Monday, July 6, 2009

Asian Immersion...

Our friends are planning an exotic vacation for fall...travelling by plane and cruise ship to the Orient...and visiting places that I have only read about books. Maybe one day we too will experience such a trip of a lifetime...but for now, we are content with the sampler vacation we took on Friday night.

We live in a rural community...with a largely Anglo-Saxon population...but just a short drive away is one of North America's largest Asian communities. After hearing about the most successful Richmond Night Market...held on weekend evenings throughout the summer months...we decided to go check it out.

It was everything we had heard...and more! A giant Asian flea market...with over 300 vendors...an exotic food fair...and live entertainment for our listening pleasure...were all part of the package...which came with free admission.

We parked some distance away...and followed the crowds...since we had no idea where we were going. Could thirty-thousand people all be wrong?

We strolled past all the booths selling 'designer' items at rock bottom prices...and followed the crowds to the food fair.

Hmm...the desserts definitely looked tempting...

...and there were a few signs that I could actually read!

The booth with fresh roasted corn had a long line-up at all times.

The fresh fruit looked most inviting...but there's plenty at home in the garden right now...so at $5 per cup, I passed right by.

Most food items are served on a stick...and it would have been the ideal place to sample...a little of this and a little of that!

Maybe next time! After watching the squid being grilled for a bit...I just wasn't up to much sampling.

But here was a gal offering me something most yummy...and familiar...and so I came away with a little baggie of mini-donuts.

It was nearly dark when we left...but it seemed the night was still young for all these people that were arriving...and waiting for a parking spot.

The sun was setting...our mini-vacation was ending...and right next door a jet was landing at Vancouver International Airport.


If you happen plan to be spending any time in Vancouver area this summer...and are interested in a fun Asian adventure...check out the Richmond night market.

Have a wonderful day...

10 comments:

  1. That looks like a lot of fun Judy. I like your sense of adventure - and isn't it fun when the adventure is practically in your backyard?
    I'd have given the squid a pass, too...but some of those desserts might have been tempting!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Reading it out loud this morning . ..I said. .see? they are always doing something fun! ...thanks for the idea!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh I know I would have loved that. HH is not much of an adventurer, so most of my fun trips I have to find someone willing and able to go with me. We traveled a lot when we younger, but he just does not want to go. I honor that. He is losing his eyesight in one eye and I know that is bound to be distracting. He never talks about it much. I just have to know him well and understand without words sometimes. Blessings
    QMM

    ReplyDelete
  4. Think how much more culture you now posess after visiting this event. It looks like it was so interesting and so educational. Thank you for sharing this with us. You and your family seem to thrive on adventures, and I thrive on seeing and hearing about them.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That looks like a very interesting and popular spot to visit. I will agree that the fruit and desserts did look tempting. The squid ~ not so much.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That looks fascinating. I love our local Asian mini marts. The prices are always better then the local chains.

    Sounds like a fun destination.

    ReplyDelete
  7. A mini vacation that was at a mini price in terms of cost, time and travel. Atta girl!

    I never pass up a chance to visit a grocery store run by someone of another culture, especially Asian. We visited a major Asian market in San Francisco, gawked at the meats and wondered what one item was. Our registered nurse daughter identified it for us, using the correct physiological term: male pig pee pee.

    Yipes.

    ReplyDelete
  8. That looks such a fun thing to visit. Like you, I would have givebn the squid a miss!

    ReplyDelete
  9. We haven't tried this yet and it looks like something that will go "on the list!"... exactly where is it in Richmond, or perhaps I should ask where the best parking is to be had? Excellent photos...thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  10. That looks like a very interesting festival Judy! I actually like grilled squid ..lol...Italians eat it also.

    ReplyDelete

'The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.'
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson