Last Hurrah in Bangkok

Our last day in Bangkok called for some serious cultural immersion, and where better to do that than the enormous Chatuchak Weekend Market with miles and miles of market stalls, food vendors, music , and filth.  Oh, and did I mention the heat? 

I prepped Brianna and Nolan the night before. “This is our last day in Thailand.  I really want to go to this market.  It’s a long trek to get there.  It’s going to be hot.  We’re going to do a lot of walking.  There will be no whining allowed (I figured it was worth a try).  If we get an early start, it will be cooler, and we’ll finish earlier.”  We decided to forgo the hotel breakfast in the name of getting out the door, and I promised a Dunkin’ Donuts stop before we got on the Sky Train.  Naturally the mall where Dunkin’ Donuts is located was still closed when we arrived at the Sky Train.  We ended up at Starbucks spending a small fortune for breakfast.  I chalked it up to the cost of getting these kids to the market without too much grumbling.



The Sky Train delivered us to a stop just a few blocks from the market on a street lined with amulet vendors of all types.  We managed to shuttle Nolan through the temptation of all things golden and shiny and make our way to one of the main gates of the market.  I was thankful to see the “No Smoking” sign at the entrance as we were about to enter a fully caged claustrophobic’s nightmare.  With thousands of vendors packed into tiny spaces divided by tarps and covered in an aluminum roof, the last thing I wanted to see was an errant spark.  However, five minutes into our adventure I decided I didn’t really need to worry about cigarettes.  I am confident that it was hot enough in those little alleys for anything remotely flammable to spontaneously combust. 

Everything you never wanted could be found at this market!

The small distraction of sweat pouring into our eyes (and every other available crevice) did not divert us from the fun at hand.  We were in shopping paradise…clothing, candles, souvenirs, kitchen ware, jewelry and pets! Brianna and Nolan spent a good hour cooing over the bunnies in tutus and drooling over every fluffy dog imaginable.  Talk about a parenting nightmare (for local parents).  There were hundreds of adorable bundles of fur just waiting to go home with the first taker.  Thank goodness I had the honest excuse of not being able to transport live animals into Vietnam.

Yes...that would be a bunny in a tutu.

This one's for you, Uncle Chris!

This is where we see a huge difference between the economic situations in Vietnam and Thailand.  If I see a dog in a market in Vietnam, it will not be fluffy or cute, and it will be destined for a dinner table not a doggie bed.  We have seen more pampered pets in Thailand than I would have thought possible.  Well groomed poodles grace shop counters.  Fluffy lap dogs lie in front of fans in every restaurant.  Dogs are dressed to the nines in jeweled collars, dresses and little booties.  Thais are dog crazy.  The open air pet shop was my saving grace.  Brianna and Nolan were in heaven.  Dogs, bunnies and multiple stops for frozen treats made the weekend market a bearable final stop on our Thai itinerary.

Can you say hot?

Frozen Banana...

Frozen Caffeine...

Thai ice cream (in a cube)...

Popsicles

Frozen bribery?  Perhaps.  But we managed to spend five hours at this sweat fest of a market with minimal whining and only a few pleas to bring home live animals.  Success in my book that was worth every frozen calorie.  And for our final dinner in Thailand ...you decide whose is whose...