Muang Sing Morning Market

From Odomxai we continued our trek across northern Lao through the town of Luanga Namtha to arrive in Muang Sing in the late afternoon to catch the morning market the next day.

A large metal roofed open air structure houses low tables where sellers display their wares. Young girls shuffle through in flip flops. Hill tribes hustle around in the predawn light. Odors of cilantro mingle with the steady thump of the butcher’s cleaver as he hacks at a piece of meat on the chopping block . Small children scurry to help set up. The tempo increases as the morning light filters into the covered market. There is a constant unintelligible jabber as customers haggle with merchants as they shout out instructions to the children fetch water, tea or breakfast. At this hour there are more sellers than buyers but a steady stream of tuk tuks motos, bicycles and pedestrians slowly changes the ratio.

The nicest tuk-tuk we ever saw

Birds chirp in the trees outside seemingly excited by all the activity within. The harsh guttural sound of a German tourist seems out of place in the low murmur of the Laotian dialects. Old crones in native dress cry “Sabadee” in greeting to entice the few tourists to examine their wares. They are friendly, persistent and insistent. Deb haggles with a woman dressed in the native garb of a hill tribe over some brass bracelets. Another woman in native dress continues to try to convince me to buy a coin on a stick which I am supposed to put in my hair for luck.

Hill tribe women in native dress swirl around Deborah

The smoke of the morning cook fires stings the eyes as the squeal of a pig destined for the dinner table rings out. Large bowls of white pasty liquid tempt passersby. Another native woman jabbers unintelligibly at me. Look! Look! Deb is now surround by a crowd of eager sellers frantic to make that first lucky sale of the day.

Tables are now covered with the bounty of the region. Squash, tomatos, cucumbers, cilantro, mustard and other greens. A cluster of women in the center sell handicrafts, brass bracelets, colorful bags and skirts in intricate designs of subdued reds, greens, yellow and ochre on black backgrounds. Food stalls line the perimeter of the market to nourish hungry shoppers and merchants. A small baby cries for attention. A woman selling vegetable seeds does a brisk business. A spice seller slowly and carefully measures out chili from a large pile.

The market is in full swing now but we are hungry and need to be on a bus soon to the next town.Self portrait "Breakfast in the back of the bus"