Rivaling Pak Khlong as one of the best places to buy flowers in Bangkok is
Thewet Market, another place with a large selection of plants, flowers
and other related items. This takes place just off the intersection of Samsen
road and Krung Kasem road, near Tha Thewet river pier (not far north of Banglamphu).
Taking a river boat to Tha Thewet is the best way of reaching it. Another
option is Bangrak market, on Charoen Krung road near the Shangri-La
hotel. It's not solely a flower market though - meat, seafood, fruit and clothes
are all also on sale here. Prices are reasonable for Bangkok, and very cheap
for this rather exclusive neighborhood. Also on Charoen Krung road is the
stamp market, which takes place next to the GPO on Sundays only.
Penang Market, in the Khlong Toey port district, sells clothes, food
etc...but is most notable for the TVs, stereos and other electrical goods
on sale here. Prices are very cheap, much cheaper than in department stores
and shopping centers. This is due to the fact that most of the products have
"fallen" off ships coming into the port, and so haven't been taxed.
Check anything you plan to buy very carefully and buy 'as is' - any receipts
or guarantees you may be offered are just about worthless. Khlong Toey
market is north of Penang Market, at the intersection of Rama IV road
and Narong road. The market is very large, but only a small bit of it can
be seen by driving past it - it's size becomes apparent once you get out and
look around. It's mainly a food market, though a few other things can be bought
there as well. It's probably the cheapest place to shop for food in all of
Bangkok, but the raw nature of the market means it's not for the squeamish.
Ask a taxi to go to klong toey dta-laht or take ordinary buses 45,
46, 72, 102 or 107 which all go to this area.
Narrow Sampeng Lane (also known as Soi Wanit) in Chinatown
is an interesting place to wander down, and has a colorful history of murders,
drugs gang wars and prostitution. Nowadays, it's rather less dangerous as
a primarily wholesale market, though you're not likely to find much that you
want to buy - on sale are fabrics, textiles, preserved food, household and
kitchen accessories, spices, cheap toys etc...It's obviously a good place
for any sort of Chinese specialty and prices are cheap, though bargaining
for everything is essential. It's worth going just for the experience - it's
amazingly busy and every possible space is used in the shops there, street
vendors resort to setting up shop anywhere they can. It is always crowded,
and so is ideal conditions for pickpockets - take care and don't take too
much money with you just in case. The Talat Kao (translating as 'Old
Market') is not far away, and is a Chinese food market where all manner of
strange foods are available for the brave to try. If you are after Chinese
delicacies, such as Shark's Fin, this is as good a place as any to buy them.
Many of the nearby restaurants sell the dishes that are on offer here if you
want to try them.
Nakhon Kasem, known in English as the Thieves Market, is a
second hand market for Thai and Chinese antiques (though most, if not all,
are fake) and pawn shop goods, porcelain, brass, furniture, musical instruments
and similar items. It's really past it's best now, and is not a particularly
inspiring place to shop as many of the better deals have left for more profitable
locations. The name comes from the fact that once upon a time this was where
stolen goods would turn up, but it's you're unlikely to find anything illegitimate
today. Bargain hard. Selling similar types of goods is the Lang Krasuang
market, on Atsadang road in Banglamphu. Not all that far from here is Pahurat
cloth market, in 'Little India' next to Chinatown. It's basically yet
another wholesale market for textiles, and there's a wide selection of all
sorts of fabrics, sarongs, textiles and clothes available. The market has
mainly clothes, among them a wide selection of from all over Asia. Old
Siam Plaza is north of Pahurat and has many gun shops in the area, as
well as a market of mainly handicrafts.
