The Chatuchak Weekend Market

Saturday morning, some of the returning teachers, took us on a field trip to the largest market in Bangkok. We took taxis down to the Sky Train station (more or less an above ground subway) and then took the train to the last stop by Chatuchak Park.
This market is over 28 acres of little stalls with people selling their wares, a serious sensory overload. I walked around for three hours and at the end I felt like I would literally drop. It is this crazy maze of everything you could possibly imagine. At one point, I didn't know if I would be able to find my way out from the middle of it. There were books, baskets, animals, glass, clothes, furniture, purses and jewelry, fabric, art, antiques, silk flowers, shoes, plants, food, dishes, wall hangings...endless amounts of merchandise. You are supposed to bargain, but I didn't do very well at that. I think I need to improve my language skills before I am confident enough to really haggle. I will probably be spending quite a bit of time at the market.

For lunch I ordered a fried spicy shrimp and mango salad, with rice of course. The shrimp was fried with the shells on. I couldn't imagine sacrificing all of the yummy fried part to peel off the shells. And I didn't know if I would look like a stupid farang (foreigner) if I peeled them, so I ate the whole thing. It was tasty, but I was pulling shells out of my teeth and gums for much of the afternoon.

Driving down on the train, I had my first look at downtown Bangkok. Wow. It is quite a city. I am looking forward to exploring everything. Eventually.