Shopping and dropping

On Sunday morning we took the subway to the Chatuchat weekend market. After seeing the streets, were very surprised that the subway was extremely clean and new – it felt like we were back in Singapore!

The market is huge. It took us a while just to find the information center. The guide book said it was located on section 25, but we couldn’t find that section, even though we could see sections 23, 24 and 26. We even asked some people and no-one was sure. The truth is Chatuchat is a giant maze encompassing more than 800 stalls. When we finally found the information center, we were given a map. The people also warned us against pickpockets and showed us a bunch of wallets that had turned up empty.

I’d like to take the opportunity to mention that everywhere you go in Bangkok you find nice people willing to go out of their way to help you. If they don’t speak English, they’ll find you someone who does.

At Chatuchat you can find almost anything, from stylish clothes and accessories, handicrafts and household items, to furniture, artworks, and even puppies. And everything is so cheap, especially by western standards! (bargaining is expected) I honestly rarely give in to the shopping spree temptation, but if it weren’t for the limited time and how much we were able to carry back (we bought a bag for that purpose) I could have made a serious dent in the wallet…

On the way back we took the Skytrain (a sort of subway that runs above the city streets) to Siam square, for an altogether different kind of shopping. The malls at Siam square are even bigger and nicer than the ones in Singapore, and that’s saying a lot. One of them had the biggest supermarket I’ve ever seen, and everything there was gourmet. I wonder who shops there, considering that just across the street there are very modest houses and beggars on the sidewalk. It’s a very shocking contrast.

Tired of walking and shopping in Bangkok’s oppressive heat (it’s worse than Singapore) we made our way back to the hotel, repacked (we had to fit our market finds somehow) and left to the airport, hoping to be able to at least nap on the way back home. If only we had had time for another massage!