I have found there are two kinds of markets in the world; those that cater to the locals selling food and household items and those that cater to tourists selling all manner of trinkets and handicrafts. Both have their merits and are not to be missed when traveling internationally. After all, we westerners need our retail therapy. Yes, there are regular stores in all countries we have visited but why go there with so many local open air options to choose from.
My favorites in SE Asia are the local markets although tidy and calm they are not. Many vendors sell large quantities of recognizable and not so recognizable fruits and vegetables out of the back of their trucks. Although fresh and delicious, there is lots of competition for this produce so the vendors are inundated with crowds in small, hot, noisy, debris ridden spaces. It is chaos at its finest! Of particular interest are the sugar cane growers who strip and prepare fresh sugar cane juice using some kind of noisy juice press bolted to the back of their trucks? This beverage seemed like a special treat for the children in the market. Numerous vendors sell various animal proteins which come in many forms ranging from rough cuts of meat, recently slaughtered whole animals or even live animals. A Westerner’s first thought when viewing these stalls is the question of food safety and then, of course, there is the smell. I passed on the numerous forms of edible bugs. I love to view the fish stalls where all kinds of strange and unusual sea creatures are on display. We usually leave it to highly rated local restaurants to prepare regional specialties using these foods which are always fresh, delicious and a bargain.
I love to browse through the stalls selling everyday household items and often purchase those that are small, lightweight and transportable. I brought home kitchen utensils from Thailand, reed fans from Vietnam and locally grown cinnamon from Cambodia. My only comment on European food markets is…yum! Paul makes a beeline for the bread, meat, cheese and pate’s. Many a feast we’ve had enjoying these food items for supper when we are too travel weary to venture out. On the other hand, I immediately start ogling the beautiful delicious looking pastries. Paul’s sister used to live above a patisserie in Paris and one morning I was sent down for breakfast croissants. I returned with one of almost every pastry item in the shop and no change from the 100 Euros Paul had given me. I thought we could share and, thus, all get a chance to try all of the luscious offerings. The family showed great restraint so Paul and I enjoyed those pastries for many days to come.
The markets for tourists are usually set up at night and on weekends and sell all manner of memento’s and trinkets along with local and regional handicrafts. I am drawn to the later and usually find locally made craft items worthy of purchase. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of vendors at these city markets all selling similar items so after several blocks you will start seeing repeat vendor stalls. As such, don’t wear yourself out thinking you have to visit every market vendor or you might miss something. For ease of transport, I stick with purchasing unframed art and textiles of which there are many choices. Art that depicts the local area is my favorite choice and I often purchase locally made scarves/fabric to wear or use as interior accents. I purchased numerous fabric bags/pouches made by local women’s groups in Nepal. Transportable regional food items are also nice to enjoy either during our travels, back home or to give as gifts. We picked up canned sardines and dates/nuts during last year’s trip to Portugal. I must admit to splurging on and shipping back numerous colorful hand painted fabric umbrellas from Thailand and lacquer art pieces from Vietnam most of which I gave away as gifts.
Finally, there are the seasonal markets enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. These I have seen mostly in Europe where they sell regional food and drink along with homemade holiday gift items such as wood toys. I have read and heard about great international antique markets which I have not visited due to time constraints and transporting/shipping challenges should I find something I can’t live without. In closing, this article got a little long so I will leave you to the comparing and contrasting but I hope it has conjured up some vivid armchair travel images or inspired you to venture out to parts unknown yourself. 2018