Under the Mega-Bridge, the Phra Pradaeng Morning Market at 5:00 AM

If you are from Seattle you know the Pikes Place Market, imagine a real market, starting at early in the morning, before 4:00, that is packed with meat, vegetables, fish of all kinds, and is a true wholesale market for all the restaurants and food sellers in the community. The Phra Pradaeng market is just a normal town market, but it is amazing.

We got up at 4:00 to meet Naw to go to the market, she was buying food to prepare for the sport day today and Jit was getting food for her mom. Jit will prepare a special meal for the monks tomorrow morning. It is the anniversary of Jit's grandmothers death. We rode in the back of a pickup, we had to wake up the park caretaker to open the gate. Our driver was a little hung over so the ride kept me alert.

The market was very busy, it was still dark so the lighting was by florescent tubes and bare light bulbs, the floor was very wet, maybe hosed down. I will try to describe some impressions of the market.

There were vegetables of all kinds, large and small. Many stalls had fresh vegetables.

There were pans of fish, still moving. We bought a large burbot looking fish. The seller clubbed it in the head when we bought it. We then left, while he butchered and cleaned the fish. There were many stalls of fresh fish.

There was a motorcycle taxi, shopping in the market. He had his jacket on, he would go from place to place and load up his motorcycle for delivery.

There were stalls of dried peppers of many kinds.

There were many stalls selling chicken eggs. One chicken egg stall was on the ground in the dark. An old lady was trying to sell in the dark.

There were stalls of flowers for sale, some were for worship, and others were just beautiful.

There was shrimp and squid for sale.

There was butchered pork, pork heads, pork entrails, tripe, and even a skinned pork head.

There was a child sleeping on a counter top.

There were people wheeling large baskets on hand carts and filling the baskets with their purchases, one basket even had a boy in it.

Motorcycles and carts were going through the market, delivering and hauling purchases

The were people riding bicycles, some of the bikes, manufactured in Thailand are very practical with many baskets and seats for two. The bikes also are decorated with a sort of plastic web that is on the fender. Not too swift, but very practical.

There was a lady carrying a pretty large white poodle in her arms, a think carrying small dogs is a fad, but this dog was medium size.

There were bags of sauces and nuts for sale.

There were fish for sale in round coconut leave containers.

There was plastic bags of coconut milk for sale.

There was soy milk and fry bread for sale.

Many smiles, people saw my camera and thought it was fun, it is a real community. The market is the basis of many other businesses, the wholesale place for many retail shops. It is just an average Thai market in an average Thai town and that is what makes it so amazing. It is 5:15 and it is packed with people, working people, doing their jobs.

I can see ships going down the Chao Phraya river past Phra Pradaeng, I can hear the rumble of their engines.

There are Buddhist monks getting food and women in hair scarves.

There are desserts in bags, and little golden fruits.

There is even a fashion store, for clothes, but that was not a major part of the market.

There were Taxis, Tuk Tuks, Pedi-cabs, Blue Truck-Buses, and Green Mini-Buses. It is about 5:45 in the morning.

There are some dogs sleeping and wandering around looking for food, the downtown shops are shuttered, but the street sellers are open and ready to sell. The 7-11's and Family Marts are open.

The shop selling worship stuff for the temple is open and Jit bought some things for her mom.

There was a beggar looking for donations.

There was no espresso shop! I would have loved a good cup of coffee.

I took photographs, but the conditions were marginal. I do not know how they will look.

There was a girl with a stuffed animal key chain, I see these a lot.

There was a women in a yellow jacket and a straw hat sweeping in front of the market and a very old man in a white shirt shopping. It is still before 6:00 in the morning.

We loaded all the purchases and rode back home in the back of the pickup.

What is amazing is that the market is just an ordinary everyday market, yet it is fascinating and very exciting to see. I hear the Klong Toey Market across the river is much larger, but the market experience the basis of so much that is Thailand.

I had fun.