I love the sights and sounds and smells of Asian markets. I love the game of haggling, though i'm not very good at it. The bazar in Urumqi is wonderful but Marmaris isn't bad either, if a little too Western.

The tactics and calls of stallholders and hawkers to get you to look at their wares are unfailingly entertaining:

"shake my hand"
"4 for a tenner"
"cheaper than Asda! Cheaper than shoplifting Salvation Army!!"
And my favourite "stop plis - I from Newcastle". He wasn't from Newcastle.

The stalls groan under the weight of designer rip offs. Inauthentic gucci bags, diesel shoes, lacrosse shirts. Along with attractive but overpriced locally produced bags and pashminas and bracelets. Many of which sit under signs that proudly proclaim in large letters "genuine fake"

There is something strangely authentic about fakes that trade on their very fakeness. I think I prefer them to fakes that masquerade as the real thing.