Epoch Times
food & Travel Tourists appreciating the melodious music from woodwind and string instruments.
Mr. Bird showing off his hand-painted keychains of comic superheroes.
markets have preserved their quintessentially sociable and unassuming nature. I met a happy-go-lucky chap by the name of ‘A’ who convinced me into buying a bottle of Gac Fruit juice. I was initially sceptical, especially with regard to what his signboard claimed. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. My first taste of Gac Fruit juice turned out better than I had expected—it had the refreshing sour tang of passion fruit, which I was familiar with (I found out later that Gac Fruit is classified as a superfood with its high antioxidant properties). Heavenly indeed. A, who was in a chatty mood, told me that he works as a full-time IT professional, but
sets up his fruit juice business on Saturdays. Like a long lost neighbour, he continued to share with me everything under the sun, including his interesting encounters in Singapore and the SEA Games, which were recently held in the republic. A’s outspoken and candid persona left a deep impression in my memory. I realised that most Chiang Mai folk would readily welcome a friendly chat or two, and they would even pose for photographers with little hesitation. During my midpoint ‘dessert stop’, I got more than I asked for when I casually requested a snapshot of a young helper at K Mangoes, a family-run café where I had delicious mangoes and coconut ice-cream.
With great spontaneity, the family happily gathered in front of the camera. It was my first family portraiture overseas and it turned out well. Not only were their mangos juicy and unbelievably cheap, their smiles were the most beautiful and genuine I had seen that evening.
Artisans
As I scanned for memorable souvenirs from Wua Lai Walking Street, I met Mr. Bird, a mild-tempered man in his early-thirties, who was selling hand-painted keychains of comic superheroes. In a city that attracts renowned artists, composers and designers to its music and arts festivals annually, I wasn’t surprised to see the creative worth in
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Bird’s keychains. There were the all-time favourites Batman, Spiderman, Ultraman and even Doraemon in his collection. “This Doremon is special. I added the heart-shape behind, it’s the only piece in the world,” he said with pride, before describing his painstaking efforts to paint the fine details on each of his keychains. Bird is indeed proud of his mini art; as his customer, I felt good buying from him. I eventually chose Ironman and Doraemon (that rare piece with a heart). Though pricey at 150 Baht (S$6) each, I felt good bringing such exclusive souvenirs back to Singapore. While walking back to the Chiang Mai Gate, I chatted with a 70-year-old weaving master and his disciple, whose magical hands could bring dragons, phoenixes and horses to life using sisal ropes. I also stopped to chat with a man who was helping to sell his younger brother’s hand-made porcelain coin containers. Though I could not recall his name, I remembered his one-liner sales pitch: “Good savings for you, has a slot but no hole at the bottom.” Clever. I bought one—at a special price. With a morning flight to catch, I left the Wua Lai Walking Street somewhat reluctantly. Inspired by its sights, smells, tastes and human touch, I decided to return for more on my next vacation and revisit this street that had changed my perception of a Saturday Night Market.