The Night Circus (loved this book!)

Open markets are plentiful in Pattaya, and I think in all of Southeast Asia.  Some are ongoing, but most are open only at designated times each week.  My friend was telling me about one such market that she visited, open on Tuesdays and Fridays.  I said I'd be interested in seeing it with her.  But our astute driver overheard, and added his two cents.  He said this market was not very good, but that a much better market existed in south Pattaya that was open Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

With Tim in India for two weeks, I would be spending the weekend alone.  This would be a good opportunity to check out the night market.  My friend and her little three-year-old agreed to go with me.  Mr. Driver told us the market opened around four or five o'clock, so we arrived around 4:30. Vendors were just beginning to set up their stalls and nothing was really open yet.  It was quite hot in the afternoon sun, which tested the patience of our little companion.  So we walked down the road to the Outlet Mall where we could grab a bite to eat while we waited for the market to get going.  I was happy to see another Maesriruen, a Thai food place Tim and I like with a location up in our end of Pattaya.

The air conditioning felt wonderful, encouraging us to linger over our tasty Thai dishes.  Our little friend entertained us with things she was learning in school, like performing a wai while saying, "Good morning, teacher!"  I am impressed with how much English she is learning here in Thailand.  She speaks a little, but clearly understands a lot.  She's one smart cookie!

We finally accepted the fact that we needed to go back out into the hot and humid evening air, and hiked back to the market.  Now things were picking up, with lots of local Thais and a few farangs strolling between stalls.  Wares of every kind were in abundance, especially t-shirts and knock-off bags.  We wandered here and there, eventually making our way to the extensive food aisles, where we enjoyed a fresh fruit smoothie.  Some food vendors take such care to arrange their wares beautifully.  I was fascinated by the fish vendors who had whole fish roasting on rotisseries, and the booths where everything was wrapped neatly in banana leaves.

We took a stroll down the pet aisle - puppies, kittens and rabbits, as you might expect, along with a few more unexpected creatures, like hedgehogs, some kind of tiny squirrel, and bats (ew).  Just what would one do with a pet bat, I wonder.  Moving along, I was amused by the fact that one vendor had "Michigan" banners across the front of their display, and Mika was the one to notice it, not me!  The market got busier as the night wore on, and we soon headed back to the car.

I felt like there was more to see, so I returned the next night after "temple."  I found a pair of earrings I liked for 20 THB (about 60 cents!), a couple of nice bags and a cover for my phone.  You find phone cover vendors everywhere you go in Pattaya, so I have been looking for a good deal.  (We have two phones at home that differ only by size, so I thought this would help to distinguish one from the other).  For some reason I found a ridiculous number of "Lilo and Stitch" covers - no thanks.  I finally found an inexpensive one with London landmarks; I figured that would be appropriate, in honor of our upcoming trip!  I also indulged in a nutella crepe - aroi (delicious).

I'd forgotten my glasses at church, so I stopped at one of the eyeglasses vendors to grab another pair.  I was so excited that I was able to converse with the woman in Thai; it was fairly rudimentary, but I was able to get my point across.  That was the best part of this visit to the market - using what I have learned in class to speak with the locals, and seeing their surprise when a farang spoke to them in their own language. I was also able to tell the church lady the following week about my lost glasses, and I was happily reunited with them.  (Mick gave it a 20% chance that I would get my glasses back - hah!)

With Tim gone and all this free time on my hands, I have been observing the local fauna.  I noticed that a small lizard (gecko, chameleon?)  appeared on the wall of our balcony each night exactly at sunset.  So one night I stood at the ready with my camera and saw it emerge from a hole in the ceiling and skitter across the wall to the opposite balcony.  It was not as sure-footed as I expected; in fact, it half-skittered, half-slid, with its tail careening behind, much like the back end of a car on an icy road.  I wonder if they ever fall?

Yes, I know...too much free time.

What I'm Reading:  Just finished The Tender Bar by J.R. Mohringer, a memoir of a young man essentially being raised by the denizens of a local bar in Manhasset, New York.  It is full of colorful characters, but his young life was full of frustrating missteps.  Well-written.