The Farmer's Market
or La Plaza del Mercado makes a great day trip. It is in Mayagüez. Every city has a farmer market, but on the western side of the island, Mayagüez is the best. Mayaguez is the 5th largest city on the island. In 2010 Central American-Caribbean Games will be held here. There is much construction and preparation, with many roads being remade, and new athletic facilities being constructed.
I lived in New Orleans. When I thought of tropical fruit I thought of bananas, mangoes and pineapples. I didn't know there are many kinds of banana flavors, and mango flavors. The states get fruit that are hardy and won't spoil on the way over. There are many fruit you'll never see in a US market, simply because it's fragile.
In the plaza are many stalls, and each has whatever is in season. This place is a flea market for fruit. Prices vary from one both to the next. I took my son to take photos, and he made an interesting observation: there were no young people. These markets date back to the days when farmers brought their crops in town, and displayed their goods in the plaza, the town center.
I don't see the Plaza on the web, but it's a neat place. It's not large, one floor in a building with all the tropical fruit you can imagine, and tropical fruit you've never seen
