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Hi from Palawan!
I fell in love with this Philippine archipelago five years ago, when I joined my first island hopping tour in Coron, a place I still consider to be among the prettiest corners of the planet. I did join another boat tour this time around too. But more on that on another occasion.
Besides natural beauties, new environments always strike me with a lifestyle that comes in the package. Personally, I love exploring both street and indoor markets and getting to know what locals consume on a daily basis.
Whether it’s an unusual display of pork, turtle, and even rat meat in countries like Cambodia and Laos, or a quirky cat employee on one stall in Thailand, markets are great places to “read” a country.
I love what’s “written” even in the supermarkets. For instance, in the Philippines, I became über-obsessed with all things ube. After trying some mouthwatering cakes with beloved Filipino purple yam, now no snack with ube cannot escape my radar. The hobby of scouting shops for new yam treats goes to an extent that I’m practically facing ube-überdosing. Probably another topic that requires its own article.
Well, this week I was more focused on finishing editing a few videos I made in Thailand. A couple of them offer an insight into the daily life of the species that doesn’t seem to be bothered by overeating.
While most macaque connoisseurs are familiar with the Lopburi Monkey Festival (check out the freshly edited six-minute video here), not many people consider that Lopburi furries need to eat beyond the annual monkey banquet.
Well, every morning, one woman gets up early to visit the local fresh market, scouring for discarded fruits and vegetables that would become monkeys’ lunch. Meet Sumalee Srichomphoo, a Lopburi citizen I christened the Goose Lady, as her morning market visits are always accompanied by a cute bird she adopted! The duo stars in the Pipeaway Walks video – check it out, if you have time!
Before we put the topic of markets to sleep, we cannot skip the nocturnal version of the same thing, a sort of Mr. Hyde to Dr. Jekyll – the night markets.
Chiang Mai has some really famous ones. Influential personalities such as Anthony Bourdain managed to propel night market chefs to legends, for instance, the Cowboy Hat Lady.
But besides just traditional night bazaars, Chiang Mai is also famous for being a digital nomad hub, with the epicenter of this trendy movement on Nimmanhaemin Road. And right there, streets come to life after dark, in a series of Nimman night markets that seamlessly blend into each other. You can witness these modern urban hangouts through another Pipeaway Walks video!
That’s a lot to digest this week. Try to do it with a monkey’s appetite.
Have a great week, days and nights!
Ivan Kralj
Pipeaway.com
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