Of course, I found a market! In fact, there are quite a few in this little haven on the island of Phuket. The biggest seems to be the vibrant Friday Night market at Kamala Beach, the one towards the north end of the main road.
Location
The two largest markets are situated at either end of the main road that passes through the small hamlet of Kamala. The Friday night market is at the north end, located in a large empty gravel and grass field. Each Friday evening at 5pm, tents and umbrellas are quickly raised, and the market is in full swing.
Walking to the market might be a little harrowing for some. There is no sidewalk on the approach to this area coming from either direction. You will be walking on the shoulder with motorbikes and lorries whizzing past unfortunately.
Goods
This market is definitely catering to the tourist crowd, there is no doubt about that. Loads of souvenirs, jewellery, clothing and such are available. I can see it would be a perfect little outing for those lucky enough to stay in the swankier hotels located at this end of the beach.
Whether you are looking for cute string bracelets or a pair of Thai boxing shorts, you will find it here.
Street Food
Street food is abundant and this market and a delight for the senses! I walked through and saw everything I am familiar with already, having been in Thailand for quite some time now. This night I tried the skewers of yellow coloured chicken. They are delicious! Quite sweet with the odd blast of fresh pepper. I would not buy them again, however there is just too much fat on the meat, an all-too-common occurrence here.
Squirrelled away in my bag and headed for home were lots of trays of cut tropical fruits and a 20 baht serving of 8 freshly fried donuts with pandan custard for dipping. 😋
Fresh Food
In addition to the cooked food, are many vendors selling fresh food, whether that be meat, vegetables or dried goods. It still unnerves me to see meat, especially poultry, sitting out in the heat with hovering flies above. Having western meat handling practices drilled into my head, I still battle with these images.
I’m fascinated by the differences in how drastically a product can be treated from one country to the next. And the seafood too! Do you know what those brown cubes are? They are congealed pork blood! Very commonly used in soups and noodle dishes here. 🐷
Markets will always fascinate me to no end. I have been visiting them for decades and always, always enjoy walking through to see what new sights I can find and learn from.
