Last night I went down to the markets for the first time. They were humming on a Monday night and the atmosphere was lovely, filled with music and the smell of food.
I will undoubtedly return to markets to purchase any outstanding presents, whether I can get them past customs will be another story. There is a wonderful array of traditional products on show and for the most part the markets are colourful, vibrant and enjoyable.
There was one rather large blight however, the live animal markets were extremely confronting and sad. On show for the most part was overstuffed cage after overstuffed cage of birds. Many of which I quickly noted should not have been on sale, including several species of rare parrots.
All the traders had much the same to offer, puppies, baby rabbits, kittens, turtles, chinchillas and coloured chicks. It was was hard to turn a blind eye and accept the markets for what they were. Most of the fluffy animals seemed to be kept appropriately enough, but for the turtles and birds it was a different story.
The turtles were piled into tiny tanks, some five deep in places. I badly wanted to rescue some to come and live with me in the hotel, but I suspect they would be frowned upon and would draw unwanted attention after they mutate and learn ninjitsu.
The birds truly made me sad. I've long had an interest in parrots, their intelligence and their behaviour. To see them kept in such confined quarters and see behavioural characteristics which further demonstrated the stress they were under really broke my heart. It was extremely difficult to look them in the eye and not be able to help.
While I can't rescue all these birds, I can encourage other people to stop the trade. Perhaps have a look at this website and think about making a donation.
I will undoubtedly return to markets to purchase any outstanding presents, whether I can get them past customs will be another story. There is a wonderful array of traditional products on show and for the most part the markets are colourful, vibrant and enjoyable.
There was one rather large blight however, the live animal markets were extremely confronting and sad. On show for the most part was overstuffed cage after overstuffed cage of birds. Many of which I quickly noted should not have been on sale, including several species of rare parrots.
All the traders had much the same to offer, puppies, baby rabbits, kittens, turtles, chinchillas and coloured chicks. It was was hard to turn a blind eye and accept the markets for what they were. Most of the fluffy animals seemed to be kept appropriately enough, but for the turtles and birds it was a different story.
The turtles were piled into tiny tanks, some five deep in places. I badly wanted to rescue some to come and live with me in the hotel, but I suspect they would be frowned upon and would draw unwanted attention after they mutate and learn ninjitsu.
The birds truly made me sad. I've long had an interest in parrots, their intelligence and their behaviour. To see them kept in such confined quarters and see behavioural characteristics which further demonstrated the stress they were under really broke my heart. It was extremely difficult to look them in the eye and not be able to help.
While I can't rescue all these birds, I can encourage other people to stop the trade. Perhaps have a look at this website and think about making a donation.
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