A Country That's So Close and Yet So Far
"Morning market"
Hiromi Kimoto
October 10, 2001
Thalat Sao: Morning market is the largest market in Vientiane. They don't sell any perishable food. Since it's called a market, I thought there would be a lot of shops selling general goods, but that was a big mistake. There were actually such shops as an electrical store selling big televisions, refrigerators, and washing machines, and a jewelry shop with gold and silver necklaces and bracelets in a gaudy and crowdedjumble just like a night stall selling toys. But what attracted my attention more than anything else was a shop with folded fabrics all over the place.
These silk goods were about forty-five centimeters wide, and they can be hung on the wall or put on the shoulders. They were all made by women. There is a variety of colors such as a brown like the Mekong River, a brown mustard, bitter red that looks like dead leaves at the end of autumn, and a dark green like an overripe avocado. Those quiet and deep colors can only be made with natural dyes. Pale pastel colors are not common. You can find striped patterns as well as geometric patterns. There are also a pattern very similar to the Tatsumura fabrics of Japan, and one with yagasuri floating in a color of deep blue. All the colors seem very soft and that they'd make you feel very comfortable wearing them. Each piece of cloth is very unique with different colors and patterns.
My biggest trouble when shopping at the Thalat Sao was to haggle over the price. Because there are no fixed prices you are supposed to negotiate over the price with a calculator. Some of my friends say that they enjoy the negotiations, but I don't really like it.
Translated by Maiko Noda
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