The Sukhothai night market was much larger Saturday night. Vendors lined the streets hawking steamed dumplings, skewered meats, and steamed rice sold in folded leaves. We spotted a vendor selling bags of crickets and maggots for 20 Bhat each. While we stared people frequented the stand, picking up the soy sauce sprayed insects and munching on them like Lays. The woman working the stand saw us gawking and offered us a taste. I chose the maggot while Louise elected the cricket. Neither were particularly flavorful and both were surprisingly dry.
I slurped down yet another spicy soup and we finished the night with a mango smoothie. Louise bought a coconut drink where they somehow extracted the interior of the coconut without damaging the meat. The result was an edible white orb filled with fresh coconut milk served in a plastic cup.
Our bus left at 6:40 am and sadly did not include a meal. With only ten minutes remaining of the 8 hour trip I reclined my chair too quickly and showered the man sitting behind me with his fresh cup of coffee. Apologizing through a language barrier is tough… we offered napkins and wipes while I sheepishly “I’m sorry-d.”
We split a tuk-tuk with another backpacker and ended up at a rasta friendly hostel near the center of Chiang Rai. After examining maps.me we marked a waterfall, rented a scooter for 24 hours, and were out of the city and into the bush. Small children waved at us amongst massive rice paddies. In one clearing, a large Buddha sat centered in a field between gentle, sloping mountains. The sun was setting quickly, and we decided to head back to town before darkness and spend the day tomorrow chasing spots to swim.
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