Our recent adventure

On Sunday evening we decided to go exploring and found lots of local culture. First we stumbled upon a park beside a nearby river where people were playing badminton, mahjong, and other activities. It was nice to see a bit of grass for a change!
After wandering a little farther (providing entertainment all along the way--I'm still not used to all the staring!), we tried some food from one of the roadside stands.
Though we could have gotten pretty exotic, we played it safe with a spicy grilled potato. Maybe we'll eventually work our way up to the unidentifiable meat...















The adventure stepped up a bit as we entered a market street with hundreds of vendors--everything from clothing and jewelery to fresh flowers and all kinds of food. Can you believe that David was able to buy a bouquet of 18 gorgeous red roses for me for only 85 cents! WOW! And that's apparently the going rate around here!

The most common type of merchandise for sale, though, was fresh produce--some people had booths with baskets full of various kinds, others had cartfulls, and some just spread theirs on blankets on the ground. There were many varieties which I've never seen before, and I'm looking forward to adding more new tastes to our repertoire.

The street was definitely alive with quite an array of sights and smells and sounds--horns honking, bikes rolling by, music blaring, shoppers bartering, the scent of smoke, mud, food, flowers, and spices drifting through the air...and people everywhere! I couldn't believe how crowded it was at 7 pm on a Sunday. We've been told that the city culture here is night-inclined, and we've definitely found it to be true--most shops and businesses stay open until 10 or 11 each night.

Anyway, we left market street and wound our way through a neighborhood and down a back street full of little shops and hole in the wall restaurants. People were shopping, playing pool, getting their hair cut, eating, and anything else you might imagine.

I enjoyed seeing the kids playing--some were chasing each other and sliding down this concrete ramp--it doesn't take much for kids to have fun!

As we passed back by the river, we saw some incense burning by the river at the base of a tree, along with some figurines. We look forward to understanding the significance of this ritual one day.

When we finally arrived back home, our legs were tired, but we'd had alot of fun. And the best part is that we have lots more exploring to do--it's a big city!