Saturday is Market Day in Antigua. We found ourselves with a wealth of dinner ingredients, much of it grown in “The Valley” here on the island. We brought home: breadfruit (you cut it in chunks, peel it and boil it add salt and butter; I think it tastes a bit like potatoes with a bit of artichoke flavor thrown in, yumm), bok choy (surprisingly very common in the Eastern Caribbean), sugarcane and mint (for mojitos) tomatoes and fresh basil (for tonight’s salad). And, for tomorrow’s breakfast, we got golden sugar pineapples.

I also found a Mata Mata shirt. It’s an orange v-neck stretchy t-shirt with a mata mata - an Arawak turtle symbol - on it. The turtle is said to be a female symbol of the “carrier of the sun as it moves across the sky. The Mata Mata slows down the day.” Turtle is my Native American totem, so I was quite pleased to find it. And, I can always use the reminder to slow down and be truly present.

Dennis did a great job of driving on the left side and not hitting anyone :) to and from the market. On the way home he drove us through The Valley past pineapple groves, then to the coast past a few scenic beaches and overlooks, finally we crossed over a hill on “Fig Tree Drive” with more scenic countryside and farm stands.

Looking forward to dinner tonight and our homemade mojitos with real sugar cane and Antiguan rum!