Shopping Part 3
Pahurat Cloth Market
This is an Indian market on Pahurat Road in a part of town that could be described as Indiatown. It is located adjacent to Chinatown on the way to Wat Po. The market has mainly clothes, among them a wide selection of Sarongs from all over Asia. Aside from clothes there are textiles for linens and curtains, as well as tailoring accessories. There are also shops selling Indian spices, as well as a number of Indian restaurants and food stalls.
Ban Mo Market
This small market further on Pahurat Road in the direction of Wat Po has many silversmiths and jewelry supply shops as well as places selling all kinds of electronic accessories and disco equipment.
Pak Klong Talaat
This flower wholesale and retail market on Chakrapat Road near the bank of the Chao Phaya is known for low prices. Many flower retailers throughout Bangkok buy their stock here. Flowers are much cheaper in Thailand than in the West, and the per capita demand is probably one of the highest in the world. Thais love to decorate with flowers, and every market has one or several shops selling flowers. (For information on the Thai art of arranging flowers, please see the chapter Art & Culture earlier in this book.)
Lang Krasnang Market
This market on Atsadang Road, near the Khao San tourist area, specializes in second-hand goods which might or might not be from a thief’s or robber’s loot. Officially, most of the items are from pawn shops. Nancy Chandler’s advice: "Go here to buy back any stolen goods."
Banglamphu Area
This shopping area in old downtown Bangkok used to be frequented solely by locals. However, especially young tourists are a common sight since the nearby Khao San area has developed into the principal site of traveler pension houses. While some goods can be found which appeal to foreign visitors, the selection of merchandize is still geared towards ordinary Thai households.
Thewet Market
This market on the bank of the Chao Phaya, off the intersection of Samsen Road and Krung Kasem Road , has a large selection of potted plants, pots and general garden and plant supply.
Talaat Bo Bae
This market near the intersection of Krung Kasem Road and Rama I Road is one more textile market with a large number of wholesalers.
Klong Toey Market
This market on Rama IV Road in the port district is particularly noted for low prices.
Talaat Penang (Penang Market)
South of Klong Toey Market, this market under the Expressway and close to the railway line is known for good value electrical equipment, bedding materials and clothings. Nancy Chandler, in her map on Bangkok, described Penang Market as follows: "All kinds of appliances, TV’s, sound equipment, watches, canned foods, clothing, etc, etc at much lower prices than department stores. Of course it just happens to be close to the port. No further explanation is necessary." And the Traveller’s Guide to Thailand, published by the local company Saen Sanuk, advices: "This [market] is chiefly for electrical goods that have mysteriously fallen overboard from the ships which come to the port."
Phahonyothin Road
This market on Phahonyothin Road near the Northern Bus Terminal is good for potted plants as well as pots. It also has a cheap fruit section.
Chatuchak Weekend Market
This huge weekend market on approximately 14 hectares (35 acres) opposite the Northern Bus Terminal on Phahonyothin Road is certainly the single best bet for anybody who wants to buy just anything at best prices. The market has everything for ordinary consumer needs, probably except imported and high quality electronic household items. It must be noted that it is also the best and cheapest place to buy handicrafts and other items tourists typically like to buy. Furthermore, local handicraft retailers as well as Thai and foreign exporters buy here.
As the market is just across the Northern Bus Terminal, small scale manufacturers from the North and Northeast drop in with their own products, bypassing wholesalers or established tourist retailers. Many businesses running handicraft shops in tourist areas of the Thai capital also have weekend branches at Chatuchak. This is especially the case for brass and bronze items. Nowhere else in the Thai capital is such a big concentration of brass and bronze shops as at Chatuchak Market, and because competition is fierce, one gets the lowest prices.
The market is a prime choice for tourists and locals alike. For the locals, there are large sections for cheap household products, fresh produce including a full selection of fruits, for clothes and other textiles as well as for pottery, plants and garden utensils.
There also is a pet section which however doesn’t live up to the standards of humanity towards animals common in the West, and the best thing to show disapproval to the way animals are caged there is not to frequent this part of the market.
The Weekend Market is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 7:00 to 18:00. It’s easy to reach from the Sukhumvit Road area on aircon bus No 13.
| 
