Chiang Mai Junk Market: Photography Week Two

Let's flash back to this past September of 2015.  I arrived in Chiang Mai after 36 hours in transit by myself.  I was jet lagged.  My short term memory was embarrassingly terrible for those next few days(who else experiences this when they're jet lagged? Zack literally had to repeat everything to me), and I felt a little confused with my decision to pack up and move across the world to a foreign country.  I couldn't understand what anyone was saying and I didn't understand why people were doing the things they did.  Though my memory was lacking for the first few days, there are a couple memories that stand out in my brain as I wandered around trying to absorb my surroundings.  One of those memories was my visit to the junk market.  

The junk market is exactly what it sounds like.  It is a market where people sell- you guessed it, junk.  I'm not sure how the city controls who is selling or what you're able to sell, but at this market you will find ALL sorts of things... clothing, electronics, decor, furniture, food, jewellery, insects on sticks.... (yes, you read that right).  It is basically a huge communal garage sale.

Fast forward 5 months- to February 2016 (now).  I've visited many different markets around the city, but nothing compares to this good ol' junk market.  Though my first experience was a little dazed, I have come to love this market.  Some things are weird, some things are dirty, and some things are extra junky, but it is always, always interesting.  I love seeing all the little nick nacks that people have brought and people here always seem to be friendly.  Zack and I have gone multiple times now to just wander through, grab a snack, and occasionally we find some treasures.  In January I bought an old tin plate, cleaned it up, and painted it.  I listed it in my Etsy shop (though it hasn't sold yet) and plan on making a few more because I love how it turned out!  All in all, the junk market was fun to capture in photographs:

Thai Donut! Not really that tasty though.

Next snack: Sweet sticky rice in bamboo shoot (really tasty!)

A monk buying a stereo.

Live beetles on a stick... we think people buy them to watch them fight? ...

That wraps up week 2 of my Photography month!  It was fun to stick with the market theme again, though I may be switching things up a bit for next week's post.  Stay tuned!  Thanks again for reading.

Sarah