Before visiting the lover's house, we passed through Sa Dec Market - a mostly covered and narrow marketplace bustling with activity. Scooters and bikes constantly zipped through, weaving their way between local shoppers. Baskets of sedate chickens sat waiting to be plucked, while at the seafood stalls shallow pans of water showcased shellfish, snails, frogs, eels and fish - most still wriggling and occasionally even leaping into the air. The vast majority of stalls were tended by women in conical hats who filleted and butchered with deft hands. While as outsiders we felt the most drawn to the meat and seafood vendors (because they made the farmer's markets back home look oh so tame), there were plenty of others hawking exotic fruits, fresh vegetables, spices and a larger variety of rice than I knew existed. Some photos below. Not for the squeamish or vegetarian.
Live poultry.
Not live poultry.
Yes, those are bees.
Blue crabs.
Sheep's(?) head.
Little girl accompanying a parent on a shopping excursion.
Bamboo.
De veining.
The ladies who run the market stalls can butcher and filet as fast as the cooks in Michelin starred restaurants.
Creepy fish heads.