Shopping

A fire at the Mercado Oriental in Managua, Nicaragua, burned more than 60 shops on May 14. No one was seriously injured. 

The large market in the central Ciudad Jardin district is not regulated by any governing body, and stalls and shops are built as needed. Fire officials said they were unable to halt the spread of the fire because shops had been built over or in front of fire hydrants. 

It is estimated that there are 20,000 shops in the market, with more than 100,000 visitors each day. 

An online Polar Boutique store was opened in March by the polar-adventure-travel company Quark Expeditions (Seattle, WA; 888/978-5722, https://shop.quark
expeditions.com). 

The shop sells Arctic clothing as well as T-shirts, caps and small gifts. Among products are the Quark Parka ($350 and previously available only to those on Quark’s trips) and, for men or women, the Polar Gear Package, with base- and mid-layer clothing, waterproof pants, hand warmers, sunscreen and lip balm ($299).

10 days, 9 nights in GUATEMALA, July 24-Aug. 2, 2016. Group, 10 max. Led by weaver and author Karen Searle. Highlights: Visit Antigua family for weaving demonstration/in Quetzaltenango and Salcajá, learn about ikat weavers, dyers and Mayan weaving/hands-on weaving opportunities/visit small towns in Almolonga Valley. $2,075 ppdo. Single supp., $250. Art Workshops in Guatemala (Minneapolis, MN; 612/825-0747, www.artguat.org)

My husband and I have been very blessed to travel to many places. One of the joys we have is bringing home treasures that remind us of our journeys and the people and places we’ve visited.

Over the years, we have found various items we love to collect. For example, we have interesting carpets in a variety of sizes, textures and colors. Some hang on the walls, and some we walk on every day.

We continue to add to our collection of Nativity scenes, which we display at Christmas. 

The free map “Zürich Shopper’s Paradise” covers Zürich, Switzerland, and the nearby towns of Baden, Zug and Winterthur. Suggestions for relaxing breaks are included. Contact Zürich Tourism (phone +41 44 215 40 00, www.zuerich.com). Shipping is free.

Shopping in Europe can be fun, but not if you let it overwhelm your trip. I like to shop smart, spending my time — and money — efficiently. Based on three decades of travel, here are my top tips for shopping in Europe.

Shop in countries where your dollar goes further. Shop in Turkey, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Greece and Eastern Europe, where the dollar is relatively strong. For the price of a doily in Britain, you can get a lace tablecloth in Spain.

Sponsored by the Wing Wah Cake Shop, Tasting Hong Kong (basement level, 478 Nathan Rd., Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; phone [852] 2374 6001, www.tastinghk.com) is a tourist attraction near Kowloon’s Temple Street shopping area.

With its exhibits and cooking demos focusing on local culture and customs, multilingual guides lead food tours. Souvenir shop. Free classes (up to 10 people) in making Chinese-style cakes are offered in multiple languages; book ahead. Open 9:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

Chuck Lynn of Overland Park, Kansas, wrote (Feb. ’14, pg. 15), “For every place my wife and I plan to visit, I always want a printed map. Most tourist bureaus offer PDF maps to download, but I find they are not of much use because my printer prints only sheets measuring 8½"x11" or 8½"x14", and I don’t want to tape a bunch of sheets together. My local FedEx print shop can print a large PDF map, but the cost (is high). Do any of my fellow readers of ITN have a suggestion?”