From the moment I learned about the famed Jatujak Weekend Market, I daydreamed about the untold culinary treasures I expected to find amongst the 8000 stalls. I took the Skytrain to the north side of the city and joined the throng of people who streamed from Mo Chit Station in search of finds, gastronomic and otherwise.

8000 stalls were daunting and tough to comprehend, much less deal with. I primarily stuck to the main throughways, and still encountered hundreds of stalls hawking “Already Cooked Foods.”

With so many people, and so many stalls, both indoors and outdoors, the market can be dizzying, even with maps.

No matter which direction you turn, expect to encounter a flood of people.

My strategy was to eat anything I encountered that looked remotely appetizing, since I didn’t know if I’d be able to find my way back, or if I’d find anything better around the corner.

The first thing I encountered in Section 18 was a stall selling cups of Mandarin orange juice, orange juice, lemon sugar cane juice and sugar cane juice. Jackpot! Since the temperature was in the triple-figures and the percent humidity wasn’t too far behind, I had to start with a cold beverage. I ordered fresh sugar cane juice (20 baht, bout fifty cents), which wasn’t squeezed at the stall, but was still sweet, cool and refreshing.

A noodle stand featured heaps of five varieties of colorful noodles. Upon closer inspection, I discovered every option was vegetarian. Not exactly ideal, but for about one quarter per plate, it was hardly a big risk.

This simple plate of pink vermicelli with scallions and bean sprouts was surprisingly good. Begrudgingly, I’ll admit I enjoyed a meat-free dish.

Food really started to get interesting in Area 26. I had no idea if I’d enjoy squid eggs, but when in Bangkok…

Squid eggs were lightly battered and pan-fried in wok-like cooking vessels, then sold in small and large Styrofoam dishes. A Small (20 baht) was going to be more than enough to satisfy my curiosity.

Squid eggs were silky, almost like sea scallops, doused in a sweet chile sauce nad sprinkled with scallions. It took a couple bites to get past the realization that I was eating SQUID EGGS, but tasty is tasty.

A couple stalls down two women sold bamboo tubes full of steamed sticky rice with coconut and black beans. One kind was purple. I don’t know what that was about, but the white rice variety was rich and delicious. The bamboo was cracked open, revealing a plastic-wrapped length of sticky rice, chock-full of whole beans. Incredible.

I was excited to find a cauldron of steamed pork dumplings. The attendant filled a bag with pan-fried dumplings (20 baht), thin-skinned, but with poor-quality pork. They were coated with chili sauce and chopped peanuts. I was given a wooden skewer to spear them. A strange but effective utensil.

After over an hour of wandering, I was parched. Thankfully, I found myself back at the juice stand. I bought a sugar cane and orange juice. The oranges in Thailand aren’t even orange; they’re green and yellow, look like limes. The brew tasted pretty good.

I finished my meal just outside Gate 3, where I found a girl folding wontons around hard-boiled quail eggs and frying them (20 baht for a skewer of 4). I was full, but I managed to eat them all, and I’d do it again. These “dumplings” were given a familiar treatment, bagged and drizzled with sweet chile sauce. Tender hard-boiled eggs and thin, crispy skins created a fierce combination.

I was happy with my experience at the famed Jatujak Weekend Market. It was worth braving the crowds for the spectacle alone, and the twin egg successes were a nice bonus.