Port Louis Central Market Mauritius

The best way to describe the Port Louis market is as an area of great hustle and bustle. Everything can be found in there from vegetables to meat to clothes. It is well represented in terms of the Mauritian population with Indians, Chinese and Africans going about their business. During the holiday times in December it is practically impossible to walk around because of the number of people hovering about but the beauty of the market is that it has a festive atmosphere all year long. The market place itself is huge and is divided mainly into the vegetable and fruit section, the meat section and the artisanal section. Renovated completely in 2004, the fruit and vegetable section is a modern building spread over two storeys. The first floor is an open space with numerous vendors yelling their lungs out about their produce: carrots, tomatoes, onions, chillies, oranges, apples, coconuts and so many more and spraying them with water occasionally to make them look fresh and appealing. There is also a snack area where all sorts of Mauritian foodstuff are sold from the common dhal puri (Indian dhal based pancake with the typical Mauritian curries of butter beans, tomato rougaille and chillies) to chicken sandwiches, fresh bread, tea, coffee and the typical Mauritian alouda (a drink of chilled milk, syrup, ice cream and jelly). People can thus enjoy a quick snack standing near the stalls or on the upper floor where there is a food court for the ease of people. An automatic staircase also leads people to the first floor where an amalgam of items can be seen. The artisanal section is found on the opposite side of the main building with a front view of people selling pulses, rice, dried sea foods, religious materials (incense sticks, camphor), medicinal herbs, lotteries and even birds (mostly pigeons). Inside this market the scenery changes from food material to Vacoa based baskets, purses, bags, shirts, dresses, bed sheets etc. The meat market speaks for itself and is difficult to miss with the pungent smell of meat coming from it. Though the building is old fashioned it is quite amazing to see beef sides, poultry hanging from ropes and the vendors trying to lure people into buying their products. People can be seen chopping their meat, measuring their products on old fashioned scales and wrapping the items in newspapers for their buyers. There is a warm atmosphere all around with the constant chatting of the people. The road that separates the meat market from the vegetable and artisanal one is always packed with other merchants. Every single thing you can think of can be found around there. Mauritians enjoy doing their weekly shopping at the market place during the weekend which remains busy and crowded all day long. If not for shopping, the central market is a great place to get a taste of the Mauritian trading but be always on your guard for pick pockets!