Mee and I

After working with the children all day, we went to the night bazaar several times. The sidewalk on both sides of the road was lined with two rows of portable metal stalls leaving enough room for one person to walk down the center of the walk. With people going both ways there was no room for personal space! Just stopping to look at a vendor's wares caused a major traffic jam. And since buying something requires a lengthy dance of haggling over the price-- squishing, jostling, and sucking it in only begin to describe the effects of the press of the crowd.

My first potential transaction just about sent me back to our hotel. A gorgeous skirt hung up high in a shop along the sidewalk. Just looking at it was enough for me to be noticed by an eager vendor who suddenly broke into a steady stream of halting monotone English-- "Hello Madam! Best price for you! Tell me best price!" I asked her how much, and in the pause of trying to remember the exchange rate, convert Bahts into dollars, and evaluate whether it was a good deal, I was hit by a barrage of more broken English and also advice from my teammates about how to figure Bahts to dollars, how to bargain her down, etc. My introverted personality wanted quiet so I could think, but my hesitation just made it worse. In confusion and frustration I walked away without the skirt still being assaulted by the Thai woman's sales techniques.


That first night got better as I learned the rhythm of offer - counter offer and grew more comfortable with the exchange rate. I found another skirt I liked later and successfully made a good deal all by myself (although I didn't like it as much as the first). I kept meaning to return to the first place, but we didn't get back that far. I never saw the beginning or ending of the bazaar. It seemed endless.

Our meeting place every night became a small plaza in front of McDonald's. There was open space in which to gather (ahh!), and the brightly lit sign towering above the booths was our homing beacon in the sea of confusion... and there was a clean western bathroom (although it cost 5B to use it!)

I didn't notice her or her merchandise the first night, but during a rendezvous under the yellow and red neon the second night, Kristen called my attention to her beautiful Christmas ornaments. We had been talking about tree ornaments earlier that day, so I went over to investigate, even though I was pretty sure I didn't want to buy any. After a brief look, however, I knew I had to have one!

While I waited for Kristen to get her "best price" for the two she wanted, I selected the prettiest small one, made in the reds-greens-and-golds of Christmas. I went small because I heard the prices she gave Kristen-- not cheap! As I admired the exceptional needlework, I knew (and so did the vendor, I think!) that I HAD to have such a pretty thing even if it was more expensive than most of the other things I had purchased. Most of the wares at the bazaar were cheaply made things for tourists manufactured in who-knows-where! But this ball was a work of art, handmade by the woman sitting in front of me. The perfect memento of my trip.



Soon everyone in our group also wanted an ornament exactly like the one I found. (That happened many times--- I'd find something cool, then everyone also had to have one. I guess I'm a trend-setter! Ya, right!) Of course, mine was the last one she had like it, but the woman agreed to make enough for our group and bring them to our hotel by 5pm the next day, since we didn't think we would be coming to the night bazaar again. We all paid for our ornaments, then arranged for a sang-taw (enclosed small pickup with benches in back) trip back to the hotel.

Since the conference was finished, we spent Saturday at the elephant camp and other touristy spots. (Maybe I'll write about them later.) When we returned to the hotel, we checked at the hotel desk and found the bag of ornaments with a hand-written note-- in English. The woman who made them spoke rather good English, superior English compared to most night bazaar vendors and my Thai! I wondered if she wrote the note, or simply spoke to the hotel clerk who could have written it for her. Since we had gotten back to early from our sight-seeing, four of us decided to take yet another trip-- our third-- to the night bazaar. None of us wanted to stay very late... but by the time we each found what we were looking for, it was very late!

My purpose in going back was to see if the "ornament lady" was still there. I had remembered someone back home that I wanted to get a special gift for, and her ornaments would do perfectly. Besides, I wanted to see if she had written the note. If she could read and write English (quite an accomplishment, since Thai uses a completely different alphabet!) I could get her address and order some ornaments through the mail. I knew there would be others I would want to give such a beautiful gift to in the future. I waited for the others to do lots of shopping before finally getting back to the McDonald's plaza... and there she was!

Right away I asked if she was the one who had written the note. She said she had, and yes, she would give me her address and do business through the mail. She would even give me her email address if that was easier! I never thought a street vendor would have email... silly me! Because I was a return customer, she gave me a tiny ball keychain she had made the same way as the ornaments which was displayed on a card where she wrote her email address. It wasn't until this point that I asked her name. "Mee," she said. "It means bear. A few years ago a friend gave me the new name because my hair is dark and I am tall-- big, like a bear," she smiled.

As the rest of the group sat on the steps in front of Mee's booth, she invited me to sit down next to her on a stool low to the ground while she made a hanging loop on the new ornament I had chosen. We talked for almost half an hour. She answered my many questions about how she made the ornaments. She said, and I believe her since I didn't see anything like her wares, that she is the only one who makes these balls because it is difficult and time-consuming. I know if we lived closer we would probably be good friends. Our love for quality handmade needlework, beauty, and pattern/symmetry, I think would only be the beginning of what we have in common. I could tell by talking with her that we think alike and have similar personalities. I know our time through email won't be as nice as in-person visits would be, but I'm looking forward to the developing relationship between Mee and me.