After walking down by the river in the rain (which isn't quite picturesque enough to turn into a series), we head back to town and visit the street market for some snacks.
1.)So let's leave a pensive and brooding rainy afternoon by the river, and head on over to the colorful market.
2.)As we walk, we pass a Chinese art shop. It's hard to see, but the very center of this huge varnished root system is carved into the head of a phoenix. Can you see the phoenix? There are also coconuts for sale, if anyone wants a quick snack. But don't eat too much, the market will be full of food!
4.) Yowley! What a big head!
5.) Traditional Chinese figures. I really should know who all these guys are, but I don't! I'll try to ask my Chinese colleagues the next chance I get. Holding those little baby midgets, I think it's a safe bet these are New Years figures of some sort.
6.) Ah, finally, we're at the market! Now the next several shots will show all the kinds of things they sell on the sidewalk on a typical street in Bangkok. There are some stewed fish down front, but really, as I walked by all these tables, I had no idea what most of these foods are. Not speaking Thai, and with most street vendors not speaking English, it was difficult to find out what some of these foods are made from.
7.) There are coconuts on the right, trimmed and ready to whack open with a clever, insert straw, and enjoy fresh coconut milk walking down the street. It's quite tasty, you can see some opened coconuts behind the plastic containers. On the far left are what I believe are steamed mussels in spicy sauce, placed in bags for "take out". I'm not sure what the brown "bun" looking things are in the middle!
8.) Except for the hot Thai babe working the table, I don't recognize any of the things in this picture! I'm sure it's all delicious though!
9.)Fried fish and vegetables, a classic combination!
10.) Lots of little impromptu "cafeterias" like this one are all over in Thailand. As you can see, a wide selection of delicious dishes served up as "fast food" on the cheap. (Taiwan has similar dining establishments). In Thailand, these types of places are usually cut off from foreign visitors, due to the lack of pricing, English menus, or dishes recognized by foreigners. That's OK, the Thais would rather charge tourists top dollar at sit down places, these much cheaper Thai cafes are more for the local population.
11.)And finally we end with lots of sweets. Through different combinations of processing, coloring, and sweetening, rice based sweets can be made to have a vast range of flavors, appearances and consistencies. These all might be quite interesting to sample!
