…And Other Tootlings.

I can’t remember how long I’ve been meaning to go the night market. It’s certainly many months, and maybe years. It’s not that I’ve been procrastinating – well, a little maybe – but it seemed like a long way to go, just to look at a market in the dark.

Yesterday was another of those days when the weather dictated being outdoors, so I had the genius (and modest) idea of wandering around the old part of the city in the late afternoon, and then seeing if the market was in operation before heading home. I figured that with Thais liking to eat at any time of the day or night, there was a good chance at least the food part of the market would be setup during the afternoon. Plus, it was in a part of Surat I hadn’t really visited.

The traffic in the city is a bit of a nightmare. Narrow streets, lots of cars, no parking lots that I could find, and roads already being closed for the market. I got lucky when I found a spot near the river. It wasn’t a long walk south of there to reach the market. But first, I figured I’d better take some river photos…

Some of these boats…

…are used for the night crossing to islands such as Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. As far as I can tell, they have no seats, just a huge open area with thin mattresses spread around. You board at about 10:30pm, crash out on a mattress, and wake up in a different paradise. Given that the high speed ferries take less than an hour to Samui and cost next to nothing, I’m not sure why you’d do this. I guess they cost even less than next to nothing, plus you save two nights hotel or hostel fees, assuming you come back the same way. Maybe fifty years ago I would have done it. Maybe.

So, the market? Yes. Quite lively given that it wasn’t officially “night.” Like most Thai markets they have everything you’ve ever heard of, and even more things that you’ve never heard of…

…I thought Lunar New Year was done and dusted. What do I know.

“Well, that’s enough chillis, let’s add an egg or three”…

Amazing how some people decorate their living rooms…

More food…

Well, it looks like they have their supper sorted, now what am I going to eat?…

Then I had a wander. You can’t say that Surat Thani is a pretty city. In parts it’s downright grubby and derelict…

Yes, you get the whole nine yards here on Twitterings. But, someone with a little imagination and a few pots of colorful paint could turn it into something worth visiting…

…No. I’ve no idea why the bridge is there, but it could be cleaned up to look attractive.

…I guess they have to store them somewhere.

So, what I haven’t mentioned so far is that on just about every street corner there’s a wat or a Chinese shrine of some kind. And they are very photogenic…

I popped into this one to pray for beer, and look what happened…

…My favorite.

The shrines, of all shapes and sizes, seem to be everywhere.

Why does this one remind me of a song?

Ah yes, The Shrine on the Second Floor. Cliff Richard. 1960.

You’re too young to remember that.

And now for the wats, too numerous to name. If you go to Surat Thani, just head down from the river, you’ll find them all…

The last one above is actually just decoration for a small concrete jetty.

And you may have noticed they are all pretty-much deserted. That’s because everyone would prefer to be desserted in the ever-popular Wat Swen Sens…

Although, there were plenty of people at this one…

…I think I’d walked in on a wedding or a funeral. Some would argue there’s not much difference! But no one offered me coffee and donuts, so I didn’t hang around to spoil their party.

In fact, I timed things perfectly, and arrived home at exactly one minute before Beer O’Clock.