Best of Asia (so far): Markets

Carrying on with our favorite stuff in Southeast Asia we are going to skip a few and move on to 'best markets.'  I've always been a sucker for a good market - particularly the kinds of markets where the floor isn't crawling with rats and slick with animal entrails.  And while there are a lot of gross out markets in this part of the world there are some truly amazing ones too.

The Russian Market in Phnom Penh is labyrinthine maze where I'm pretty sure you could buy literally anything you needed - from a new hose pipe or used stereo to your weekly grocery shop and designer clothes (made during an illegal third shift at one of Cambodia's many textile factories).

The weekend market in Kuching is a wonderful outdoor affair (particularly if it isn't raining) where you can buy fresh green peppercorns for a few cents - it also has the most impressive range of fresh and dried chilis that I've ever seen.

Vientiane has lovely markets too, entire warehouse sized rooms that are literally overflowing with leafy greens, herbs, rice, onions, ginger, and coffee.  Beyond food, you can buy large bundles of silk, handwoven longyi, scarves, quilts and more. Prices are so low as to almost be offensive.

Solo in Indonesia has a terrific antiques market that is full to bursting with local handicrafts such as shadow puppets, Javanese-style masks and clay tea sets. Not to forget the amazing selection of Indonesian coffees  - I think we came home with two kilos of beans.

However, the overwhelming winner in this category is the weekend walking market in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Late afternoon on every Saturday and Sunday the
centre of this city of 160,000 people is pedestrianised and out come the vendors.  The entire city centre is transformed into a huge market covering several square blocks.  Locals and tourists alike ply the streets in search of a bargain - clothes, scarves, old jewelry, new jewelry, paintings, sketches, trinkets, textiles you name it.

Forming part of Northern Thailand's 'Golden Triangle' Chiang Mai is a hub for many indigenous tribes to come and sell their goods.  Perhaps the most well-known group is the Hmong People (who are spread over the mountainous border areas of Thailand, China, Vietnam and Laos). The Hmong played a significant role in (unsuccessfully) fighting the Communists in Laos in the 1970s - many received asylum in the US where they have formed small Diasporas - particularly in Minnesota and Northern California.


I digress. Hmong culture in Northern Thailand appears to be alive and well and they produce some truly stunning products.  I swore that Chiang Mai was not going to be a shopping expedition, but how could I pass up this beautiful bedspread - painstakingly hand-dyed with blocks?  $60 well spent, methinks.

Oh, and there is food. Lots and lots of really, really good food.

Happy New Year, round 2

It's been a busy first week back.  Getting past the jet lag, undoing Ian's little messes and getting my act together to face my first full week of work in the office.  As for work, I'm nervous, scared but mostly really excited to get back into a proper routine and engage my brain on a regular basis.  Housewifery is just not for me.  Paychecks will be pretty cool too.


Yesterday we spent shopping and successfully acquired a sprinkling of new things that will go a long way towards filling this empty shell of a condo.  We found and ordered a fancy new coffee table (teak of course), downside being that we have to wait a month for it.  We've also reached a compromise on a bed (alleluia!), found a sofa, picked up a few more kitchen utensils and finally got some smoke detectors!  Hoping for a less hectic (and less expensive) day today.  Hopefully the somewhat elusive sun will pop out for a few hours allowing me a few hours poolside to retrieve my tan that abandoned me in the States. 

The weather has felt distinctly cooler since I've returned - which here means the low 80s.  It has also been England-grey and a bit on the rainy side.  The mosquitoes have been persistent as ever.  I counted 24 bites yesterday, I'm sure the number is higher today.  Citronella and all other supposed natural deterrents are an absolute myth - I'm coming round to the idea that I may just have to walk around in a cloud of DEET 24/7.

Malaysia is rapidly gearing up for Chinese New Year (Feb. 3), the year of the rabbit.  Red lanterns abound and little Chinese markets selling all sorts of plants and trinkets, presumably our equivalents of poinsettias and Christmas ornaments, have sprung up all over the place.  Best of all, Chinese New Year seems to mean that beer goes on sale - $30 for a 26 can 'prosperity pack' of Tiger. 

Mothers Ruin

Well we were due for an excursion to Penang this weekend, but for a lack of a single hotel room in all of Georgetown (Penang's main city and attraction) we'll be sticking to the greater KL area.  We could chance it, but our backpacking days are well behind us and ending up in a grotty, noisy hostel with shared bathrooms is just not in the cards these days.  In short, we're old and require a good sleep.

There is plenty to do in KL that we've not got round to yet (Islamic Arts Museum, Chinatown, Bird & Butterfly Park), so a good weekend is still promising.  That being said, the sky is looking pretty ominous at the moment and since we didn't get our usual afternoon monsoon yesterday, I suspect we're due for double today and that could turn out further hamper our weekend plans.  If all else fails, I suppose we must suck it up and make what is god-willing our last trip to Ikea. 

If you think Ikea is popular in the rest of the world, you've seen nothing.  It is packed morning, noon and night all day every day.  The majority of people don't appear to even be buying anything, it's just a hangout.  Hordes of awkward teenages swarm the place like they do any mall in America.  Our first week here, we went to Ikea on a Friday night thinking it would be fairly quiet and a good chance to grab some essentials.  WRONG. What do you do on Friday night in a country where half the population doesn't drink?  Go to Ikea.

And whilst on the topic of alcoholic beverages (sort of), Ian, in true colonial form has been in search of the most affordable gin and tonic in Malaysia.  Thus far we have found this:

It's Malaysian and not very good, in fact it's rather terrible and doesn't really taste like gin.  However, if you absolutely douse it in lime, it's drinkable.  And at a mere $3.50, it's very drinkable. You'd think that for all the Brits did in Malaysia and for as long as they were here, they could have taught them how to make a decent bottle of gin, but alas, that was apparently not a priority. Oh well, in this part of the world I consider a good gin and tonic to be a health drink, it's cold and packed with quinine.  It's essentially liquid medicine.

8 days a week

Phew, it's amazing how busy one can remain when you have to squeeze in plenty of sun-bathing, swimming, cocktails and shopping into each day.  We are officially installed into our new condo, pics to come but waiting until we get some furniture first.  In the mean time, this is where I enjoy my daily swim, a mere twenty feet from our front door.

Shopping in KL puts any American city to shame.  There are so many malls I can't keep them straight, they have all blended into one.  And it's never just one mall, it's usually about 4 malls linked together or at the very least is a 'megamall' which includes grocery, hardware stores etc.  It's nice that you can get anything your heart desires (I have already located Banana Republic as well as blue corn tortilla chips and chipotle en adobo) but there is no such thing as a quick trip to the store.  Parking and then weaving your way through these places takes ages.  This is not at all helped by the fact that they have scattered the stairs, elevators and escalators all over the place so there is no direct route up or down - the idea is that this make you walk around and therefore shop more.  It makes me irritable, not want to shop and one can only hope one of these places never goes up in flames because there is no way out.

Fortunately, we have now acquired just about enough of the bare essentials so that we don't have to make daily shopping trips.  We did our first big grocery shop yesterday which literally took hours.  It's going to take me a while to crack the logic behind supermarket organization in the part of the world, because as far as I can tell there is none.  There also seems to be an irritating setup in which you have to get all unpackaged fruit and veg weighed and priced before you pay, cosmetics and medicine often must be paid for separately as well.  Food prices however are a real treat.  We got just over a kilo of fresh clams for about $1, Dover Sole was going for $6 a kilo, fresh Tiger Prawns are basically free ($0.80 for about 4 meals worth) and we got 8 squid for about the same. 

I also got a huge kick out of what we like to call the 'sin section' of the supermarket.  They have stashed all pork and booze away in a corner away from everything else.  Beer and bacon, yum.  Unfortunately, beer prices are roughly what they are at home - even slightly more expensive, and wine (a lot of it terrible wine) is outrageously pricey.