The Weekend Market occupies stalls on both banks of the Wang Chhu, just north of Changlimithang Stadium. Vendors from throughout the region start arriving on Thursday and Friday, and remain until Sunday night.
Wander around and you'll find a pungent collection of dried fish, strips of fatty pork and balls of datse (homemade soft cheese). During the winter you can even pick up a leg of yak (with the hoof still attached). The incense area is one of the more interesting sections, full of deliciously aromatic raw ingredients, as well as pink cubes of saffron that look like dice but are used to flavour the holy water given to pilgrims in lhakhangs. The bags of mixed grains and grasses are for throwing in the air during religious rituals.
Depending on the season, look out for banana pods, jackfruit and the curly fern fronds known as nakey . The cereals section has red rice and tsampa, the ground roasted barley beloved by highland Bhutanese and Tibetans.
Across the cantilever footbridge, known as the Kundeyling Baazam, on the west bank, is a collection of clothing stalls as well as a handicraft market . Products include wooden bowls, mala beads, printing blocks, amulets, yak tails and prayer wheels, some of which are made in Nepal. There are some gems amid the junk. Bargaining is very much in order; your guide can advise you on the quality of your intended purchase.
