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Getting up at 4am to visit the local market is well worth the effort in any country you visit. While visiting Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand it was suggested we visit the local Muang Mai Market. If you wanted to see how the locals really live and shop,  this is the place. Not a tourist in sight,  so there were a lot of curious faces as we wandered this bustling market. It seems they were so surprised and impressed to see us there at that time of the morning that I had dozens of stalls holders smiling and waving for the camera. They even went  so far as offering us free food at several stalls. It must have been one of the friendliest and happiest markets I’ve experienced. But it’s not for the faint hearted – get ready for an onslaught of sights and smells that make even the toughest of us cringe in disbelief. Probably not advisable for vegetarians to visit but for the rest of us carnivores, it’s always good to be reminded of what we are really eating before it ends up as our pork laab!

Young Buddhist Monk at markets, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

It was a very humbling experience witnessing this young Buddhist Monk with his alms bowl.

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Vegetarians beware!

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The happy fishmongers.

While in Chiang Mai, Jane Hodges and I stayed at the gorgeous Four Season Resort in Chiang Mai.

www.fourseasons.com/ChiangMai

Words & Photography: by Maree Azzopardi

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