Bangkok Update, Day 1

Magosteens at Klong Toey market

April in Thailand is the hottest month of the year; my first day was typically hot, but the humidity was mercifully low, so the heat wasn’t oppressive.  Our weather luck held out for the whole visit.  My friend Jennifer flew in from Hong Kong and the morning after we arrived, it was time for a visit to Klong Toey, our mutual favorite food market. I stocked up on dried chilies and we both indulged in mangoes and mangosteens, at the height of their season, to bring back to the hotel.  Klong Toey is easily accessible via bus, sky train, and of course, taxi.  If you take public transportation, use this Klong Toey map to cover the few blocks from the train.

The market sells every conceivable type of fresh food like these incredible chilies and fresh green peppercorns I was dying to take home:

The prices are amazingly low; these wild lime leaves, essential in so many Thai dishes, are about 15 cents a bunch:

It's the season for that most classic Thai dessert, ripe mango with coconut sticky rice, and this stand was prepared for the crowds:

We ended our trek through the market at Taweesin, an excellent and inexpensive cookware shop.  Mr. Liu, a young salesman who speaks perfect English, is friendly and helpful.  If you intend to visit Taweesin have the concierge of your hotel write out the location in Thai; show it to one of the guards or sales people in the market and they'll point you in the right direction.

Taweesin, 27/30-31 Klong Toey market, Soi (lane) 2

On the way out we noticed some young bakers making a Thai version of raisin buns:

Next:  Lunch at David Thomson's restaurant nahm