Markets

The Bael Fruit

 This is my new found love in terms of cold drinks, the bael fruit drink. Oddly enough, I have yet to come across a restaurant that serves it. I first tasted it at a spa and was able to find it at one grocery store and at a local market. Bael fruits are oranges and are currently not in season. To make the drink you boil for a few minutes dried Bael fruits in hot water. You can drink it hot or cold but I prefer cold. The taste is, obviously, difficult to describe but it kind of reminds me of  a buttery flavor (like the werther's candy) but not quite. Lately I have been drinking this like crazy and I just love it!

Local Market Warorot
In Chiang Mai, when you need something, you are bound to find it at a local market like the Warorot one. It is like a giant Wallmart where you can buy almost anything. For instance, they have kitchen supplies like bowls, plates, glasses, cooking ware, utensils, and empty plastic containers. You need sheets for your bed you will find it here, they also sell soaps, shampoos, clothes, shoes, bags, school supplies, fabric, food (dry and fresh), jewelry, and many, many more stuff. 

The only problem is that it is so jam pack with stuff, that chances are you may miss it or get lost in the process of trying to see everything. The Warorot market is pretty big, spreading on a couple of blocks. When I went there, I had to use my phone GPS a few times to help reorient myself as I kept loosing myself in this maze. Sometimes I had absolutely no idea on which street I had just came out to. Depending where you are in the market (specially the meat and fish section) the smell can be very disturbing. At one point I had to stop and turn back because I could not stand the smell anymore.

These are some of the fruit merchants that we can find next to the Warorot Market. This picture was taken during lunch time, merchants put sheets up to protect fruits from the heat and the sun.


Close by, there is another fruits and vegetables market where restaurant owners go to buy fresh produce. It is once again pretty amazing the quantity of things you can find there. I will put some pictures in a future blog.





Ton Lamyai Flower Market
In the same vicinity of the Warorot market is the flower market, very pretty and colorful. 

In the picture below, you can see the 100 Thai Baht sign in the small floral arrangements, converted in Canadian dollars this is roughly $3.00.