More than just fish, the market also has a bottle shop, bakery, fruit and vegetable market, deli and gift shop.

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Expats looking to get close to this authentic vibe should live near one of the many plazas where fruit vendors set up shop and locals gather for conversations, such as the Plaza de la Aduana, the oldest in the city, or the Plaza de los Coches, known for its balconied houses with colonial arches.

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Yet it is home to a roadside stand serving organic fruit and vegetables, a health-food shop packed with nutritious grains and a superstore that University of Washington researchers found attracts flocks of shoppers from well outside the desert.

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There are two small, inexpensive restaurants, a fruit stand selling ice cold coconuts and a surf shop a five-minute stroll from the beach.

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Also of note: an ambitious onsite bakery (complete with a Twitter feed about what's hot from the oven) and gourmet shop stocking Prestat chocolates, Neal's Yard Dairy cheeses, and fruit and vegetables from the kitchen garden at Conran's country home.

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