Had breakfast at Tee's place (my usual). Pang and I set off to the Chinese markets and Chinatown. Pang said the building was partly destroyed by fire but was rebuilt. We went up to the car park but didn't have to pay - he "knew" the people there. Pang seemed to know a great many people. He also said he worked there sometimes, sort of like security. A bit of the old 'it's not what you know, it's who you know.'
These photos were hanging from the ceiling in the upstairs area showing what the market looked like in days of old.
We walked through the flowers - there were rows and rows of them, especially as the next day was the 14th - Valentine's Day which is celebrated in fashion here.
There were many displays with many items for sale. This is one of the hand craft stalls - I bought a lovely fan with black lace for 12 baht. I'd forgotten to bring my Malaysian fan with me. Actually, I bought three fans, one for myself and two as gifts.
Pang was teaching me "Chiang Mai dialect" so instead of saying "Sawatdee kar", I said "Sawatdee choow" - the Chiang Mai ladies laughed. Pang said it was because they were surprised and happy because I knew "Chiang Mai dialect".
At the stalls on the left is hot foods - sausages, green things and round things (don't know what they are), across the aisle to the right we have cooked foods then gradually an assortment of packaged foods. During our travails, Pang took me to a stall and showed me this funny looking dark brown stuff - it was dry and shrivelled. He said try some of this, it's roast beef. It was the strangest stuff I'd ever seen but it did indeed taste lie roast beef. It will keep he said for a long time. I bought a piece and had it with bread and tomatoes for lunch and finished the last of it in Laos.
When I asked these children if I could take their photo, they posed thus. I found people everywhere in Thailand were only too please to pose for a photo and children were no exception.
Hawking the wares and trying to get people to buy is the same wherever you are, but here it is done with a little more style. Instead of a fat, grumpy old man, we have a lovely young lady with a pretty face and nice smile. The dress-up clothes add to the ambience. Love the fluffy thing on her head.
After walking for what seemed like several hours, my legs were aching, my feet were tired, I so badly wanted to sit down an d rest, but I didn't quite know how to ask.
Then Pang said to me, "We sit down for a while and rest. Sorry, but I need to sit I am tired." I told him no problem, I'd be very glad to sit. So .. we sat on stools. I ordered coffee, he had a beer. I think he liked the lady serving us because he became quite animated and laughed a lot. They knew each other from way back. After another coffee, we were in the fruit section where I bought a 1kg packet of dried fruit, a smaller one of dried tomatoes. I had previously bought two little cakes, one for each of us.
Next stop - Wat Ket Keram and the temple dogs
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