this morning i was introduced to an interesting facet of domincan life: i went to the bank in elias pina (about 45 minutes away on the haitian border) to get the bank accounts straightened out so i can sign checks...) and afterwards decided i needed to buy some boots for riding the moto. so, three young men from the parish and i ventured deep into the haitian/dominican market. this is no small market - it covers about 10 blocks - all of which is covered by tarps, some 8 feet high, others 6 feet high, still others only 4.5 feet high. i had sent the boys looking for boots while i was in the bank so we didn't have to scour the entire market, but to no avail, for there is no real order under the make-shift tent city. you can buy just about anything: cooked foods, dry food, rice, beans, lemons, beer, tobacco, cassette tapes, toothpaste, shoes, clothes, underwear, belts - just about anything under the sun.
so there we were, looking through piles of boots and shoes and finally we found some that looked good. i tried them on, no good - too big. so we sloughed our way through some more and kept looking. i realized at one point that the boots all seemed to be slightly used. the soles appeared new, but the insides appeared somewhat worn. it took me a few minutes to come to grips with the fact that i was trying on used boots from haiti, but i finally got over it and picked a pair - the guy saw a gringo and asked for 350 pesos (about 12 bucks). i called him a thief. he shrugged and i said, "let's go." we moped around some more, by this time we were all hot and hungry, and couldn't find any more. so, i said to myself, "what the heck, 12 bucks is nothing" and we went back. this time i took the initiative and told him i only had 250 pesos - take it or leave it. he took it, complaining that i was making him a pauper.
so, i am now the owner of a slightly used, 9 dollar pair of dominican military boots. life is good.
so there we were, looking through piles of boots and shoes and finally we found some that looked good. i tried them on, no good - too big. so we sloughed our way through some more and kept looking. i realized at one point that the boots all seemed to be slightly used. the soles appeared new, but the insides appeared somewhat worn. it took me a few minutes to come to grips with the fact that i was trying on used boots from haiti, but i finally got over it and picked a pair - the guy saw a gringo and asked for 350 pesos (about 12 bucks). i called him a thief. he shrugged and i said, "let's go." we moped around some more, by this time we were all hot and hungry, and couldn't find any more. so, i said to myself, "what the heck, 12 bucks is nothing" and we went back. this time i took the initiative and told him i only had 250 pesos - take it or leave it. he took it, complaining that i was making him a pauper.
so, i am now the owner of a slightly used, 9 dollar pair of dominican military boots. life is good.
