Chatuchak Market, Bangkok : Thailand 2013

It's been 5 months since my epic 3-month Asia trip to Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Being back is always good; home is always the best but I reckon I'm feeling the itch to travel again. After an hour of deliberation and a good airasia promotion, I booked flights to Korea!

So I finally had the time to edit, resize and upload my Thailand photos :) I spent 4 days in Bangkok back in February and although it did feel like a pretty short trip, it was rather productive and chillax! Good and cheap shopping, food and massages! That's all we really did - wake up, eat breakfast, shopped, lunch, shopped, dinner, shopped, supper, massage, bedtime. Bangkok was pretty amazing for a shopping holiday but the only downside of that city is its scorching hot and humid weather.

We had deliberately chosen to visit Bangkok over the weekend because of Chatuchak Market - which is only open on Saturdays and Sundays - famous among the locals and tourists for the sale of its wide range of cheap goods and food! We spent 5 hours there and still couldn't cover the place!

The best thing about Chatuchak Market is (obviously) its price. It's cheaper than Platinum Mall or Baiyoke Night Market and what's even better is most stall owners allow people to try on their clothing before purchasing them.

Cheap drinks, cheap food, cheap singlets everywhere!

It's extremely important that you grab/print a map of the market before you head there because the place is huge and is made up small alleys like this (picture below) - so it's really easy to lose your way!

If you do go to Chatuchak, you have to try these freshly squeezed mandarin juice - so sweet, so cheap, best drink to quench your thirst in that heat.

We had lunch at this really famous duck noodle store - forever so crowded and only have limited seats - you basically sit, order, finish eating and leave - no room and time for chatting. And, because it's so small and crowded, be prepared to squeeze in and share tables with complete strangers.

The highlight (for me) of Chatuchak Market is this: COCONUT ICE-CREAM! It's soooo amazing, I could have eaten five portions! Til today, this is the one thing I really miss and still love.

Placed in the heart of Bangkok's bustling city, Platinum Mall is (almost) every tourist and local's favourite place. The multilevel shopping mall offers a huge range of clothing, shoes and accessories - every girl's dream! There are a number of shops for men too - so no fear males, you will not be bored! 

It is vital that you plan before you start shopping at Platinum Mall - it has numerous floors and each floor is filled with shops. If you see something you like, just get it because you probably won't have time to revisit the shop. So, it's better to devote a whole day for this place and work your way up each floor or the other way round. 

Price

Platinum Mall is generally a little more expensive compared to Chatuchak Market or Baiyoke Night Market. However, Platinum has a wider and more modern range of clothing, shoes and accessories compared to Chatuchak but they are usually more expensive. 

No Trying On Policy

Most shops in Platinum do not allow customers to try on their clothes before purchasing them. I personally do not like this policy because I like to try things on to see if they fit and etc... So, just be aware of this and if this is an issue for you, try bringing a measuring tape to measure clothes to check if they'll fit you. 

Air conditioned!

The best thing about Platinum is it is air conditioned! After having spent a whole day at Chatuchak the day before in the sun, I realised how the weather plays such a huge factor in my mood when I go shopping. At Platinum, you can shop in comfort :) 

Crowd

As usual, the place is super crowded - be prepared to squeeze your way through in, out of shops and while you dig racks for clothes. 

Bangkok women seem to love studs. 

A huge tip to surviving Chatuchak would be to constantly hydrate yourself - drink lots of water and juice! I was amazed at how much liquid I consumed within that 5 hours at Chatuchak. 

Today's entry is focused on one of the stalls we coincidentally found when we were desperate for some water and a resting area. (Don't even ask me where it is, I have absolutely no idea - I only remember it being opposite stalls selling flowers and some accessories).  We were so thankful that they had a couple of empty seats and wasn't as busy as the other food stalls during lunchtime - it's probably because it was located away from the main entrance. 

We ordered their famous (according to their menu) Fish Ball noodles in clear broth and Thailand's famous Mango stickyrice! We were so glad we stumbled upon this place - their fish balls were so fresh and they tasted so yummy! I don't usually fancy fish balls because they have a weird texture and usually tastes 'fake' but this was really good. Their mango stickyrice was equally awesome - Thailand has the sweetest mangoes and they are so cheap! We probably only spend about AUD 4 for that meal - AMAZING!!