The Chatuchak Weekend Market
Bangkok may have the most markets I have ever read about. Several review sites had lists of "must see" markets in the city, so Joe and I explored a few of the biggest, most well-known locations.
The Chatuchak Weekend Market was by far the largest market I have ever explored. And, our adventure started before we even got there. Joe and I traveled by Bangkok's sky train to get to the market. The sky train is really easy to navigate and is far more convenient than taxis as you get to avoid the city's terrible traffic. However, Chatuchak is the last stop on the line, and seeing as how everyone in the city seemed to be going there the day we went, we encountered foot traffic. With hundreds of people taking the train, Joe and I were packed into a train car like sardines. The crowds seemed to multiply when we got to our stop and we succumbed to the fact that we were going to have to endure crowds everywhere we went.
Chatuchak is an expansive market where you can find anything from electronics to puppies (the puppies were super cute!). The market is organized into different sections according to the goods that are sold to add some sort of order to the shopping experience, but Joe and I still found ourselves getting lost at every turn. We explored the market without any goal in mind, wandering past the many different stalls. Most of them sell cheap, trinkety tourist items. However, there were some nice boutiques scattered among the stalls that I was surprised to discover. And, the market has a great food section with loads of Thai street food that looked and smelled delicious.
The Chatuchak Weekend Market was by far the largest market I have ever explored. And, our adventure started before we even got there. Joe and I traveled by Bangkok's sky train to get to the market. The sky train is really easy to navigate and is far more convenient than taxis as you get to avoid the city's terrible traffic. However, Chatuchak is the last stop on the line, and seeing as how everyone in the city seemed to be going there the day we went, we encountered foot traffic. With hundreds of people taking the train, Joe and I were packed into a train car like sardines. The crowds seemed to multiply when we got to our stop and we succumbed to the fact that we were going to have to endure crowds everywhere we went.
Chatuchak is an expansive market where you can find anything from electronics to puppies (the puppies were super cute!). The market is organized into different sections according to the goods that are sold to add some sort of order to the shopping experience, but Joe and I still found ourselves getting lost at every turn. We explored the market without any goal in mind, wandering past the many different stalls. Most of them sell cheap, trinkety tourist items. However, there were some nice boutiques scattered among the stalls that I was surprised to discover. And, the market has a great food section with loads of Thai street food that looked and smelled delicious.
A puppy that was bought at Chatuchak
| 
Joe and I in the middle of the market
| 
Wading through the crowds
|
Patpong Night Market
Joe and I also visited the Patpong Night Market along Patpong Road on the way to dinner one night. This market is far smaller than Chatuchak but seems to have about the same level of chaos and crowdedness. Many of the stalls are set up along the sidewalk, leaving little room for pedestrians. Joe and I pretty much had to walk single file the entire time, hitting "road blocks" whenever someone in front of us stopped to look at something. The stalls at Patpong sell various trinkets, similar to what we've seen at markets all around Southeast Asia. Bangkok certainly is a shopper's dream if you like searching for treasures at markets and have a good eye for this sort of thing.
Our night on Patpong Road ended with a little adventure. By the time Joe and I were ready to head back to the hotel, the sky train was already closed. So, we tried to hail a cab, which turned out to be an almost impossible task. As we waited along the side of the road, a tuk tuk driver asked us if we wanted a ride. I'll admit, I was a little skeptical about taking a tuk tuk in Bangkok because the traffic is far worse than what we experienced in Cambodia (tuk tuks were our taxi of choice in Cambodia). And, unlike Cambodian drivers, the drivers in Bangkok didn't seem to have the same sense of awareness and courtesy towards anyone who wasn't driving a car. However, Joe convinced me that the tuk tuk would be safe.
Luckily for us, traffic in the direction we were heading seemed to have died down significantly throughout the night. We sped along, enjoying the ride, and got back to our hotel safe and sound with another new experience to remember!
Our night on Patpong Road ended with a little adventure. By the time Joe and I were ready to head back to the hotel, the sky train was already closed. So, we tried to hail a cab, which turned out to be an almost impossible task. As we waited along the side of the road, a tuk tuk driver asked us if we wanted a ride. I'll admit, I was a little skeptical about taking a tuk tuk in Bangkok because the traffic is far worse than what we experienced in Cambodia (tuk tuks were our taxi of choice in Cambodia). And, unlike Cambodian drivers, the drivers in Bangkok didn't seem to have the same sense of awareness and courtesy towards anyone who wasn't driving a car. However, Joe convinced me that the tuk tuk would be safe.
Luckily for us, traffic in the direction we were heading seemed to have died down significantly throughout the night. We sped along, enjoying the ride, and got back to our hotel safe and sound with another new experience to remember!
Patpong Road
| 
Stall where I found a cute owl figurine
| 
Joe in the tuk tuk
|
RSS Feed