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Street scenes in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Street vendor, Addis Ababa
By way of contrast with the photos I posted yesterday, today I have shown some scenes of the shops and buildings of some of the ordinary people living in the bustling city of Addis Ababa. There are thousands of street vendors like the one shown above, selling everything from fruit and vegetables to clothing to shoes to whatever you want.
Shops in suburban Addis Ababa
Many of the shops are tiny – perhaps only a few square metres in the front room of a house. Bakeries, butcher shops, furniture shops, car repair garages, cafes, clothing shops, sheep and goats for sale, shoe shops – the list could go on and on. In any one street you can find thousands of different items for sale. It’s all very colourful and diverse with pedestrians moving along the street – or on the road – all the time.
One interesting thing we observed in moving through the streets and looking into shops; they are generally very clean. The street may be rough with potholes, drains, animal excrement and the like, but most shopkeepers take a pride in their shops and the wares they are selling. Even in the poorest areas they attempt to give good service and a good product.
Shops in suburban Addis Ababa
Shops in suburban Addis Ababa
Shops in suburban Addis Ababa
Some views of the Sydney Fish Markets
Sydney Fish Markets
The Sydney Fish Markets was one of the interesting places we went during our holiday in Sydney last year. This is an amazing place to visit. Everywhere there are food outlets, from fast foods through to full restaurants. Everywhere people a bustling along shoulder to shoulder vying for position. Some of the more popular vendors are shown by the length of the lineup of people snaking from their premises. Everywhere is the smell of fresh fish – or cooking seafood. The noise when we were there was probably a little higher than normal as it was school holiday time and there were a lot of children around.
Sydney Fish Markets
Sydney Fish Markets
Queen Victoria Building, Sydney
Queen Victoria Building, Sydney
On our holiday in Sydney late last year our son suggested that we have a look at the Queen Victoria Building in the city. This historic building contains dozens of interesting specialty shops. I was more interested in the building, the beautiful architecture and the wonderful ambiance of the whole building. Not many shopping centres present in this way, especially modern buildings.
Queen Victoria Building, Sydney
After a very pleasant time in this building and its interesting shops, we found a nearby food mall. Sure it was like feeding time at the zoo with every man and his family trying to find a table to use.
Admittedly we were rather optimistic seeing it was between Christmas and New Year. Actually we didn’t have all that much trouble finding a table for four which was surprising. I had a large plate of delicious pasta which more than made up for the crowded conditions.
I’ve included several more photos of the Queen Victoria Building below. Click on the photos to enlarge the image.
For more information click here.
Leadlight windows, Queen Victoria Building, Sydney
World Clock, Queen Victoria Building, Sydney
Detail, floor tiles, Queen Victoria Building, Sydney
Street stalls in Kathmandu
Street scene in Kathmandu Nepal
It is really quite amazing what you can buy from the street vendors in a city like Kathmandu. The variety is staggering. The noise is constant. The movement of people is never ending. The smells are something you can only experience first hand. And the colours are magical.
In this photo I have shown the very colourful wreaths that were for sale everywhere, especially near temples like this one. I should have asked someone there about the religious significance of them, if that is what they are for. Perhaps readers of this blog can enlighten me by leaving a comment.
Fair Trade Handicraft shops of Kathmandu
Temples seemed to be on every corner of every street in central Kathmandu. These vary from small structures only a few square metres in size through to very large buildings. This was one of the modestly sized ones.
Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal
If you click on the photo you will get an enlarged version. This will show up the sign in front of the temple which reads “Cottage Handicrafts Exhibition and Sales.” I didn’t visit this one but I did go to several others in different parts of the city. These are generally cooperatives selling handicrafts produced locally with a “fair trade” policy. I felt pleased to patronize several of these as the profits were going directly to local women in need. I’ll write more about that in another article.