Hunting in Saara.

The Saara market is a fascinating place. I always loved markets and even-though this one is clearly not the most spectacular I've been in, it has a genuine spirit, a truthful heart and all the right sounds.

Planted right in the middle of the city, the old market of the Arab and Jewish immigrants has sustained itself nicely over the decades. And it has kept much of its character too. As expected you can get almost anything here. The Carnaval decorations and costumes, football paraphernalia, cosmetics, jewelry and clothes, knick-knacks and souvenirs, art shops and the tasty Suco corners are filling most of the streets around it's 8-10 block area. But the real fun is in the self-replicating and condensed center, where electronics, music and the rest are.

The vendors are funny and loud, the shoppers busy and quick, the smells confusing but the sounds your compass, the ground deceptive. And now, imagine all this in the frantic W.Cup fever! Oh boy, this is crazy! And yellow, very very yellow, with fireworks being tested around you and money changing hands invisibly over a beer and a laugh. A funky urban jungle!