Local markets provide an excellent opportunity to experience a bit of local culture. In Bangkok I visited the Pak Klong Talat market in the early morning, located near the Memorial Bridge pier. I avoided all traffic by taking the Skytrain system and then the local riverboat taxi. Once inside the market, I was immediately welcomed by the perfumed scent of jasmine. The white flowers, also a prominent feature in South India, were being weighed and placed into plastic bags. On other tables, impossibly large piles of orchids in purple, yellow, and orange glistened with drops of moisture. How much would those flowers sell for in the USA? In terms of bulk though, the marigolds took the prize. Vendors had to peek over the bags of prepackaged golden-yellow flowers that were being sold for around 35 baht (approximately $1) per bag. In other stalls one could see the marigolds strung into long garlands with a “tassle” created with white jasmine-like flowers or plastic, a purple ball-like flower, and gathered marigolds for the tassel. On other tables women were busy stringing hand-sized wreaths out of jasmine, roses, and marigolds. If you didn’t fancy buying real flowers for your temple offerings, you could buy plastic counterparts, available in a multitude of colors. The market also contained items such as produce, meat, and clothing, but I chose to move on towards the Grand Palace in order to avoid the major heat of the day.
