My chaotic experience at the Bangkok flower market last spring

Honestly, I went to Bangkok thinking I'd find amazing orchids for my shop. Tbh, I ended up in a massive crowd trying to barter for stems without knowing the local language. Ngl, at one point I accidentally ordered a hundred extra lilies because of a hand gesture mix-up. The whole thing was a mess, but I laughed all the way back to the hotel.

4 comments

4 Comments

joelburns1mo ago

My friend's hand gesture got him a hundred roses, not ten.

ray_williams1mo ago

Was it one of those confident, open hand moves? I read that stuff really changes how people see you. Makes sense he'd get a better response.

craig.alex29d ago

You know how I used to think hand gestures were just for emphasis? After a trip to Vietnam last year I totally get it now. I was trying to ask for two of something and held up my fingers wrong, ended up with a whole box of mangoes I didn't plan for. It's crazy how much meaning gets packed into a simple motion, especially when you can't speak the language. I mean, you're just trying to communicate but the whole system is different. Makes me way more careful now.

blair_nguyen2d ago

But honestly, I had the opposite take... getting a hundred lilies by accident was the best part of my trip. It forced me to be creative and I ended up making these huge arrangements I never would have tried. Sometimes the mess and the mix-ups are where the good stuff happens, you know? Getting everything perfect sounds boring.