It was a ‘Bizarre Bazaar’ experience!

If you are living in Mangalore , then there is no chance that you have not heard about the Hampankatta market! You must have heard about the place at least once! Why am I so sure? Because, I remember the first time I heard about the place. While I was moving in to my new hostel in Lighthouse hill, I had lots of stuff to buy, from an alarm clock to curtains, for my new room. The list was endless and I got perplexed when I realized that there wasn’t one thing on that list that I could take out. So, there I was, bearing this big dilemma in my head. The scorching sun did its work by heating up my head (as if it was not heated up already!). 🙂

If you are an urban dweller, then no doubt that all your senses -if you have a sixth sense then that too- will tell you to go straight to the mall. ‘The mall’- the perfect place to search for stuff you want, and has a ninety-nine percent chance of not disappointing you. Little did I had to walk when I saw a stream of people moving towards a narrow street which was bustling with shopkeepers bargaining and shouting out to the people, in order to get their attention. The street was located at the bottom of Lighthouse hill and it’s pretty easy to identify, since all you have to do is ‘follow the biggest crowd’!

The street begins with shops on either side, some sell their goods on cartwheels, some will have just tables filled with watches, headbands, jewelries etc. As you walk down you’ll realize that there are shops within shops, plazas and then a whole separate section for fish, vegetables, poultry etc. The roads are confusing, so there is a chance that you might get lost but since Mangalore city is not that big, you can always find your way back with ease!

I asked one of the shopkeepers the name of the market and he replied,” Ma’am this is Hampankatta market, ma’am! You get EVERYTHING here ma’am!”  Well, he was right because the way I saw it, the crowd was so huge that I figured almost half the population of Mangalore was there! Of course, a lot of stuff you wouldn’t prefer buying from here considering the quality of the products but there are a lot of things you can get from here, which will save you a lot of money! Even more, there are really good shops inside the market from where you can buy quality items which just goes to show that you cannot judge a market buy its appearance. 😉

The fact that you have to walk through the narrow roads which tends to get crowded all the time- especially in the morning at around ten and evening after five ‘o’ clock – plus if it’s raining then yeah, you may not have your best experience here!

This market pretty much does have everything! Whether you’re looking for clothes, sandals, bags, jewelries, house-hold appliances, mobile phones or even fresh vegetables, fish, poultry etc. with which you are planning to cook that yummy dinner for your family, it’s all available here!

Well, that was my bizarre but exciting experience at Hampankatta market! Looking forward to hearing from you!  You can send in your articles, reviews, stories etc. to annie@manipalblog.com or to mlore@manipalblog.com !

Happy blogging! 🙂