “noodle lady”, who reminds me of Seinfeld’s “Soup Nazi”, but I don’t particularly enjoy her noodles. I am a big fan of the Polish family!!! Boereworst (no idea how you spell that) is my favorite. Not only is the meat prepared at home, but they also offer all sorts of homemade sauces.

The market is yet another event that makes our stay in Lusaka very memorable. Here are a few pictures of various parts of the market:

Last minute touches

Hippos are VERY popular!!

My "dream hippos" weigh a LOT!!

The "noodle lady" & associates

My #1.... COOK!!!