This woman was everything, everything

Dear hearts. I can’t believe how long it’s been since I killed some pixels in the service of this blog.

I have no truly compelling excuse, but have been busy with a new freelance job researching and writing a weekly travel post for Seattle Refined  (all enticing ideas for travel which will appeal to a Pacific Northwest audience gratefully  received).

Then most of October seemed to be swallowed up by a two week trip to Thailand, and the resultant packing, unpacking and crippling jetlag. Brace yourselves now for total Thai overload. I am totally, ridiculously obsessed with the country, its people and dear god, the food.  

Just to whet your appetite, I attended the magnificent Blue Elephant cooking school in Phuket Town on the last day of my trip and part of the class involved a brisk walk round the most fabulous wet market. We only had half an hour or so here as part of our workshop, which was tragic really, as I could easily have photographed here all day, every day for the rest of my life and not got bored.

All human, and, so it seems, aquatic, life is here, chaps, and I learned much about Thailand and its people.

I learned that smiling is Thailand’s national sport and the Thai people are Olympic-level practitioners.

Possibly because their babies are Olympic-levels of cute.

Though I wasn’t quite sure about this comedy tee-shirt ( and neither, it seems, were they).

I learned that Thais are also quite amazingly beautiful.

As is their seafood.

They enjoy hacking at things with big cleavers.

Yes, that is a frog.

They will eat all parts of an animal (as is only right and proper).

Yes, that is blood. 

And they are somewhat fond of chillies in all their forms.

And there is no such thing as too many coconuts.

I would give my eye teeth (if I knew what they were) to be able to shop in a market like that every day. Wouldn’t you?

Come and visit the markets of Campo de’ Fiori, Rome and the Cote d’Azur with me. Markets make me happy.