Market Day (Bangkok)

Markets have become a happy place for me. Whenever I am annoyed with the locals for trying to rip me off or I am feeling overwhelmed, I find myself gravitating towards the market. Normally, it is just a typical fruit and veggie market where I can ogle the vegetables, haggle for fruit, find a sweet iced coffee, and try some new foods that can be described only through sharing pictures.

I landed in Bangkok on the weekend so I headed to the Chatuchak Market. Getting there involved taking a local bus and so on the way, I couldn't´help thinking about the Brady Bunch scene where one of the parents says ¨Ok kids put on your Sunday best, weŕe going to sears. Like the Bradyś, I put on my Sunday best and headed to Chatuchak. What an amazing place to spend the day.

There were tons and tons of stalls. There was actually some organization with maps color coding the different sections. My favorite part was the trendy clothes and housewares part. Most of the little stalls looked like an artist type started creating jewelry or clothes or whatever and they were using the market as their outlet to reach customers. With low overhead, I think it is a really great way to get started. All of the goods had a really trendy, funky style about them.

Of course, there were some stalls with the oh so famous thai pants as well. I splurged and bought 1 pair of thai pants and 1 cute dress. This almost doubled my wardrobe. I had been thinking about buying each of these items for a long time and it was really fun to negotiate and then complete the transaction. Later that night and for days afterwards, I felt guilty about being such a consumer again. The clothes hardly add any weight to my 10 kilo (22 pound) pack but I just felt sort of indulgent for having so many clothing choices. ( Skirt, shorts, button up shirt, tank top, thai pants, dress. Thatś my wardrobe) How am I going to be able to reconcile a whole closet of clothes when I get home???

Ok, back to the market. My partner dragged me away from the furniture, lamps, etc. You could seriously outfit an entire house (including a pet) at this market. We decided to spend more time trying out food because our packs are obviously too small for any couches or real shopping. One of my favorite foods of the day was ice cream. It was divided into little cubes (the size of cheese cubes) and you got to pick out all sorts of crazy flavors. Of course, we had to try the durian. Also, coconut, coffee, pandanus, taro, black bean, etc. The crazy flavors of asia don't seem quite so crazy anymore.

My favorite drink included a performance where the server wore a costume and twirled around while pouring pulled tea. It was the yummiest teh tarik (cousin of indian chai tea) that I'd had in while. We sampled what looked like tacos but turned out to be orange grated coconut (not cheese) with a dollop of cream and a raisin. Mano and papaya salad rounded out sushi lunch. At 5 baht per piece, we couldn't´ say no. (35 baht = 1 dollar). Plus, the whole experience of picking out pieces with little tongs and placing them on a little tray was part of the fun.

I think we spent 6+ hours at the market and I could have gone back the next day and spent 6 more hours. I was struggling with the thought of buying unnecessary goods but the entrepreneurial spirit provides a feeling in the air that I can appreciate and relate to. From the funky fresh hipsters to the waffle makers who put their own logo on the perfect size and shape little waffle bags, this was truly a great market day.