Shopping Bangkok Style

When you need to get your shopping jones taken care of there is at least one place in the world that will "got 'er done."  Chatuchak Market is reputed to be the biggest open-air market in the world.  Basically, if you can't buy it here, you can't buy it.  As Lonely Planet says, you can buy baby squirrels in the JJ Market, as it is also known.  What you would do with baby squirrels, well, that's another story.  The Weekend market, the JJ Market, and the JJ Mall make up a shopping complex so big that it would be impossible to cover all of the stalls in a week.  Just in the main Chatuchak market area there are 12,000 stalls.  At the center of it all is the ubiquitous clock tower, pictured above.

My Heart and I had a mission.  We needed to find some traditional Thai garb for our ceremony, which will be held in October.  With that in mind, we descended to the MRT and rode almost the full length of the line to the far northeastern corner of Bangkok.  

The shoppers were already well up and about by the time we arrived.  The weekend market starts at six AM, with the hardcore Thai shoppers ready and waiting.  By ten AM the walkways are packed with Thai and Farrang.  

Thais love to shop and Thais love to eat.  The only thing that Thai folk like more than one of these is both of them combined.  No market worth its salt is short on food kiosks and The BIg One has enough food choices to confuse the most dedicated shopper.  

Two or three hours at any market will just about be my limit.  By afternoon, the press of humanity becomes more than I can take.  Fortunately, there is the sprawling Chatuchak Park lying just to the north of the market.  

Acres of quiet gardens, ponds with huge swimming lizards, what else does a tired shopper need to recharge his or her batteries?  We whiled away the heat of the day as the sun sprang out from behind the monsoon clouds.  Then is was the long ride back the entire length (minus the Bang Sue station) to our secret hideaway.  

As the sun fell and the shadows lengthened across the Khlong (canal, and filthy at that) it was time to follow that most important of Bangkokian pursuits:  Food!!

As darkness falls, the sidewalks sprout food stands like mushrooms springing full grown from the concrete.  Tonight our choice was the busy enclave of street food stands just across the Khlong from our digs.  After finally finding a vacant table, we settled in for some BBQ duck served over rice and greens.

The mood lighting is streetlights and headlights, the tea was icy, and the duck was fantastic.  Served with greens and seasoned egg, this plate met all of the major food groups:  Protein, Vegge, Carbs and Fire.

The night needed a capper and the best way to finish off a street food meal is with street food dessert! Time for Mataba!  Mataba, or Roti, is a thin thrown dough similar to a crepe, but springy like pizza dough.  As it grills in lots of oil, It is filled with whatever you Iike, then folded and grilled some more.  Slid hot onto the block, it's chopity-chop and topped.  In this case, it was my favorite, banana and chocolate filling topped with sweetened condensed milk and, yay!!, more gooey chocolate sauce.

The finished Mataba getting the chop.

No, it's not exactly health food, but it sure is good.  

Sated at last, at least on the food front, it was time for all good evenings to come to an end.  Another day in the Big Mango, and our last full day for a good while.  Tomorrow we set out for the Northest via the Thai railway system.  So, once again Friends and Neighbors, it's Ciao for Now!!