346 – Manly Market

Time was running out. We had done most of the things in the Sydney area and with only a few days left I was struggling to come up with any new adventures. Also I realised that I’d not sent anything home for my niece’s birthday which had just passed. With that I went in search of a new market and that new market was Manly.

Isla had talked about it before saying that it was one of the better ones but I was surprised when I began wandering through the narrow stalls that I was actually enjoying myself. While not quite the tourist trap of some of the central markets, it did still sell much the same wares, however, the atmosphere was laid back and chilled much like the town. The layout of the sellers made me think of the sort of markets you read about in fantasy novels – akin to an Ali Baba-esque bazaar.

All things sparkly, arty, wearable and decorative were on sale as well as the obligatory junk, the obviously pointless and the downright stupid. But more importantly there was a few bars lining the street which were crammed with customers avoiding the heat of the midday sun. I joined them for a cold beer before heading out into the crows and picking up a funky “Manly Surf Chick” tee-shirt for the little one. There wasn’t a great deal else worth buying with so few days left in the country but I saw plenty of things I’d have been suckered into purchasing if I’d only found this market sooner.