Shopping Paradise
Thailand is a paradise for shoppers.
Regular visitors to Asia know that, in many ways, Bangkok beats Hong Kong
and Singapore for deals in terms of handicrafts, textiles, gems, jewelry,
art and antiques. Nowhere else will you find the same selection, quality
and price.
Fixed prices are the norm in department
stores. But at most other places bargaining is a common practice and
prices may be reduced by as much as thirty percent. Courtesy at all time
is appreciated.
Shopping in Thailand is an adventure in
itself. From modern department stores and shopping plazas, to flea markets
and roadside stalls where bargaining is obligatory, even visitors with the
greatest will-power will no doubt find something to their liking.
Shopping Streets
Bangkok has many shopping streets, where you can buy just about
anything from clothes, souvenirs, all kinds of antiques and electrical
goods. Generally, you can obtain a final figure ten-to-thirty percent
lower than the original asking price. Much depends upon your skills and
the shopkeeper's mood. With patience, and a broad smile, you will not only
get a better price, you'll also come to recognize shopping in Bangkok as
an art-form! Here is a selection of the many shopping streets visitors can
enjoy:
Patpong Night Market (Thanon Patpong)
Apart from the colorful night life, where an amazing variety of bars,
clubs, discotheques and other exotic venues exist, there is a pulsating
night market to attract all-night travelers. This is where you can buy
clothing and souvenirs of all kinds. Patpong's lively night market
spills over on to Thanon Silom in one of the city's main commercial
districts.
Soi "Lalai Sap"
This is one of the Bangkok's most popular lunch-time shopping areas,
located next to the Bangkok Bank headquarters on Thanon Silom. Starting
just before noon, and closing not long after lunch breaks on weekdays
only, the market is packed with office workers who shop for clothing,
leather goods, food, gifts and knick-knacks. It is almost impossible to
walk through the tiny alley without spending some money, hence the name
"Soi Lalai Sap".
Siam Square (Thanon Rama I)
This area is brimming with restaurants, including the trendy Hard Rock
Café; cinemas, book shops and specialty stores. There is also a street
market selling clothes and accessories. This area is most frequently
visited by teenagers.
Pratu Nam
Located on the intersection of Petchaburi and Thanon Ratchadamri, this
vast bazaar is jam-packed with stalls and countless peddlers which attract
large crowds. This is where you can buy fabrics and ready-to-wear
fashions. Also of interest here are open-air restaurants, a shopping
complex and the soaring Baiyoke II Tower, the tallest apartment building
in Southeast Asia.
Bang Lamphu
A shopping area once frequently visited olely by the local people and now
a popular place for tourists. This area offers various inexpensive items,
especially ready-made clothes, handbags, men's and ladies' shoes,
cosmetics and curios. Bargaining is recommended.
Lang Krasuang and Woeng Nakhon Kasem
For moderately priced, second-hand goods, no other place is better
suited than these two markets in Bangkok. The first is Lang Krasuang which
is on Thanon Atsadang. The other is Woeng Nakhon Kasem, located around
some of the smaller alleys off New Road, near Chinatown. Visitors will get
a better bargain by taking along a Thai friend to haggle over price! Both
markets have goods from pawn shops; such as musical instruments,
electrical goods, uniforms and camping equipment.
Khlong Thom
Located near Chinatown, in the area around Thanon Maha Chak and Soi Chong
Charoen Phanit, this market specialises in hardware such as wire-cutters,
screwdrivers, and other kinds of tools. This area also features a market
selling all kinds of antiques and electrical goods.
Department Stores
Bangkok has a number of good
quality department store chains such as Central Department Store,
Robinson, The Mall, Thai Daimaru, and Isetan. These are usually located in
major shopping plazas or mega-malls dotted around the city.
Bangkok's top shoppers tend to frequent
the following:
Peninsula Plaza
(Ratchadamri Road)
Imported brand name labels, jewellery, top local fashion designers,
gourmet shops.
World Trade Centre
(Ratchaprasong Intersection)
Mega mall where the young and trendy hang out. Zen and Isetan Department
Stores, restaurants, cinemas, ice skating rink, Thailand Duty Free Shop.
Narayana Phand
(Thanon Ratchadamri, opposite World Trade Centre)
This is a handicraft centre, under government supervision. Visitors may
inspect and buy selections of handicrafts from all parts of the country.
Items available include Thai silk, ceramics, wood carvings, lacquerware,
bronze objects and Khon masks. The store is open daily from 10:00 until
20:00 hours.
Gaysorn Plaza
(Thanon Ploenchit)
Imported brand name clothing, trendy restaurants, imported household
furnishings.
Ma Bun Khrong Shopping Centre
For those shoppers who enjoy a market-style atmosphere, in air-conditioned
comfort, Ma Bun Khrong is the place to go. Located on the corner of Thanon
Phayathai and Thanon Rama I, it is packed with stalls selling everything
from clothing and leather goods to electrical equipment, furniture,
cosmetics, and general gift items.
Siam Centre
Located on Thanon Rama I. Featuring mainly trendy fashions for the young
and young-at-heart.
The Galleria Plaza
Shopping mall specialising in gems and jewellery. Located on Thanon Silom.
The Emporium
The ultimate shopping complex, located on Thanon Sukhumvit between
Sukhumvit 24 and Benchasiri Park. Imported brand name clothing and
accessories, designer-living products, multiplex theatres, wholesale
supermarket and restaurants.
River City Shopping Centre
This shopping centre is known mostly for its quality antique stores and
regular auctions. Most prices are negotiable. Another Thailand Duty Free
Shop is located here. The shopping centre is next to the Royal Orchid
Sheraton Hotel.
Seacon Square
Located on Thanon Srinagarindra, this is a mega mall that draws crowds of
suburban Bangkokians each weekend. It has everything for the whole family,
including shops, cinemas, amusement park, wholesale supermarket, and
restaurants.
Duty Free Shop
Thailand Duty Free Shop is the only government-operated, downtown duty
free shop in Thailand. Located on the 7th floor of the World Trade Centre,
Ratchadamri Road, it is open everyday from 11:00 until 20:30 hours.
Featuring a wide range of quality products, Thailand Duty Free Shop
enables tourists, and those going overseas at leisure, pay for them and
then collect them later at the airport prior to departure.
Floating Market
Despite the emergence of the ubiquitous farm pick-ups, paddy farmers and
orchard gardeners still continue to meet and barter their products in
age-old trading spots on the canals (Khlongs). Early every morning,
sampans laden with all kinds of tropical fruits and vegetables and fresh
products, wend their way to the floating markets around Bangkok.
There is one particular floating market
in Bangkok that visitors can enjoy:
Taling Chan Floating Market is a weekend
market in front of Taling Chan District Office, open from 09:00 to 17:00
hours. Boat trip services are available for sightseeing along the canal
where gardens and a village lifestyle are still to be seen. The market is
also accessible by bus No.79 and 83 which pass nearby. Contact Taling Chan
District Office on telephone 424-1742 for more information.
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