Chatachuk Market

      Yesterday we headed out to Chatachuk Market, a huge outdoor market that takes place every weekend in Bangkok.  We had a relaxed morning in the apartment, and then headed out into the city's insane traffic.  Not only are the roads here packed with cars, motorcycles, and people, but people have a different driving ethic, to say the least.  One that seems to involves a mentality something akin to- "Hey, I have a red light!  Eh.  I don't feel like stopping." And, "Hey, there are dotted lines demarcating my lane!  Nah.  I'll be faster if I drive partly in two lanes instead."  All of that happens every once in a while at home, too, of course. But it's the norm here: not one person running a red light.  But the entire multi-lane city road, not one car edged out into the next lane, but many, many cars (and buses, and trucks).   The fact that I'm from a town where two other cars at the stop sign in front of me is unusual probably doesn't help me acclimate to this particular driving style, but regardless, I'm very glad I'm not behind the wheel.

Anyway, we got to the parking lot for Chatachuk, parked, and hopped out of the car.  But look closely at the photo.  See anything strange?  People park in a line in front of the other cars.  There isn't a valet, so how do people pull out?  Well, if you are in that front line, you leave your car in neutral and the person trying to pull out just pushes your car out of the way.  Very practical.

So we arrived at Chatachuk, which is a pretty wild place.  It truly is huge- around 12, 000 stalls, and absolutely teeming with people.  I tried to get a photo that would capture how packed the market is,  but none of the photos I took do it justice.  There are tourists wandering around, to be sure, but mostly (I think) local Bangkok folks out to get....well, pretty much anything you could possibly ever need.  And I mean anything. 

Art work of one kind

                                         or another,

local designer men's wear

clothes- beachwear to formal wear...

                                          and everything in between,

to....I have no idea what this stuff is.  

We wandered around for a couple of hours and then stopped for some lunch in a little food court.  Keeping fed is tricky when we're outside all day. It's so hot and humid,  it's hard to have an appetite.  Which seems fine on its face, but have you come across the term "hangry?"  It means "angry because hungry."  It's pretty easy to get hangry here.  I mean, not that I, with my perfectly even temper, would ever get even the slightest bit irritable.  But it's easy for other people to get hangry.   Luckily, as has always been the case so far, the food here was as good as anything you'd get in a restaurant at home.

Awwww.  Such a cute couple.

We'd stayed on the perimeter of the market so far, but after lunch we dove into the interior.  It's a maze and amazing- Buddhas next to bags next to fake flowers next to pottery next to jewelry next to antique lamps and fans next to silk next to cheap trinkets........You could go every weekend and never see it all. 

Finally, hot, sticky, and shopped out, we headed out to get one last treat- coconut ice cream.  It's served in a coconut shell with most of the flesh still in it.  As a topping you can add peanuts, corn, or sticky rice.  it was cool, sweet, and absolutely perfect.  

    I should mention that, while we were eating, the Thai National Anthem came on over the loud speakers in the market. Turns out that in Thailand, the Anthem is played every morning and night.  When it comes on, everyone stands and everything stops. If you are running in the park, you stop running.  Immediately. In the market, everyone stood right where they were, and then, when the song was over, just resumed walking, talking, shopping, as if nothing had happened.  It was almost surreal to these outside eyes, though obviously second nature to everyone who lives there.  

    And that, friends, is Chatachuk market.