Bangkok, Thailand: Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise, the heat is oppressive in Thailand. However, as long you move slowly and hydrate often, it is possible to get used to it.

My first order of business in exploring the city, as has been the case elsewhere, is to check out the market areas. With that in mind, I headed out to the Chatuchak weekend market this morning. To say that this market is large is severely understating the case. The entire market has over 15,000 stalls. However, unlike the chaos and commotion of previous markets, these are laid out in an orderly grid, with cleanliness the order of the day, and unobtrusive sales staff who wait for you to approach them. It was not quite sterile, but it was definitely heading in that direction. After the chaos of other market places, this was a bit of a welcome relief.

• 

The market is further organized into 27 sections. Shops that are selling similar items are then clustered together. The overall effect is that (much like in the streets of India and the souks of Marrakech) the entirety of all the vendors becomes one enormous department store.

The degree of specialization in some of the stalls was pretty intense. If you wanted dog toys and supplies, you know where to go.

• 

• 

The same applied for a wide variety of other goods.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

I especially liked the stores that seemed to specialize in the hyperspecific: know that you want a white dress and only a white dress?

Need that perfect pair of shoelaces?

Or perhaps that precise piece of military equipment?

• 

• 

I also discovered where bad clothes from the 90’s ended up:

Located across the street from the market was a 6 floor air conditioned building housing a flea market. I decided to take a break for a while in the AC and check things out. The types of good here were a bit different and a bit more unusual.

• 

• 

• 

Some I can see a market for:

And others were just disturbing:

Heading back over to the main market, I wandered around a bit longer noting some of the more unusual items.

• 

• 

• 

• 

There were also food sections with a number of different things for sale:

• 

• 

• 

• 

Exhausted from the hours of wandering about, I eventually headed back to my room for some rest.

In the evening I headed out to China Town for dinner. The crowds and number of vendors on the street made it look a bit like Times Square in New York. Unfortunately, I neglected to bring my camera and will need to come back another night to capture the action.

Uncategorized Bangkok markets Thailand