Market Mania

It seems that every passing day I discover a new market to explore. I love it. Think farmers market gone wild. My favorite so far is the Sunday Walking Street. My least favorite, as I mentioned, is the Night Market. For the Sunday Walking Street they block off several streets and the market goes on and on for blocks, and just when you think you've reached the end, you look right and look left and there are another dozen blocks to stroll.

They don't haggle you like the confined tents of the Night Market; they just watch you walk along and smile and nod. As I'm writing this, I come to the realization that it's the eye contact here that really makes me feel welcome. I see a lot of faces, and when eyes meet it's always with a smile. Sounds uber romantic, but that's what I've found with my love affair with the people here.

Speaking of my relationship with the people here, let's talk about that relationship the Thai have with their king. I've had my second dose at the Sunday Market. There are lots of people at the Sunday Walking Street. Imagine a square mile of the State Fair, only less fried food and no fat people. You picture a lot of people, right? Well what if something over the intercom asked each and every one of those fair-goers to stand up and freeze in silence for two minutes? Hard to imagine. That's what happened. Each day (each day!) at 8am and 6pm they play the National Anthem and pay respects to the King. I was lucky enough to witness this for the first time at the market. It was the most bizarre moment. Everything went completely still and quiet. (stop time) ;) What was even crazier was after the anthem was finished, people went back to the hustle and bustle like nothing happened. Hit the pause button then hit fast-forward. Can you imagine that kind of devotion to our president? Hmmm.

My other favorite market is the flower market. If I could work there, I would. I can't describe it, and I didn't take any pictures of it because I was so excited picking out bunches of fresh flowers to take home. I fit as much as I could in my tote. Nearby is another market of fresh fruit and lots of other little goodies. I'm not familiar with some of the fruit here, so I picked up something that resembles hairy strawberries, and something else that resembles bananas. I guess I'll try a new fruit every time I go. I plan on getting to the flower market on a weekly basis. Shopping outdoors for flowers and fruit is the only way it should be. I feel like I've gone back in time.