A Canadian, a Singaporean and an American were walking in the park.........

   

This morning, rather than run on the treadmill in the apartment gym for an hour or so, looking out at the pool the entire time, I decided to go to a nearby park for an early morning walk/run; I was joined by two other residents (see above) in the apartment building who were  interested in a change of scenery.

     In the park were several Tai Chi groups;  one, led by a young man, had a bit more hip movement than I have seen before in Tai Chi;  some were moving VEEEERY slowly;  most participants were dressed in sweats, despite the warm temperatures. The participants were of all ages and looked very peaceful. Supposedly, anyone can join in so maybe I will try it one day.

   At 8:00 am sharp, a whistle blows and everyone comes to a standstill to listen a recording of the King's Anthem; this song plays all over the city and anyone on the streets is expected to  honor the King, with no smart-aleck remarks allowed.  

   Street vendors were out in full gear, cooking breakfast dishes which look much like lunch dishes. It was nice to be out in the fresh air where there was a hint of coolness at the beginning of the outing, but which had dissipated well before we were headed back. There are many dogs roaming the streets here and there were a few in the park; they don't look emaciated so they are finding food somewhere, but I would not try to make friends with them as rabies can be a problem in these soi dogs.

    I think an excursion to one of the parks should become part of my weekly routine; it was nice to observe part of the life of the city before the streets are clogged thoroughly with taxis, motorcycles and cars. 

   Tomorrow, Tom has consented to attending a Thai vegetarian cooking class with me; we will get a tour of a nearby vegetable market and  learn the names of some of the unique products available. I am intrigued by tiny eggplants about the size of grapes. I would love to know how to use those in a curry or soup. I imagine we will get some interesting photos there;  if so, I will post some. I think there is some singing and dancing involved!

    On Sunday we will stick close to the apartment, except for keeping an appointment we have for more inoculations. The red shirts have a demonstration planned in Bangkok and in Chang Mai and it is probably advisable to keep our distance. 

   We are thoroughly enjoying the many ethnic foods available and have not tired of Thai food at all. But I do have to admit, that the brocolli-potato soup and spoonbread I have made for dinner tonight are very appealing. 

Orchid plants from flower market - local growers gather to sell their plants.

Trip to Maeklong Market - 9/5/10

Market goodies

    We spent Sunday on a day trip with a friend to the Maeklong market about 70 km from Bangkok. To get there we took the BTS (rapid transit in Bangkok) to the easternmost station, found the non-rapid train station nearby, rode that train for about 45 minutes to Malachai where we caught a ferry across the river to the next train station and reached Maeklong after another hour on the train. Almost all of the train passengers were Thais going to the markets along the way; some returned with goods for their restaurants or for families, filling the aisles in places on the trip home. We returned home by the same methods of transportation. We calculated that we spent the equivalent of $2.50 for our transportation on this trip. Lunch costs less than $5.00 for the three of us so this all day trip was quite a bargain and an interesting glimpse into everyday life for many Thais.
    Our traveling companion is fairly fluent in Thai and we are inspired to get our lessons set up. Most Thais are delighted if you try to communicate with even a trace of skill at the language and having some fluency changes the experiences during trips like this. Just knowing terms like "how much", "too much", and restaurant terms makes interactions much easier.
      The Maeklong market sits ON the railway tracks; the train passes 8 times a day, and when it does,  the vendors rapidly move or roll their goods out of the way, but just barely.  Large piles of vegetables are reduced in height by picking off the topmost layers, and the train passes over the piles, with a minimum of clearance. Other vendors offer their goods from carts on wheels and roll out of the way and the overlying canopies are pulled back to allow the train to pass. It is amazing sight of efficiency and cooperation.
    We arrived around 11:30 am and wanted to experience the flurry of activity when the next train arrived at 2:30 pm so we wandered the town, visiting the temple which was quite active that day.  It is also the best place to find bathroom facilities in almost any town. We  took a short ferry ride across the river  to check out a building on the other side that looked rather regal. We thought it might be a government building or a small hotel but it was a private residence and a Thai movie was being shot there that day.
   At the bottom of this post is a link to some photos from the day. There are a couple of videos from the train but the best video is the last posted photo and  is of the market being moved, the train passing through and then the market being put back in place. You may have to push play, then pause to let it download to view this video.

 http://picasaweb.google.com/renhud/TripToMaeklongMarket090510?authkey=Gv1sRgCNTjwYT-9YrEEQ#

The train track and the market share tight quarters.