After our temple wandering, we were starting to get hungry and it was pretty hot, so Doi took us off to the market for some lunch…and treats!
I don’t know the name of this market, but it is huge and quite close to the river. It is one of those markets, tht is really kind of like a department store, with sections that specialise in a particular type of goods, such as the clothing section, food, footwear, flowers etc…we headed straight for the food….
It was kind of like a food hall in a shopping centre, with different stalls offering a variety of options, some of which smelt great and others that, well, just didn’t. I opted for a pork, broccoli and noodle dish, that was cooked fresh in front of me…it tasted great.
and an Ovaltine Chak to drink…chak basically means shake, or pour from one cup to another from a height…the lady that made ours was very proficient and didn’t spill a drop…
Even though we were then quite full, Doi insisted on buying us treats to try..like black sticky rice in a bamboo tube, which was kind of tasty. I also tried some coconut chips, and something made of coconut that looked like an egg… which were very tasty, because they were half sugar!!
We had a look at a few stalls that sold thongs as Dave’s have broken….but he has a very big foot…and Thai people don’t…so we’ll just have to keep an eye out for a big shoe shop! There was plenty to see, as we went throug the fish section I saw live turtles and eels
loads of vegetables, including this bright purple corn
and flowers, lots and lots and lots of flowers….apparently giving flowers is very popular in Thailand and elaborate arrangements are used for all types of occassions…
we then came to the fruit section where again we saw the everyday and the not so common options…like grubs in a tub!
The markets were very near to the river…and it was time to get off our feet and enjoy a leisurely cruise upriver on the Mae Ping River…which means Mother Ping…it was great to see so many men out on the river bank, fishing…some on their own, some with friends and beer, but all looking pretty relaxed…more so than the dude in the water where the heavy timber posts were being dropped in as the make a new bridge…
We cruised along until we came to the Farm…a little cafe, bar, restaurant built around the vegetable and herb gardens along the bank of the river, with plenty of little signs to tell you what the plants are and what they are good for, nutritionally and medicinally…we had some fruit and a look around, there was plenty to see..
Eventually it was time to head back for dinner (yep, more food…) at Joy’s House…these were fried banana flowers with a sweet, fruity syrup…aroi mak mak!!!
