Two nights ago we all decided to go out to the night market as something crazy to do, since it opens at 1 a.m. The deals were supposed to be way better at that market, because it’s not geared towards tourists, but is for the vendors who come and buy their merchandise wholesale. This was the major selling point for me, because I am decidedly awful at bargaining! My brothers would be sad to watch me try to barter, where I will inevitably have my first attempt shot down, and then cave and pay the ticket price because I don’t want the woman at the stand to get mad! So, my mission that night was shopping when I didn’t have to wheel and deal.
After outreach at the bars earlier that night, we hung around at Starbucks, then went to a really famous tourist street where all the foreign backpackers hang out. We killed some time there, then by the time we got to the markets, it was already 2 a.m! No matter,
we were eager and ready to shop… but apparently the markets never got the message! The only way I can describe it is that I had a huge empty feeling right after we got there that didn’t lift until we left! There is a very obvious reason why tourists don’t go to these markets, and it’s not because of how late they open! To put it mildly, I wouldn’t have bought anything at that market with someone else’s money, let alone mine! That is, of course, unless I ever find myself in a situation that requires me to own a little boy’s Mickey Mouse shirt (where Mickey looks Asian) or a Hawaiian print moo-moo made to fit a Sumo wrestler.
After my hope died a long and painful death from walking the streets in hopes of turning a corner and finding the ultimate Thai market, we all stood around wondering what to do next. I mean, we had stayed up for this, we had nowhere to be the next day, and we were in the heart of downtown Bangkok. The only logical solution was to stay up and watch the sun rise! The ones who are actually logical left and went home to bed, which just left the three of us (myself, Amanda, and Casey) to conquer Bangkok!
We walked started our adventure by walking through a meat market, which educated me beyond what I asked for! A few things we saw as we made our way through the semi-crowded streets:
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Actual pig faces hanging from meat hooks! Seriously, at first I thought they were Halloween masks, but no, they are for eating!
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Frogs floating in barrels of water with their insides hanging out
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A bin full of animal hearts
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Fish with their gills still moving, pleading with you to keep walking or to set them free!
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A tray full of intestines
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Chicken heads in glass cases
If that doesn’t wake you up, I don’t know what will! We left the meat market shaking our heads and praying over our stomachs. We wandered around, talking about how random it was for us to be Bangkok at that hour, then found our way to a Subway that was open 24 hours! Leave it to the Americans to follow their noses to food they’re used to! We sat and ate (surprisingly our appetites are not gone forever) and talked.
We got a taxi home, and just as the motion of the car had almost successfully rocked us to sleep, we slammed into the back of another taxi! That’s right, I think our driver was feeling the effects of 4 a.m just as much as we were! It was okay, nobody got hurt and the damage was minimal, but I think it was an appropriate addition to the night!
We staggered out of the taxi, found our way home, then made the last ascent up the flight of stairs which led to the final destination for the evening/morning….the roof! And there we watched the sky get lighter and the world wake up in Bangkok! Who does that?!? I do. And that is how we rocked Bangkok!
