Local Markets - Laos: As I wrote in a previous post people don't go to supermarkets or grocery stores. The store comes to you or there are always markets in town that sell everything you need and it's very fresh indeed. In the mornings as we cycled out of town sometimes we'd drop into a local market to see what's on offer and to pick up some items for snacks while biking. Here's a view of a local market in Sam Neua a mountain town in northern Laos. To view any of the photos in more detail just place click on the image and it will enlarge.

A couple of ladies discussing the weather, crops or maybe children. The woman in the blue jacket is wearing a traditional wrap skirt.

Guinea pig on steroids! He was for sale. Not sure if they would butcher him for you or you had to do it yourself.

Among the fresh vegetables I found wasp larvae. Directly in front of the seller is the comb and then the red dishes hold the very 'live' larvae. Fry'em up for a snack!



And if you like bamboo larvae, then these were available just across the aisle from the wasp larvae. The seller is shaking the larvae out of the bamboo stalk. I couldn't find out whether the stock was just a method of tranportation or the larvae all lived in it.

Cooked rat. In front of them are green piles are fresh water seaweed.

Live frogs.

Rice seller. Rice; that staple food item of everyone in Asia. I've never eaten so much rice.