I found some leftover images from Vietnam and included others from our return trip to Ko Lanta, Thailand. We are now in Ubud, Bali for the next 3 weeks and plan on moving to the east coast village of Canngu for our last week here before jetting over to Sri Lanka. MJ and I spent a few days in Ubud while her eyes were healing and really didn't get a chance to fully enjoy it...so here we are! A nice change of pace from the quiet and seclusion of Ko Lanta, Ubud has a great variety of cafes, restaurants,, music venues, markets and shops to keep us busy for a while. We of course found the best taco joint in town the first night and have been there a couple times already. Ubud's central location gives us the chance to see many of the sights we missed the first time through, although no beaches means no surfing. Canggu is home to Echo Beach, one of the better breaks in Bali, so I hope the swell is up while we are there. We have made most all of our plans for the remainder of our journey, including our flight home. Itinerary: Ubud, Bali - now to February 7 Canngu, Bali - February 7 to 15 Columbo, Sri Lanka - February 15 to 20 Weligama, Sri Lanka - February 20 to 27 Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka - February 27 to March 11 Rome (Pigneto), Italy - March 11 to April 7 Naples/Florence/Venice, Italy - April 7 to April 30 Amsterdam, Netherlands - May 1 to June 30 Paris, France - June 30 to July 30 ?????????? - July 30 to August 9 HOME TO USA - August 9
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Dear Vietnam, Im still not sure what to think of you. There are times I love you and times that I despise you. I swear you have two distinct personalities. One is sweet and innocent and the other is all noise and chaos. Granted, I only spent two weeks with you and never saw your southern region, but I think I saw enough. Maybe someday in the future we will meet again, and under different circumstances we could be a better match. But for now I am moving on. Best of luck to you- Love, Nomadic Ok, so I didn't love Vietnam. I loved parts of it though. We started our time here in Hoi An, a revitalized and UNESCO protected port town south of Da Nang. Hoi An was a great introduction to Vietnam, full of character and loaded with charm- there is an almost Parisian feel to it. The architecture is defiantly more french-Colonial than Asian. We stayed with a family in a home-stay for the 7 days we were there and had time to explore the town from end to end checking out all the cafes, shops, and markets. We even broke down and picked up a few original art pieces to bring home...our first of the trip. Christmas Eve our hosts held a traditional Vietnamese dinner for all the guests and Christmas Day we bicycled down to the beach for the day. We had our first experience with Vietnamese coffee while here, and it is something else! Coffee culture is very strong here and so is the coffee itself. It is brewed by placing a small tin vessel filled with grounds on top of a cup and pouring hot water over the top. It takes about 10 minutes for the water to filter through and you get what amounts to a very strong expresso. The beans are mostly the robusto type which results in quite a bitter brew so often the grounds are mixed with coco to smooth it out. Many locals also add sweetened condensed milk- which is what I did. It took a couple days to acquire a taste for it but it certainly wakes you up! Next stop was Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, located in the far northern part of the country. We had previously talked with a fellow traveler while in Thailand about checking out Ha Long Bay while here and had decided to splurge on a 3 day cruise through the bay which is also an UNESCO world site. Ha Long bay is about 4 hours by car from Hanoi, but would take about 1 1/2 hours if the road wasn't in such poor shape. We arrived in Hanoi the evening before the cruise and stumbled upon an Italian restaurant called Mediterraneo`- what a find! We had some of the best food (and company) of the trip- we ended up spending New Years Eve here also and consider Leo and Dinh Lan friends...hopefully we will reconnect with them while in Italy as they will be there at the same time as us in the spring. The cruise on Ha long was my first real cruise. I have spent my entire life on or around water but never spent a night on any kind of boat. We were pleasantly surprised when we boarded the Indochina Sails Junket. Far more posh than I expected and nicer than any of the accommodations we stayed in so far. The forecast was gray and rainy for the 3 days we were there which was a bit of a bummer, but the mist gave the bay an almost magical feel while the cool temperatures allowed us to break out the pants and jackets that have been languishing in the bottom of our bags for 3 months. Once again, we met some great people aboard the cruise including a young couple from Toronto and several groups from Australia. MJ and I took advantage of the kayaks and toured the bay for a while until I dropped her waterproof (but not sink proof) camera into the water. She was a good sport about it though...one less thing to carry going forward! After the cruise, we returned to Hanoi for 4 more days. Talk about a shock to the system! The noise and chaos of the city was a bit disorienting, especially for MJ. I am usually OK with the energy in cities but this was almost too much. The vietnamese have a thing for over using their horns and navigating the city on foot is treacherous. when there are crosswalks, which is rare, the motorbikes and cars ignore the lights. The way to cross any street in Vietnam seems to be step directly into traffic and make your way across the road without pausing or hesitating. We stayed in the old town of Hanoi, and I spent a lot of time exploring the area. I especially liked the markets but could do without the open caldrons of soups and stews that were bubbling away day and night. I think the smells of Hanoi are what will stay with me the longest. We did find some bastions of calm in the city in the many parks and lakes that are found throughout the city. Most any morning you can find locals doing Tai Chi, fan dancing, or lifting weights, and students looking for westerners to practice their English on. After a couple days of looking, I finally found a bookstore that sold english books. Interestingly enough, in the Hanoi airport there were literally 15 souvenir shops in a row and one bookstore which had been closed down. If anybody is looking for a sure fire money making venture in Hanoi, open an English bookstore. All in all, I didn't love Vietnam but maybe I didn't give it enough of a chance either. I did have reservations and some preconceived perceptions of what to expect. As an American how could I not. I found the people to be mostly warm but the pace of daily life a bit too fast and frantic- odd, because from what I understand things usually do not happen fast at all in Vietnam. It almost seems that they are rushing to get nowhere in particular. Where do I start with Bangkok? First off, the thing that strikes you first when driving into the city is the size. Bangkok is enormous. A sprawl of skyscrapers, temples, mega-malls, and apartment buildings. It seems to stretch on forever as the smog obscures the true horizon line, one neighborhood blending into another. The second thing that you notice is the smell. Not necessarily a bad smell, but not a pleasing one either. The mass of humanity, mopeds, tuk-tuks, taxis, boats, busses and trains all blend seamlessly with the sewers, stagnate water, and street stalls specializing in exotic fried insects and banana pancakes. Bangkok is by far the largest city in Thailand and one of the larges in the world with 12 million residing within its boarders. This number does not account for the millions of visitors Bangkok hosts at any given time- more so during the Christmas holiday season. The city is a dizzying maze of streets, alleys, markets, and waterways. Even a GPS device is almost useless. The only way to truly find your way around Bangkok is to walk- to explore the mayhem by foot until you have your bearings then move on to the SkyTrain (an above ground subway) then graduate to the river taxis. Bangkok becomes manageable once you begin using all these option together. We spent 4 days in Bangkok, not nearly enough to even begin scratching the surface. I had a few goals in mind when arriving- one of which was to see the new Star Wars movie. Seeing a movie in Thailand, especially in Bangkok, is an experience. The theaters are state of the art. Seating is usually in large recliners and some have the option for couches where you can spread out your dinner brought from outside and snuggle under blankets provided by the theater. Films always begin with a tribute to the king and all are required to stand while the royal hymn is played. The king is loved and revered in Thailand and is the longest serving head of state in the world. Most of the movie theaters are located within the many mega-malls throughout the city. In one area of the city there are at least 5 such malls within a couple miles of each other. We visited Terminal-21, a mega-mall built to mimic an airport terminal. Upon entering the main lobby, there are "officers" to salute you and "stewardesses" to guide you to your desired destination. The mall is 6 stories high and topped off with a 12 screen theater. Each floor has a speciality with one floor housing tiny pop-up boutique stores by local designers. Some are no bigger than a broom closet but items are often hand made, one-of-a-kinds. We explored Bangkok for 4 exhausting days. One of the things you will continually see around the city are the many kathoey or lady-boys. Most often an effeminate, gay male, lady boys are perceived in Thai culture as belonging to a third gender. In many cases, the lady boys are nearly indistinguishable from their female colleagues. Another common sight is the older farang (a thai term for anyone of European descent) and young Thai companion (male, female or kathoey). It is so common that we began making a game of keeping count everytime we spotted such a couple. Obviously, the sex trade in Bangkok is pretty well known, but it was still quite eye opening to see it so out in the open. Partly regulated and routinely tolerated, prostitution is everywhere in Bangkok. In many cases the practice is protected by corrupt local officials. Above all, Bangkok is a great place. The city has a pulse unlike any other place I have visited. Seemingly chaotic on the surface, but very sedate underneath. It has a natural coolness about it and does not have to try hard to impress.. Like an onion, it must be pealed away layer by layer to get to the good stuff. We will be going back in January to uncover more of that good stuff. Ko Lanta is one of those places that you never want to leave. Not because it is any more stunning than the other islands that make up the archipelago of Krabi Provence in southern Thailand, in fact it is considered one of the least beautiful (although I beg to differ). Whatever it may lack in shear beauty, Ko Lanta makes up in character. The locals survive on the well controlled tourism market, fishing, farming, and raw rubber tapped from the groves of rubber trees found throughout the island. To get to Ko Lanta you have to take a ferry, there are no roads or bridges directly to the island. The ride across the Strait of Malacca takes just under 3 hours and sails through the most incredibly blue water and palm studded islands, most of which are uninhabited. At the half way point, the ferry was met by a few long tail boats to pick up and unload passengers staying on some of the small resorts on various islands. Ko Phi Phi is also situated around the half way point to Ko Lanta. Phi Phi is a bit of a party island and has in recent years become the spot for EDM (electronic dance music) festivals and full moon parties. The movie "The Beach" was filmed there. While it is a absolutely gorgeous place, it was much too developed for our taste. We were more interested in some down time after leaving Chang Mai. Arriving in the small port town of Sala Dan on the northern tip of the island, we immediately knew this was our place. After a short ride out of town, we arrived at our hotel. Situated on Klong Dao Beach, The Lanta Sea House was our home for the next 10 days. In that span of time we wore shoes only twice, as there was little need to ever leave the beach. Bars, restaurants, and small grocery stores were accessible without having to venture out to the one main road that circles the island. We quickly found our favorite places to eat, have a drink, relax, and meet people. Our go to spot for sunset watching became The Indian Bar. Run by a local named Pas, The Indian is a ramshackle beach hut with no kitchen, food was ordered from next door. Pas is the main reason we frequented The Indian. He is full of life and wants nothing more to make others happy. He greets every patron and quickly knows your name- rarely ever forgetting it. Pas puts on a nightly fire show which draws people from all over the island. We met a lot of fascinating people while on Ko Lanta. Paul is a Welshman living in Holland who spends months on the island, and has been for 15 years. Paul was there when the tsunami struck the island. We also met a great group from California and a solo traveller from Montreal. It's these connections that makes traveling fulfilling and we will remember these all to brief friendships for years to come. The hardest thing about travel, especially long term travel, is separation from the people you love. This week I received news of the unexpected, and much too soon, death of a friend back home. As we crossed the Andaman Sea my thoughts were squarely focused on the loss his family and close friends would be experiencing and felt completely helpless. This tragic event also helped to solidify our reasons for doing this trip now instead of "waiting" for a better or more convenient time. To coin the trite phrase: Shit Happens. Within the same week others back home have had a death or illness enter their lives. We are lucky to be healthy enough and financially able to undergo this journey and am reminded everyday of this fact in the discussions we have with fellow travelers who have experienced similar things. The last couple weeks have also brought us great joy. MJ's eyes have continued to improve, allowing us to venture out more. We have made our way to Thailand and spent time in Krabi and its surrounding islands, and the northern city of Chang Mai. Some of the highlights of our time in Krabi were the great night markets, an Italian Restaurant that rivals any I have had to date, and a sunset cruise that turned into a monsoon cruise. We began sailing from the north eastern part of Phuket Island into the Andaman Sea on a small schooner captained by a crusty old man, Captain Mark, who checked off every cliche in the book, he even had the corn cob pipe and white beard, sans mustache. Turned out he was a great guy, a transplant from Australia who married a Thai woman 15 years ago. His company, Phuket Sail Tours, was one of the best rated in the area and for good reason. He ran a simple operation, keeping the guest numbers small and staying to the least "touristy" areas. The crew and staff consisted of family and a small number of young locals. We swam and dove off the boats roof for a coupe hours before swimming into a small cove on a deserted island to have some drinks and snacks. The clouds began rolling in soon after and before we knew it was pouring. We made our way back to the boat to have a traditional Thai dinner which was cooked on board and floated around the rain while we ate and traded stories with the other guests and Captain Mark. We didn't get to see the sunset that night, but I have seen enough of those in my life...this was much more memorable. While in Krabi (at the Italian joint of course) we struck up a conversation with the owner. We were leafing through a magazine and came across information for the Loy Krathong and Yi Peng Festivals. We decided to visit Chang Mai to experience the festivals as the northern part of the country tended to be more traditional and the celebrations more authentic. We couldn't be happier with the decision. The sights and general feeling of those around us can not be described in words or photographed properly. We were among several hundred thousand locals and travelers from around the world participating in a centuries old cultural and spiritual event we will never forget. The city of Chang Mai held many surprises for us. We stayed in the old city which is over 720 years old and still has much of the old walls that surrounded and protected it from invaders. Full of Wats (temples), great coffee, small restaurants and even smaller bars and music venues (the North Gate Jazz Coop being our favorite), teeming markets of all varieties, and designed with green spaces and water features dotted throughout. It was fun to explore all the nooks and crannies by foot and tuk-tuk as the streets within the old city wound around and sometimes ended unexpectedly. You never knew what you might find by turning down a narrow, one way street: cock-fights, soccer playing monks, Thai Elvis impersonators, and fashion photo-shoots. Chang Mai is one of the few places I have found on our journey which I would consider living in. After about a week in the city we decided it was time to check out the rural areas as Chang Mai sits at the foothills of a large chain of mountains. We hired a guide to take us trekking in the jungle, visiting mountain tribes, deserted villages, and hidden waterfalls along the way. We also spent time at a elephant park which neither of us were keen on at first but it turned out to be ok...the animals were treated well and were loved by their caretakers. What I found more disturbing was the small village of the so called Long Neck Tribe who lived in a small, walled off section of the camp. The men apparently worked in the camp while the women and children stayed at home to sell trinkets to visitors. As soon as we entered the village I wanted to leave...it felt like we were violating their homes and not at all what I expected when told we were going to visit a hill tribe village. I carried my camera as always, but quickly put it away as I felt like a voyeur. I only snapped a photo when one of the women said it was ok. We finished the day with a hour long float down a river on a bamboo raft...I couldn't help but think this is what Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn felt on their adventures down the Mississippi...only 12000 miles away. Opps...It seems i found a stash of images from Ubud, Bali that I never posted. So before I update you on our progress through Thailand I will give you a brief rundown on Ubud. The cultural center of Bali, Ubud is known for its painters, craftsmen, and silversmiths. It is also home to a beautiful landscape of impossibly lush green rice terraces, winding mountain fed streams, and crashing waterfalls. The town is relatively small, but has grown quite a bit since the filming of "Eat, Pray, Love". I visited the area a couple weeks ago and thought it would be a great place to spend our final days in Bali here. The town is a blend of backpacker havens and boutique hotels, roadside warungs and 5-star bistros. I spent a lot of time wandering the market area, which is one of the best in Bali. We got a taste of our first good live music in several months at the Laughing Buddha, which also had excellent tapas. We also saw a traditional Balinese ceremony performance, something I usually wouldn't bother with but am glad I did. We revisited the Monkey Forest, and MJ did pretty good-only one incident involving a marauding group of Long Tailed Monkeys. Since we only had 5 days to spend there, we have decided to return to the area in January for a while so MJ can properly enjoy all there is to see- her eyes are almost totally healed! Well it has been an interesting week- in my last post I started to explain that MJ had an eye infection that needed more treatment than the hospitals in Bali could offer. After some research we decided it would be a good idea to fly to Singapore to visit The National Eye Institute. That turned out to be a good choice, the Doctor there is a highly regarded corneal specialist who works with colleagues around the world and in the US. We ended up having to fly back and forth to Singapore several times for appointments as it was much to expensive to stay there long term. After her second appointment things were looking good and we prepared to head back to Bali for the remainder of our time. The Balinese gods had different ideas. It turned out there was a volcanic eruption on Lombock (one island east of Bali) and the airport in Bali was closed with all flights cancelled. Not knowing how long these things take, we decided to stay in Singapore to check out some sights and rebooked a flight to Bali the next day, It is impossible to predict how long the ash cloud would continue to drift across the flight patterns. We found Singapore fascinating. Very clean and orderly, great mass transit, and very friendly people. It was, however, very expensive- Hotels could easily run upwards of $400 a night. There is a large population of Chinese and Indian people living and working there. As such there was a very lively Chinatown and Little India area within the relatively small city/country (I had forget Singapore was its own country and was celebrating 50 years of independence). We took some time to explore Chinatown and the surrounding area. The next day we checked the flight status before heading to the airport and everything was good, airport open and flights back in the air. When we arrived at the airport however, it was a different story. The airport in Bali had been closed again and all flights cancelled. We were sure we didn't want to stay in Singapore because it could be days/weeks before the Bali airport reopened. We decided on the spot to make our way to Thailand as this was on our itinerary anyways and would give us an opportunity to check it out before staying long term. We decided to fly into Krabi, which is on the south east coast. Situated on a river delta, the town was, and still is, mainly a fishing village. It is surrounded by stunning limestone cliffs and dotted with many small islands- the book/movie "The Beach" took place in this area. Because we were forced to book a hotel and transportation quickly while at the Singapore airport, we were caught a little off guard when we landed and found no one there to pick us up. It was late and we were the only flight arriving in the small airport, so we were a little anxious (and very tired after a long day of travel). We managed to find someone to call the hotel and were told to have a taxi take us there instead. Ok, so we found a taxi and headed out. The next two days are like a Twilight Zone episode. We were driven through some very dark and mountainous areas. I knew from mapping the hotel location that it was in a good size town about 15 minutes from the airport so 30 minutes into the drive I was a bit nervous. Nobody knew we were here! I almost asked where we were going when we pulled into a hotel the middle of a field. The Tama Hotel was really quite beautiful, but it was nowhere near where the map said. The closest attraction was a gravel pit and water treatment plant. The hotel staff spoke no english so we decided to just go to our room to get some sleep and talk to them in the morning. The next day we were surprised to find we were the only guests in the large hotel (probably 80 rooms or more). The staff would hover over our every move as there was nothing else to do. They fed us excessively large meals and offered us a complimentary bottles of red wine...great, we could at least have some drinks and enjoy the pool. Wrong, the wine ended up being sparkling grape juice and there was no alcohol served in the hotel!! The humanity of it all! We found out later that it was run by Muslims and designed for Chinese tour groups. We managed to escape the hotel and found a small place in Krabi Town. That was a good move, Krabi was a cool little place. More of a backpacker haven than resort town which is more our speed. We meet a German guy Benjamin who was traveling alone for 6 weeks and was in town to get his diving certificate. We ended up hanging out with Benjamin and checked out the night market together. We also managed to get a little intoxicated once or twice. It was the beginning of the rainy season in southern Thailand so there wasn't a lot of time to see the beaches (and MJs eyes were still weak from the infection) so I went to Ao Nang Beach myself for a day to explore. While I was there a strong storm hit and I was forced to sit in a beach dive and drink Thai beer. We enjoyed our sneak peek of Thailand and made our way back to Bali in a few days. I am now sitting in a Cafe in Ubud writing my final post from Bali- tomorrow we head to Thailand for the next month. First stop is Phuket (we needed to be close to an airport as MJ has one more check up in Singapore), then up to Chang Mai in northern Thailand for the Loy Krathong Festival, then down to Koi Lanta before moving onto Vietnam. Forgive me, it has been a while since my last post. I have a lot of images and information to share, but let me first update you on where we are and where we are heading next. We are in our final days here in Sanur, Bali. This has been a great stop and the location was a good launching point for day trips to other parts of the island. Unfortunately, MJ has been battling an eye infection since arriving and has been unable to enjoy all this wonderful place has to offer. We have spent a lot of time, energy, and funds trying to clear up the infection and allow her eye to heal to a point that she can function regularly. In addition, since having PRK surgery in August, her eyes have been slow to heal and are very light-sensitive...this obviously makes being in SE Asia very difficult as it is very bright here. After many trips to a reputable hospital in Bali and several longer trips to the National Eye Center in Singapore, she is showing vast improvement! Here are the final images i shot in and around Sanur. I had my driver Agung take me to Ubud which is in the highlands of Bali. Ubud is known for its talented artist community, stunning rice fields, and beautiful temples. It was also unfortunately featured in the film "Eat, Pray, Love" and has been quick to jump on board and ride the fame game. You can't blame them though as it has attracted a lot of tourists and their money. The town is still quirky and fun, though there is a staggering amount of references to the now 5 year old film. Some high end boutiques and guest houses have popped up but very modest places to stay abound. We will spend our final 5 days in Ubud when we leave Sanur on Friday and it will cost us the kingly sum of $140...not per night but for all five nights! After walking the streets of Ubud I wandered over to the Monkey Forest which is a nature reserve and Hindu temple complex. I had been avoiding coming here as it is a very popular tourist attraction and I detest such things. Since I was on my own and not part of a planned group excursion I gave myself permission to check it out. The forest is not very large but there are 115 different species of trees across a very dense forested area with a deep river ravine splitting it in two. There are about 700 Balinese Long Tailed Monkeys in total. They are very territorial and have separated into 5 groups that each control a part of the forest. It was a little unnerving at first to be so close to these creatures without any sort of enclosure but I soon forgot about that and thoroughly enjoyed a good two hours zig zagging throughout the place. I also visited the Tegallalang Rice Terraces. These were much smaller than the fields of Jatiluwih Terraces I visited a couple weeks ago but still stunning. It is hard to explain or even capture in camera how green these terraces are. Being fully functional and producing rice for the surrounding area I was able to see and talk to a few locals who work the fields. One older man, who spoke very little english, saw my camera and gestured me to follow him. He was finishing his day of work and began "showering"...he was giving me a free show.! Luckily he removed only his hat! After my shower show, I headed to the famous Elephant Cave, or Goa Gajah which was built in the 11th century as a sanctuary and bathing site. It is one of a few UNESCO World Heritage sites around Bali. I met yet another older man who began telling me the background story of the site in very broken english, hand gestures, and drawings he scraped into the soft ground with a stick. He was explaining how a portion of the temple had fallen down in the early 20th century, and went so far as to climb down the slippery rocks in his bare feet as I followed, barley keeping up. After his story, he of course wanted a donation (a very common occurrence around the tourist sites). He was so humble about it and was such a nice guy I obliged. I went on to ask him for a portrait and he happily accepted. I enjoyed this portion of our trip but am relieved that MJ's eyes are getting healthy enough to begin enjoying this journey together. Our next stop after a short stay in Ubud is Thailand. My next post will detail our recent trip to Singapore which included an unexpected side trip to Thailand. Ok, so the title is a little misleading...its never cold in Bali. Both MJ and I are fighting head colds this week and haven't been out as much as we would like. Here is some photos from the last week including some abstracts I have been working on. The city-scapes are long exposure and hand held- a technique I really enjoy employing. It is especially good for capturing light trails and making ordinary skylines look like technicolor dreams. We hope to both feel better soon so we can get back to exploring the beauty of Bali. For now, here are a few more things I learned about Bali: Locals don't walk anywhere. Motorbike or Bemo Bus (local open air bus) is almost always used. Grocery stores here use the same "move everything" tactic used in The States. Driving is open warfare. There are very few traffic signals, signage, or even lanes. Many motorbikes don't even turn on their lights at night. The lack of signage is somewhat refreshing as it can become overwhelming in other parts of the world (I'm talking to you USA and Australia). Posters and banners advertising events are never taken down. They seem to wait until they disintegrate. Very often it is cheaper to buy beer at a bar or restaurant than at the grocery store. Only use BlueBird Taxis when in Bali. Everyone else will try to cheat you. Tourists are usually charged more for things than locals- But its still cheap. So I was able to reach the Denpasar Badung Traditional Market this week thanks to our host here in Bali. The market is housed in a large two story building in the middle of Denpasar and spills into the surrounding area, winding through the streets and alleyways like the root system of a palm tree: spreading wide, twisting and turning in a seemingly chaotic manner. In reality, the market is very well organized. Each vendor has a specialty- meats, produce, flowers, livestock, jewelry, housewares, ready-to-eat foods, and fabrics are all here. Each of these items has a specific street or area where they are sold, making navigating the market a little easier. The streets were clogged primarily with locals, I did not see another Westerner. The markets here in Bali are a social hub for those who live here. This particular market is one of the largest in Bali and is open for morning market from 5am to 5pm...the night market begins at 5pm and goes throughout the night- pretty much a 24 hour operation. |