Morning Market

Most Saturdays we try to get out of town and explore Southern Thailand. But when we are in Nakhon for the weekend I love the morning market. The morning market is quintessentially Thai- a maze of small raised platforms with vendors squatting or sitting among their goods, calling out to customers in the singsong tones of Thai.  The market is loosely organized by product, which probably has more to do with the fact that people like to set up shop next to their friends, than to make the market easy to navigate. But it is helpful. The snack section is filled with smoking charcoal grills each topped with whole fish, small sticky rice dumplings wrapped in banana leaves, and a million other temptations. Piles of local fruit and vegetables testify that Thailand actually does have seasons besides hot and hotter. It is currently pomegranate season and each stall showcases the yellow peels filled with seeds the color of pink lemonade. In the fish market Muslim women in colorful hijabs ruthlessly scale and clean fish, beating and chopping them into submission with blunt heavy cleavers.

This set of shots also includes some tiny clams look like colorful pebbles which, Todd says,  taste like a dose of saltwater, and a tiny kitten we found under a table. Enjoy.- BH