Date: 2 November 2019
After spending some time at Chatuchak Weekend Market, I took the MRT (Bangkok’s subway) from Chatuchak to Thailand Cultural Centre station. I came here to visit — what was then — a increasingly popular night market.
I say ‘was’ because… look at the date I was there. Just two months later, COVID hit the world. Thailand’s tourism sector came to a halt. And for a city like Bangkok, that sees nearly 40 million(!) visitors annually, needless to say, the lack of tourists had a massive impact on the footfalls flowing into Bangkok’s popular night markets.
Now, the site in Ratchada district where Rot Fai 2 market used to be looks like this now:
That said, according to a video by Coconuts Bangkok, uploaded in August 2021, the Ratchada Night Market will make up a comeback… eventually. Unless a property developer is already eyeing the land for another luxury development in Bangkok 🙄
Rot Fai means ‘train’ in Thai. The night market used to be located by the train tracks in the Chatuchak area but later moved to the Ratchada district.
Anyway, if the Ratchada Rot Fai market does return to the same location, here’s how to get there and what the market offers.
Once you exit Thailand Cultural Centre MRT station, head towards a mall named Esplanade.
If you search for Rot Fai night market online or look it up on Instagram, you will most likely see a photo of an over head view of the colourful tents at the market. To get that iconic shot, you don’t need a drone.
Why do people bother coming here for?
I bought a bunch of these fruit soaps to give my relatives back home. It makes for a unique gift and they all liked it. The soaps smell like the fruits they resemble and are just fine as bath soaps.
Unfortunately, as I was just started to get around the night market, it began to rain! Here is a video I had shot before the rains poured:
After the heavy rains subsided, I took out my umbrella and I tried walking around but it was hard to take videos with my the DSLR one-handed (due to its weight).
The rains pretty much killed the vibe of the market. All of sudden, the crowds began to disperse, stall owners decided to shut shop, and the lights got dim. I decided to leave the market and made my way back to Esplanade.
I decided to eat something before heading back to my hostel.
Despite ‘Tokyo’ in the name, sundubu is a type of Korean stew made with tofu, cooked together with vegetables, meat, or seafood. It came with some rice and was bubbling hot. It tasted pretty good.
After that, I headed back to my hostel and called it an night after doing some work.
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