27 November 2005

CHATACHUK MARKET

The big market in Bangkok is Chatachuk market. I spent 3 hours wandering around and still only managed to see areas 20-25, and then incompletely. I was told before hand to buy something if I liked it, as I wouldn’t be able to find my way back. By my stubborn self, I felt no need to follow the advice.

The markets made up of 1000’s of stalls gathered under tin rooves, with only paths one and a half-persons wide forming rows. There’s colourful silks, dark woods and aromatic incense piled high and stacked elegantly along each avenue. There’s junk, to be sure, but there’s some very beautiful things as well.

I picked up a picture that would’ve looked good on my wall, but put it down again to go buy some water. Just twenty metres away I purchased my drink, and turned around to find that all the stands and shifted and where the gallery stand had been was now a silk scarf stall.

After the market I strolled around the Ari district of Bangkok. Down one quiet Soi I spied a bar named the “Ari-Ba-Bar” – to celebrate the first pun in the history of Thailand I had to have a drink. From what I’ve noticed, Thai’s don’t really do verbal gags. I went to a movie the other week, and while I laughed at the verbal jokes the Thai’s laughed whenever a character fell over.

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