What it's like to go grocery shopping

 We start off by getting on the mekrolett about two blocks from our house. It cost $0.25 each. It's route takes us almost in front of our first grocery store.

 This is our first stop for grocery shopping. We get most of our produce here. It has the largest selection. Overall the stores here have about one-fifth of the variety and selection then we have in America.

Usually all we can buy these whole chickens. Occasionally we can buy chicken breasts. When we do find those we buy about 6 packages so we have a stock. All we've had for the last three months are these whole chickens. The problem is there is not so much meat and a lot of Bones and waste. They come Frozen from Brazil.

 The challenges is the labeling. Usually you can tell what the product is from are the picture. If there's any mixing or ingredients involved it becomes very difficult.

 We walk inside of the neighbouring mall and visit this grocery store. We pick up whatever produce we couldn't get at the first grocery store. We buy bread and nuts here and whatever other products they happen to have that is not at the other store.

We go across the mall to this new store which is a local produce store. We buy tomatoes, cucumbers and rice here.

Last we go to this grocery store. It is also in the general Mall. We pick up any other produce that they might have. We also buy tuna fish and fruit cocktail here. This store seems more likely to have chicken parts then the other stores.

Here's what it looks like going down one of their Isles. It is pretty narrow. They don't have shopping carts but rather small pull baskets.

When we are done we take a taxi cab home because of all the sacks. If we are lucky we get a Blue Taxi. They are new and air-conditioned. About 70% of the time we get one of the older yellow taxis. A taxi cab ride cost $2 from the store to home. It's about 1 mile.

Grocery shopping is frustrating. There's always things we can't get. Sometimes the stores will be out of eggs or butter or milk for several weeks at a time. Because of this whenever we find a product in stock we always try and buy several weeks worth and then replenish each week.

They only have unrefrigerated boxed milk in this country. It is not tasty. You would not drink it straight. I have not had a glass of fresh milk almost for 2 years.  It's one of the things I long for when I get back to civilization.

We eat way better than the average citizen here. The typical diet for a typical family is rice and vegetables for all three meals. Occasionally they will have some chicken or fish for protein.

One of the things I long to do when I get home is to go grocery shopping. We will probably spend $1,000 on our first trip just because we'll buy everything.