Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [137]
Pratunam Market (Map; cnr Th Petchaburi & Th Ratchaprarop; 8am-6pm; klorng taxi to Tha Pratunam) The city’s biggest wholesale clothing market, Pratunam is a tight warren of stalls trickling deep into the block. In addition to cheap T-shirts and jeans, luggage, bulk toiletries and souvenirs are also available.
Soi Lalai Sap (Map; Soi Lalai Sap/5, Th Silom; 8am-6pm; Skytrain Chong Nonsi) The ‘money-melting’ street has a number of vendors selling all sorts of cheap clothing, watches and homewares during the day. Regular perusers say that imperfections from name-brand factories often appear in the stacks.
Phahurat Market (Map; Th Phahurat & Th Triphet; river ferry Tha Saphan Phut) Across from Old Siam Plaza, the Indian-fabric district prefers boisterous colours, faux fur, neon sparkles and everything you’ll need for a Halloween costume or a traditional Thai dance drama. Deeper into the market are cute clothes for kids and good deals on Thai textiles.
Sampeng Lane (Map; Sampeng Lane/Soi Wanit 1, Chinatown; river ferry Tha Ratchawong) This wholesale market runs roughly parallel to Th Yaowarat, bisecting the two districts of Chinatown and Phahurat. Pick up the narrow artery from Th Ratchawong and follow it through its many manifestations – handbags, homewares, hair decorations, stickers, Japanese-animation gear, plastic beeping key chains. Unless you’re shopping for a grassroots import-export group, Sampeng is more for entertainment than for purchases.
TOURIST MARKETS
The souvenir sellers have an amazing knack for sniffing out what new arrivals want to haul back home – perennial favourites include raunchy T-shirts, mŏrn kwhn (traditional Thai wedge-shaped pillow), CDs and synthetic sarongs. Not all tourist markets are created equal: porn is hard to come by on Th Khao San but plentiful on Th Sukhumvit; and hemp clothing is noticeably absent from Patpong.
Th Sukhumvit Market (Map; Th Sukhumvit btwn Soi 2 & 12, 3 & 15; 11am-10.30pm; Skytrain Nana) Knock-offs bags and watches, stacks of skin-flick DVDs, Chinese throwing stars and other questionable gifts for your high-school-aged brother dominate at this market peddling to package and sex tourists.
* * *
THE WAR ON THE GEM SCAM
We’re begging you, if you aren’t a gem trader, then don’t buy unset stones in Thailand – period. Countless tourists are sucked into the prolific and well-rehearsed gem scam in which they are taken to a store by a helpful stranger and tricked into buying bulk gems that can supposedly be resold in their home country for 100% profit. The expert con artists (part of a well-organised cartel) seem trustworthy and convince tourists that they need a citizen of the country to circumvent tricky customs regulations. Guess what, the gem world doesn’t work like that; and what most tourists end up with are worthless pieces of glass. By the time you sort all this out, the store has closed, changed names and the police can do little to help. Want to know more or want to report a scam? Visit www.2bangkok.com and navigate to the ‘Gem Scam’ page for five years’ worth of tracking the phenomenon, or go to Thai Gems Scam Group (www.geocities.com/thaigemscamgroup) for photos of touts who troll the temples for victims. The tourist police can also help to resolve some purchase disputes, but don’t expect miracles.
* * *
* * *
MARKETING STRATEGY
Open-air markets are the heart and soul of Bangkok-style commerce, but the options can be a bit overwhelming. To help you burn your baht more efficiently, we’ve put together a brief cheat sheet of the most interesting options.
Chatuchak Weekend Market (Click here) Stock up on souvenirs, or invest in a vintage tracksuit –they’re all here.
Nonthaburi Market (opposite) The most picturesque fresh market in the area, but get there early, ideally before 7am.