Banjos in Thailand

One thing I've seen a lot of living in Asia: markets. I've seen regular Chinese markets, tourist markets, a high altitude Himalayan market, Muslim markets, livestock markets--I wasn't expecting that much from Bangkok's weekend extravaganza.

But Lonely Planet wasn't kidding when it said this was one of the largest markets in the world. The massive map showed stalls selling food, clothes, animals, animal feed, and even a tiny square marked "cock fighting." Eric and I thought we had seen most of it, only to check the map and realize that our hours of wandering had covered less than a third of the market's area.

And this market was different from other markets I've seen in Asia. Yeah, it had some fake purses, but there was also artwork, fresh smoothies, and cool T-shirts. Toursity or not, I was impressed.



What made it even cooler was that we ran into a guy who had a cowboy shop and a banjo! He let Eric play for a bit while I tried on cowboy boots (even in Thailand, the ones I would want are out of my budget.). We never did find the cock fighting, but I'm still calling this one a success.

PS: It's been a market-filled few days, but that's every weekend in Asia. We arrived in Chiang Mai, a cultural city in the north just in time to visit the Sunday Walking Street. The highlight: Food! So much food!