There is nothing quaint or attractive about the working town of Mumcular. Before the coastal road arrived, it was the last town before the small fishing village of Bodrum and it specialised in providing bread, honey, cotton and car mechanics. When I moved to a nearby village in 1992, Mumcular still had a thriving reputation for car repairs but Bodrum had grown up enough to look after itself and Mumcular had reverted to being the backwater. But a new reservoir provided much needed irrigation water and land started to rise in price as small farms growing vines and vegetables began to appear. In the past ten years, Bodrum has grown and grown and demanded more and more public sector workers, but hasn't built anywhere affordable for them to live so Mumcular has become the favoured place for teachers, firemen, policemen etc to settle. It's only 30 minutes from Bodrum and minibuses are inexpensive and frequent. Spacious flats have been built that don't come with inflated Bodrum rents. Gradually Mumcular has grown and the one pide oven and one canteen restaurant have multiplied and now Mumcular can boast a "night life".
Throughout all the changes, the one steady regular has been the Sunday street market. It starts early and is finished by lunchtime. It's crowded and haphazard and you are likely to trip over a misplaced tent pole or a chicken on a bid for freedom. Cars aren't meant to drive through it but many will try and chaos will reign for a few minutes. Occasionally, tourists turn up to enjoy the informality but most shoppers come from the surrounding villages. It hasn't changed in the 20 plus years that it's been my local market, but if you'd like to experience one of the few remaining street markets in this area you'd better move fast because there are only a few Sundays left.
The new covered market is scheduled to open in early March and the days of flapping sunshades and mismatched tables and chairs will be no more. The items on sale will be exactly the same but the fun will be gone.
Posts
