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Damnoensaduak floating market tourists Ratchaburi Thailand

Thailand 2010: Damnoen Saduak Floating Market tour, Cobra show… and leaving Bangkok

Date:  29th November 2010

My final day in Thailand… and I still made most of the time I had before flying out.

Even though I still had an entry ticket to DreamWorld theme park which I got for free via Cleartrip, I decided to chuck that and opted instead to do something I couldn’t do last year.

I booked myself for a floating market tour via the lady who owns Thai House Inn and she got it for me for ฿600 (Rs. 890/$20/€14).

Bangkok Rama bridge early morning Thailand
Left Bangkok at around 6am; headed to the neighbouring district of Ratchaburi, a 100km drive
Shrimp prawn farms outside Bangkok Thailand
Passed by a lot of shrimp farms. Turns out Thailand is largest exporter of such shrimps. (That explains the abundance of prawn crackers)

After an hour long drive, the van reached a canal where there were other tour groups gathered near some boats.

Floating market tour starting point boats Thailand
We would then be split up into groups for each boat
Canal longtail boat Bangkok Thailand
I grabbed the spot in front

Damnoen Saduak Ratchaburi canal boats Bangkok Thailand

Damnoen Saduak river taxi boats Bangkok Thailand
No roads from here on out, just canals all the way to the ‘floating’ market

Floating village longtail boats parked Thailand

River to Damoen Saduak floating market Thailand
It was a lovely morning ride

Damnoen Saduak river pier Bangkok Thailand Floating village Thai women canal Bangkok

Damnoen Saduak floating village house by river Bangkok Thailand
It was a charming sight to see houses and entire villages live by these canals
Damnoen Saduak floating village river Bangkok Thailand
Kind of appears as though the ‘roads’ are flooded 🙂

Damnoen Saduak floating village Bangkok Thailand Damnoen Saduak river homes Yamaha Fino Bangkok ThailandDamnoen Saduak village boat lift Ratchaburi ThailandDamnoen Saduak floating market flower pots Ratchaburi ThailandDamnoen Saduak floating market sheet Ratchaburi ThailandDamnoen Saduak canal house Ratchaburi ThailandDamnoen Saduak floating market river motorboat Ratchaburi

Damnoen Saduak floating market sign Ratchaburi Thailand
That’s where we were heading

Damnoen Saduak floating market row houses Ratchaburi ThailandDamnoen Saduak floating village houses Ratchaburi ThailandDamnoen Saduak floating market pedestrian bridge Ratchaburi ThailandDamnoen Saduak floating village home Ratchaburi ThailandDamnoen Saduak floating market canal Ratchaburi Thailand

Damnoen Saduak floating market lanes Ratchaburi Thailand

Once we reached the market, we got out of our boats and were informed by our guide that we had nearly an hour here. But, if we wanted to boat ride around the market, we would have to pay ฿50 (Rs. 75/$1.6/€1.16) and it was not included in the tour package. Obviously, none of us wanted to simply walk around the ‘floating’ market, so I paid up.

Damnoen Saduak floating market old boat lady Ratchaburi
I sat right in front again

Damnoen Saduak floating market boats fruit hawker Ratchaburi ThailandDamnoen Saduak floating market paddle boat vendor Ratchaburi Thailand

Damnoen Saduak floating market paddle boats Ratchaburi Thailand
Mind you, there are many boats carrying tourists around the market all morning. The market closes by afternoon.
Damnoen Saduak floating market hats vendor Thailand
Plenty of hawkers (on boats of course) pull your boat over to try and sell you their wares

Damnoen Saduak floating market hats ThailandDamnoen Saduak floating market souvenir vendor ThailandDamnoen Saduak floating market vendor pulling Ratchaburi Thailand

Damnoen Saduak floating market saffron spices Ratchaburi Thailand
A lot of the stuff for sale are souvenirs and other Thailand memorabilia

Damnoen Saduak floating market vendors Ratchaburi Thailand

Damnoen Saduak floating market pork noodles Ratchaburi Thailand
No shortage of eateries as usual

Damnoen Saduak floating market Paew boat service Thailand

Thailand souvenirs for sale floating market Ratchaburi Thailand
And as usual, you can haggle for a much lower price than what they initially quote

Damnoen Saduak floating market morning rush ThailandDamnoen Saduak floating market restaurant Ratchaburi ThailandDamnoen Saduak floating market under bridge Thailand

Damnoen Saduak floating market handicrafts Thailand
Even under a bridge there was no shortage of hawkers

Damnoen Saduak floating market lights boat Thailand

Damnoen Saduak floating market insects bugs Thailand
From preserved animals…
Damnoen Saduak floating market snake Thailand
.. to even getting photographs with a massive snake. All available under the bridge.

Damnoen Saduak floating market hawker boats Thailand

Damnoen Saduak floating market coconut boat Thailand
Nicely shaven coconut 🙂

Damnoen Saduak floating market bags sculptures Thailand Damnoen Saduak floating market hawker boat ThailandDamnoensaduak floating market water canal Ratchaburi ThailandDamnoensaduak floating market tourist paddle boat Thailand

Damnoensaduak floating market fan hats hawker Thailand
After much pandering, I ended up buying two of these hats for my nieces. The hats can be folded into fans as well. Paid around ฿100 each.
Asian tourists floating market Thailand
Best advised to keep your hands inside at all time. The boats do ram into each other.
Damnoen Saduak floating market end Thailand
It was time to turn around and go back

Damnoensanduak floating market souvenirs sale Thailand

Damnoensanduak floating market boats jam Thailand
This is what a floating market traffic jam looks like

And this is what it sounds like 🙂

Damnoensanduak floating market Durian Thailand
Durian. Ugh.
Damnoensanduak floating market hats hawker Thailand
Yes, lots of hats

Damnoensanduak floating market handicrafts Ratchaburi ThailandAfter riding for around half an hour, we were dropped back on to the platform.

Damnoensaduak floating Thailand flag boat Ratchaburi
Continued taking photos on foot

Damnoensaduak floating market morning Ratchaburi Thailand Damnoensaduak floating market boat ride Ratchaburi ThailandDamnoensaduak floating market shops Ratchaburi ThailandDamnoensaduak floating market dog Ratchaburi ThailandDamnoensaduak floating market boats crossing Ratchaburi ThailandDamnoensaduak floating market fruits boat Ratchaburi ThailandDamnoensaduak floating market paddle boats fresh food Thailand

Damnoensaduak floating market tourists Ratchaburi Thailand
The floating market is one of those ‘must see’ places in Thailand
Damnoensaduak floating market massage chairs Thailand
Yes, you can get a massage just about anywhere in Thailand

Damnoensaduak floating market canal boats Ratchaburi ThailandDamnoensaduak floating market long boat Ratchaburi Thailand

Damnoensaduak floating market paddle boats parking Thailand
How paddle boats are ‘parked’
Damnoensaduak floating market smaller canal Thailand
I would have liked to have gone through there

Damnoensaduak floating market entrance king portrait Thailand

Damnoensaduak floating market food boat Ratchaburi Thailand
How heavy must the boats be to hold the weight of two gas cylinders?

I walked back to the designated meeting point for our tour group. It was time to leave, so we all got back to our respective vans.

I was under the impression the floating market tour was over and that we would be on our long drive back. But no, instead, the van took us to a nearby Elephant Village.

Now, I had been to an elephant camp in Chiang Mai back in 2009 so I knew what to expect and more importantly, why they bring tourists here as ‘part of the package’.

Floating market tour elephant ride village Thailand
It’s ฿600 for an elephant ride -_-
Elephant village ride tourists Thailand
I wasn’t interested
Elephant village forest history Thailand
Instead, I sat at the cafe and read up trivia

After waiting for nearly half an hour for the few from my tour group who wanted to go for the elephant ride, we finally got moving again. Next up, the Cobra Show.

Cobra Show entrance ticket counter Ratchaburi Thailand
Again, they only drop you here, you still had the option to pay and enter

Even though I had seen videos from the ‘most exciting show in the world,’ I did not want to wait outside in the heat again. So I paid the ฿30 or ฿50 it was for the ticket and went in.

Cobra Show arena Bangkok Thailand
The arena inside (Panorama comprised of 6 shots)

They start off with the announcer welcoming everyone and explaining in fairly understandable English that the purpose of the facility is to ‘educate’ visitors that snakes are not all that dangerous as people make them out to be.

Cobra show extracting snake venom Thailand
A badass-looking Thai staff member showing us how they extract snake’s venom

The also bring around snakes to you in case you want to take photos with one around your neck. And since I hate snakes…

Cobra show Mithun snake around neck Thailand
I thought I’d give it a try 🙂
Cobra show python snake showing tourists Thailand
They have all kinds of snakes, like huge pythons as well

The ‘exciting’ parts kick in when they demonstrate how the trained staff catch snakes. Which has to be seen in action:

The guy also caught three cobras, one by one, which was quite impressive.

The excitement continues when they bring out a snake’s worst enemy in the animal kingdom, the mongoose — and then make the two fight.

Cobra show mongoose snake fight Thailand
“Snake, meet mongoose”
Cobra show mongoose snake fight tourism Thailand
“Snake… meet mongoose!”
Cobra show mongoose fighting snake Thailand
“Snake… snake…snaaaaake!”*
Cobra show mongoose not fighting snake Thailand
Introductions over I guess

Here’s a video of the mongoose fight some more:

Thirty minutes of, erm, animal cruelty, the show was over. The staff went around seeking donations from the visitors, and I tipped ฿100 to the guy who caught the snakes with his bare hands, because that’s quite some skill.

Outside, there have a mini-zoo with a few reptilian creatures.

Mangrove snake cobra show ThailandCobra show crocodile Thailand

Cobra show python tourist neck photograph Thailand
If you want photos with much bigger snakes, you can take them here
Cobra show Thailand snake park Thailand
But I wanted to sit in the air-conditioned van as it was quite hot!

I asked our guide if the ‘tour’ was over, but he said there was one final stop. Ugh.

This was some handicrafts showroom where they specialize in wooden sculptures.

Thailand wood craftsman at work

Buddha statue wood carving Thailand
But I must say, quite impressive wood work (That sign seems a bit ironic btw)

Thai craftswoman handicraft carving Thailand

Teakwood amazing woodwork craftsman artist Thailand
Scratch that, some *very* impressive wood work!
Teakwood detailed amazing woodwork craftsman artist Thailand
Wonder how many weeks it takes for such stunning works of art
Wooden elephant sculpture handicrafts Thailand
They’re all for sale but it’s not like they’re easy to fit into a suitcase and take back with you

Needless to say, none of these wooden sculptures carved out of teak wood come cheap. Most of them were in the thousands of dollars (yes, dollars, not Thai baht)!

Thai wood handicrafts showroom Thailand
They have a showroom with some smaller pieces of wood work inside

After another half-an-hour spent here, we headed back into our vans. I was finally done with the ‘floating market’ tour. As touristy as the above sights may seem, I still feel a visit to the floating market is a ‘must-do’ in Thailand. Damnoen Suduak is the most popular floating market, thus the hordes of tourists. There are a few other floating markets across Thailand.

The journey back into the city took a lot longer for me as I was going to be the last one dropped. I eventually got down at MBK to have lunch… at KFC.

KFC seaweed flavour chicken Bangkok Thailand
Last year, KFC Thailand introduced a sweet ‘n’ spicy variant of their chicken, and it was my last meal before leaving. This year, KFC introduced a seaweed infused variant. It was alright, better than last year’s sweet ‘n’ spicy.

With my final meal in Thailand complete…

Siam Paragon Krispy Kreme line Bangkok Thailand
Oh for god’s sake Thai people, there’s NOTHING special about Krispy Kreme!

Anyway… I headed back to Thai House Inn to pack up and check out. I sat down for a bit before stepping out again, but this time, without my camera bag for a change. I wanted to give my shoulders a rest after the nearly two weeks I strained them. I walked further down from Nana BTS to see whether there were better sub-฿1000 accommodation available so that next time if I do choose to stay in the Sukhumvit area, I don’t have to stay to at Thai House Inn.

Hopefully, next time I’m in Bangkok, if I don’t have much shopping to do, I’ll stay in Khao San road.

At around 5:30pm, I took the BTS to Phaya Thai station. They had only recently opened the new skytrain link directly to Suvarnabhumi airport, saving passengers both time and money.

Phaya Thai airport line BTS station Bangkok metro
The Phaya Thai airport link station
Phaya Thai airport link to Suvarnabhumi BTS station Bangkok
And as an introductory offer, the ticket to Suvarnabhumi was a cheap ฿15! I paid nearly ฿500 last year for taxi!

The journey took  just 30 minutes. Clearly a better option for those with less luggage. I was early enough for my 9:20pm Thai Airways flight to Bangalore.

Suvarnabhumi airport metro BTS entrance Thailand
The entry into the airport from the BTS station is at the basement

Walking up to the departures section, I was quite stunned to see just about every Indian passenger heading back to Mumbai with a massive LCD/plasma TV in tow. It’s as though everybody knew how much to pay off the Mumbai customs officials upon arrival.

Quite ridiculous really, especially seeing many of them pleading with the check-in personnel not to impose excess baggage charges… because some of them were (unsurprisingly) way over the allowed limit!

Statue Thai art Suvarnabhumi airport ThailandAfter checking-in, I headed to the VAT (value added tax) refund office to declare my purchases and get my VAT refund forms stamped by the officials. Then came the rather long queue at immigration.

Thai sculpture Suvarnabhumi airport gates
Passport stamped, I was through

I checked out the Duty Free, bought two bottles of liquor that my friends requested (prices and selection are fairly good here) and then went to the VAT refund counter to get my cash refund. Submitted my form and got 7% of the total value of my purchases back in cash. I mentioned this last year and I’ll mention it again: for the VAT refund, one needs to shop at stores that participate in the VAT refund scheme for tourists. Upon purchase, you will get a VAT refund form from the store and it’s only upon showing that same form at the airport will you be eligible for a refund. You can’t simply show a bunch of store receipts and expect a cash refund (‘cos I’ve seen people do that).

Sitting at my gate, I had plenty of time for a flashback. Another trip to Thailand that didn’t feel ‘complete’. Had I successfully covered the big lantern release in Mae Jo, Chiang Mai, I would have scratched North Thailand off my list and only focused on South Thailand for my next visit.

I wasn’t even in the best of health the first week, which sucked. Still… all I can say is that I did the best I could and I hope my readers enjoyed this series.

So until Thailand 201_, it’s back to India for now! 🙂


Previous posts in this series:

Thailand 2010: Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha, Sampeng Market, JJ market (again)

Thailand 2010: Back to Bangkok — Chinatown, Patpong, Platinum Mall and Chatuchak Market

Thailand 2010: Pattaya — Beach road, Viewpoint, Jomtien Beach, Walking Street

Thailand 2010: Golden Triangle in Mae Sai; Chiang Rai’s White Temple (Wat Rong Khun)

Thailand 2010: Heading to Chiang Rai by bus, Wat Jedyod and Golden Clock Tower

Thailand 2010: Last day of Loi Krathong; Sunday Grand Parade (Day 4, Part 2)

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Zoo (Day 4, Part 1)

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Loi Krathong celebrations; first Grand Parade

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai cooking class; Loi Krathong celebrations in Mae Jo, Sansai

Thailand 2010: First day in Chiang Mai for Loi Krathong; driving up Doi Suthep

Thailand 2010: Arriving in Bangkok and preparing for Loi Krathong in Chiang Mai

 

*Metal Gear Solid referance

Gurdwara entrance sikhs Bangkok Thailand

Thailand 2010: Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha, Sampeng Market, JJ market (again)

Date:  28th November 2010

I began today with a taxi ride to Phahurat Raod.

House Lumpini building Silom Bangkok Thailand
Drove towards Silom first

Silom buildings Bangkok Thailand

Silom HSBC building Bangkok Thailand
A lot of financial firms have offices in Silom
DTAC telecom headquarters Bangkok Thailand
DTAC is Thailand’s second largest mobile service provider

Wat temple Silom Bangkok

China town daytime Bangkok Thailand
Drove through China Town again
Thanon Chakphet road Bangkok slums
Got down at Chakphet road

Chakphet street food stalls Bangkok

Fried fruit street hawker Bangkok Thailand
Batter-fried fruit

Phahurat market Chinese sweet shop Bangkok

Thanon Phahurat road Bangkok Thailand
Reached Pahurat road

Thanon Pahurat road shops Bangkok Thailand

Gurudwara Sikh point sign Pahurat road Bangkok
I could see a sign stating Gurudwara Sikh, but all it pointed to was a wall of shops on the side of the road I was on

Old Siam plaza Bangkok Thailand

Pahurat market shops Bangkok
I still waded through Pahurat market

Figuring the gurdwara was behind the shops, I found a gap and walked into an alley. There, an old Thai man saw me and just raised his arm to point to where I needed to go. I guessed I wasn’t the first Indian he may have come across in search of the elusive gurdwara.

Pahurat Bangkok alley way to gurdwara
Kept wondering how much more I had to walk to find it…
Bangkok gurdwara Indian temple Thailand
…but there it was (finally!)
Way to gurdwara Bangkok alley
The ‘desis’ were in sight 🙂

Shops near gurdwara Bangkok ThailandMarket near gurdwara Little India Bangkok

Gurdwara Sir Guru Singh Sabha Bangkok Thailand
Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha

You can read about the history of the gurdwara at their official site, but apparently Sikhs have been in Thailand since the early 1900s. Gurdwara entrance sikhs Bangkok ThailandAll non-Sikhs have to cover their heads with a scarf, which they provide by the stairs in the main hall.

Gurdwara scarfs Bangkok Thailand
Pick one

You also have to take off your shoes if you want to go upstairs. They have a big shoe rack in the main hall and you get a token.

Gurdwara main hall Sikhs blood donation Bangkok
The Sikhs were being their charitable self today with a blood donation camp
Gurdwara main hall fans Bangkok
The 6-storey gurdwara is one of the largest outside India
Gurdwara Langar hall Bangkok Thailand
The first floor is a Langar hall, where visitors and devotees had sat down for the free meals
Gurdwara wedding hall Bangkok sikhs
The floor above it looked like it was hall used for weddings and other events
Gurdwara prayer hall Bangkok Thailand
Above that was the main prayer hall

Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha prayer hall Bangkok

Gurdwara prayer hall Bangkok Sikh kid photobomb
This kid was waiting for his chance to ‘photobomb’ this shot
Gurdwara Sikh classrooms Bangkok Thailand
The fourth floor is a school
Gurdwara old Sikh lady Bangkok Thailand
The fifth floor was a hall with rooms…
Gurdwara Bahi Dharam Singh Bangkok Thailand
… with priests (I assume?)
Gurdwara Sikh guru rooms Bangkok Thailand
Not sure what this signifies or what they preach

Gurdwara window Bangkok ThailandChinaworld building Pahurat Bangkok

Gurdwara entry Pahurat road Bangkok
That looked like a more accessible entry
Gurdwara top floor Bangkok Thailand
I had reached the top
Gurdwara prayer hall carpet Bangkok Thailand
So naturally, I went back down

Gurdwara Guru Granth Sahib prayer Bangkok ThailandGurdwara Punjabis prayer hall Bangkok ThailandGurdwara Punjabi men praying Bangkok Thailand

Gurdwara Punjabi women praying Bangkok Thailand
The sexes are segregated in order to maintain ‘concentration’ it seems

Gurdwara Punjabis praying Guru Granth sahib Bangkok Thailand Gurdwara sikh women praying Bangkok ThailandGurdwara Sikh men praying Bangkok Thailand

Gurdwara prayer hall Bangkok Thailand
Assuming the prayers were over, I went down
Gurdwara Indian food hall Bangkok
Decided to eat

As much as I love Thai cuisine, after nearly two weeks, eating simple dal curry, sabzi (vegetables) and chapathis felt soooo good.

Feeling full, I went all the way back down, collected my shoes and left the gurdwara.

Pahurat market outside gurdwara Bangkok
Stepped out to a world where samosas and spring rolls are sold side-by-side
Pahurat textile market clothes Bangkok Thailand
Now to get back out…
Pahurat textile market prices Bangkok Thailand
I walked through the Pahurat textile market
Pahurat textile market Bangkok Thailand
I finally came out through here
Rajamangala University of Technology Rattanakosin Poh Chang campus
Rajamangala University of Technology was across the road

Here’s a map to give you a better idea:

Gurdwara Pahurat map Bangkok
(Image source: Google Maps)
Nightingale Olympic Company building Pahurat Bangkok
I moved on

Nightingale Olympic Company building Bangkok

Triphet road traffic crowds Bangkok
I was on the hunt for Sampeng Market next
Triphet road junction traffic Bangkok
The traffic scene here is *quite* different from the Sukhumvit side

After a bit of asking around, I was directed to Sampeng Market.

Sampeng market entry lane Bangkok
This wasn’t the main entrance or anything. Just one of many lanes in.
Sampeng Chinese market Bangkok Thailand
Sampeng market is known to be an integral part of China Town

Chinese idol worship Sampeng alley Bangkok

Sampeng Chinese market bags Bangkok
The lanes eventually all meet at one main straight path…
Sampeng market clothes CDs Bangkok Thailand
…which extends a long way

Sampeng market is a massive space with stores selling, well, just about everything: clothes, Chinese medicines, other Chinese specialties, toys, households items, pirated CDs and anything else China mass produces.

Sampeng market Sunday Thais Bangkok
Today being a Sunday, it was very crowded!
Sampeng textile market crowded Bangkok Thailand
Thus, very stuffy… and quite suffocating at times

Sampeng Chinese market accessories toys Bangkok

Sampeng market crowds traders Bangkok Thailand
It’s through one narrow lane visitors, traders and porters all the pass through

Sampeng isn’t for everyone. It’s quite congested inside (or I assume it’s like this every weekend) and it can get very hot. Also, I didn’t find much of the merchandise to my liking, so unless you want loads of stationary for your kids, cheap, then Sampeng is the place… if you feel it’s worth the effort. I only stopped to buy one of those inflatable travel pillows/neck rests (cost ฿50).

Sampeng market open road Bangkok Thailand
I finally got out and I had the option to move to the next section
Sampeng market Chinatown Bangkok Thailand
Instead, I wasn’t confident I’d find anything more worth buying and therefore, decided to end my Sampeng trek
Ratchawong road Bangkok Thailand
If you want to get a good starting point at Sampeng market, this is the road to get to first
Chinatown Bangkok morning Thailand
The main China Town area was just a few steps away

I still felt like ‘buying something,’ so decided to head back to my favourite ‘market’ in Thailand.

Silom way to Sathon Bangkok
Took a taxi to the nearest BTS station
Victory Monument from BTS Bangkok Thailand
Victory Monument, as seen from inside the train

Victory Monument Bangkok Thailand

Nichkhun Thai ad BTS skytrain commercial
“Thai Prince” Nichkhun was selling something (one of the many products he shills for in Thailand)
Chatuchak market roof Clock Tower Bangkok
Yup, back to Chatuchak market
Chatuchak market from above Bangkok Thailand
That’s what it looks like from up above
Chatuchak Park stage Bangkok
Walked past the park again
Chatuchak weekend market gate us Bangkok Thailand
I plunged in
Chatuchak market rock band t-shirts Bangkok Thailand
I was eying some more good t-shirts, among other things

Though most clothes shops sell more or less the same merchandise, there are a few (relatively speaking) independent studios selling something creative that sets them apart from the rest.

Paracetamol Studio t-shirts Chatuchak market Bangkok Thailand
This was one such shop

Called Paracetamol Studio, the guy in the photo above says he does all the drawings and art himself, and then prints them on t-shirts and bags. I really liked his art and ended up buying three t-shirts at ฿300 each. He wouldn’t allow for bargaining but if you bought more, the price per t-shirt comes down.

Ladies fashion boutique stores Jatujak market Bangkok Thailand
There are more such ’boutique’ stores
JJ market art studios paintings home furnishings Bangkok Thailand
You also have studios selling paintings and other works of art too

I just can’t recommend Jatujak market enough! There’s a reason why I like coming here. The variety of things you find is simply amazing. A lot of it is inexpensive and the rest, still rather affordable.

Jatujak Sunday market Bangkok Thailand
But do get here early in the morning if you plan to cover as much of this place as possible

Because despite coming here for a third time, I still can’t tell you how much of Chatuchak Weekend Market I have covered!

Chatuchak weekend market map Bangkok Thailand
If you asked me where Paracetamol Studio is located on this map, I couldn’t possibly tell you

So if you wish to return to a store you once shopped from, take my advice, note down the store number.

Chatuchak market Clock Tower Bangkok
This clock tower is one of the most important landmarks at Jatuchak. Important, because it stands high above the shops and can be used a point of reference in case you get lost (which will happen!)
Chatuchak market clock tower porters Bangkok Thailand
The clock tower is also where you can find porters in case you buy more than you can carry

Chatuchak weekend market cheap t-shirts clothes Bangkok Thailand

Jatujak weekend market shops Bangkok
It was lunch time and I reached the phase where one wonders if they are walking around in circles
Beeberry Mangosteen juice Chatuchak Bangkok
Tried this on the way out
Chatuchak market tattooed Thai famous crocodile skin Bangkok
This guy is a bit of a celebrity here at JJ market

Just as I was rushing out, I stopped by a store that sells genuine rock band t-shirts, many of which are seconds, but in very good condition and well washed. I finally managed to score a Def Leppard (my favourite band) Hysteria t-shirt and got it bargained down to ฿300 with the excuse it was my last night in Thailand. I was quite happy 🙂

Siam Paragon Krispy Kreme line doughnuts Bangkok
Back at Siam Paragon, there was still a big line for Krispy Kreme

I called up my friend Sawmteii as we had agreed to meet for lunch, but she was still busy with family.

Siam BTS interchange station Bangkok Thailand
Siam BTS interchange. One train plys the Siam line, the other, the Silom line

I therefore headed back to my room, freshened up and got my ticket printed for tonight’s Jay Park fan meet at Siam Paragon.

I have already written about the Jay Park fan meet in another post, which you can read here.

After the fan meet, I went to a supermarket to pick up snacks and other items to pack in now itself as I was leaving Thailand tomorrow.

2pm Nichkhun prawn crackers chips Thailand
Bought some prawn chips, and this one had Nichkhun and his fellow 2PM members on the packet

As I was packing and trashing unwanted covers, I ended up having a right laugh reading the instructions on the Chinese travel pillow I had bought from Sampeng earlier in the day.

Chinese travel pillow Sampeng Bangkok
😀

My Thai Airways flight was at night, so I still had tomorrow morning to do something. Which means, there’s one more post before I conclude this trip! 🙂


Final post in this series:

Thailand 2010: Damnoen Saduak Floating Market tour, Cobra show… and leaving Bangkok

Previous posts in this series:

Thailand 2010: Back to Bangkok — Chinatown, Patpong, Platinum Mall and Chatuchak Market

Thailand 2010: Pattaya — Beach road, Viewpoint, Jomtien Beach, Walking Street

Thailand 2010: Golden Triangle in Mae Sai; Chiang Rai’s White Temple (Wat Rong Khun)

Thailand 2010: Heading to Chiang Rai by bus, Wat Jedyod and Golden Clock Tower

Thailand 2010: Last day of Loi Krathong; Sunday Grand Parade (Day 4, Part 2)

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Zoo (Day 4, Part 1)

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Loi Krathong celebrations; first Grand Parade

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai cooking class; Loi Krathong celebrations in Mae Jo, Sansai

Thailand 2010: First day in Chiang Mai for Loi Krathong; driving up Doi Suthep

Thailand 2010: Arriving in Bangkok and preparing for Loi Krathong in Chiang Mai

Chinatown at night Bangkok Thailand

Thailand 2010: Back to Bangkok — Chinatown, Patpong, Platinum Mall and Chatuchak Market

Date:  26th November 2010

After a good night’s sleep, I went downstairs to have the buffet breakfast at the hotel. Then spent an hour browsing the internet on the guest computer at the lobby. After feeling quite relaxed, I checked out as the clock struck noon.

I took a moped taxi to the bus station (฿50) and bought a ticket for a bus heading to Ekamai bus terminal in Bangkok (ticket cost ฿113).

Pattaya to Bangkok highway house Thailand
Since it was dark when I left Bangkok to come to Pattaya, I sat by the window to see what I missed

In the bus, I also wondered where to stay in Bangkok. I wanted to stay on Khao San Road, Bangkok’s popular backpacker hub. I really wanted to check it out as it’s a preferred joint for backpackers, but unfortunately located on the other side of Bangkok (some even call it Old Bangkok) — which isn’t connected via the skytrain service (BTS). Trouble is, tomorrow I am to meet up with a friend arriving from Bangalore and the day after, I had a ticket for the Jay Park Fan meet in Siam Paragon Mall. Commuting back and forth by taxi, that too with Bangkok’s mid-day traffic was the last thing I wanted to do in the last 3 days left in Thailand.

Pattaya to Bangkok concrete highwaysContainer cargo Pattaya to BangkokPattaya to Bangkok hills ThailandPlus Mall Tesco Lotus Bangkok highway ThailandPattaya elevated expressway BangkokBangkok to Pattaya highway apartment buildingElevated expressway to Bangkok templePattaya to Bangkok highway buildingBangkok highway Thai village river

Yamaha factory outskirts Bangkok Thailand
Yamaha factory
Nissan factory Bangkok highway outskirts Thailand
Nissan’s factory
Metro Caterpillar factory Bangkok Thailand
Caterpillar’s factory
CPF factory Bangkok highway Thailand
Err…someone else’s factory

Bangkok Thailand highway expressway

Central City mall Bangkok Thailand
One and half hours later, we were in Bangkok city

Traffic slowed down (a lot) from here on. It took half-an-hour more for the bus to reach Ekamai bus terminal. The terminal is on Sukhumvit road and is easy to get to because the BTS station (also named Ekamai) is right in front of the bus terminal. So if you are staying in the Sukhumvit or Silom area, and want to head to Pattaya, don’t go to Mo Chit bus terminal, head to Ekamai instead.

In the end, I decided to stay on the Sukhumvit side itself, which meant Thai House Inn again. I paid for two nights in  advance and checked into the same room I stayed before. I probably should try and find another place to stay in since Thai House Inn isn’t the classiest of places, but at ฿700 a night, the proximity to Nana BTS station (a minute walk), for a single guy there’s no better deal like it anywhere else.

Absolut Iceberg lounge Siam mall Bangkok
Absolut had set up a ice bar at Siam Center

Siam Paragon mall interior Christmas tree decorations Bangkok

Siam Paragon mall levels lights
Decided to go for a movie to pass some time
Krungsri IMAX Siam Paragon Bangkok Thailand
Watched ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1’ in IMAX

Post-movie (which I thought was a bit of a drag), I decided to go to MBK.

Siam Paragon food court aquarium Bangkok
The Siam Ocean World aquarium is beneath the food court
Siam Paragon Christmas mall decorations
The mall was all decked up in preparation for Christmas
Siam Center Christmas decorations Thais Bangkok
Even though less than 1% of Thailand’s population are Christians

Siam Center mall fountains Bangkok

Ribbee Botique ukelele paradise shop Bangkok Thailand
There’s an exclusive ukelele store in Bangkok
Siam pedestrian skywalk Thais Bangkok
But as I tried to get to MBK via the pedestrian overbridge, none of us were allowed to… by the police
Sukhumvit road Siam MBK junction Bangkok Thailand
I looked down and I saw the roads all clear, which usually implies some VIP was passing through

I got back down to the street to see if I could cross the road but there were policemen there as well. I asked them who was passing by, and they said: “The King”.

Tidbit of valuable information when in Thailand. King Rama IX is the most ‘beloved’ man in Thailand. I put beloved in quotes because there is a law which makes it a criminal offense to say anything bad about him in public. So you have no choice but to praise him. His photos are everywhere in Thailand and his birthday is a national holiday. He is credited for developing Thailand, his influence has stopped many political coups and reportedly, he’s the richest royal in the world. (But my point is, if people truly love him, why have a rule criminalizing lèse majesté?)

Sadly for the Thai people, the King hasn’t been in the best of health lately and isn’t seen much in public because of that.

Thai king cavalcade Siam junction Bangkok Thailand
The King’s cavalcade zipped past us and in a matter of minutes, we were allowed to move again

I obviously didn’t get a glimpse of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, but then again, nobody would have. Nobody could identify in which car the King was. Maybe it was a security measure.

Bangkok buildings air condition vents

Anyway, I was hungry by this point and decided to go back to Siam Paragon because their food court has better options for fast food.

Mosburger rice burger Bangkok Thailand
Tried MOSBurger’s rice burger (yes, that’s rice pressed together to make the ‘buns’) 🙂

In the evening, I decided to check out Bangkok’s Chinatown.

Getting to Chinatown Bangkok by taxi
Took a taxi, cost ฿60 from Siam Center
Chinatown at night Bangkok Thailand
Took around half and hour to get here

Bangkok Chinatown at nightBangkok Chinatown alley street foodChinatown Bangkok street lightsChinatown Bangkok fruit vendors night

Roasted Chicken Chinatown Bangkok Thailand
As with any Chinatown, plenty of food to go around

Chinese shops Chinatown Bangkok ThailandChinese store food items Bangkok ThailandChinatown fruit vendors eateries Bangkok Thailand

Chinatown spring rolls Bangkok Thailand
Yum
Chinatown signs Bangkok Thailand
From all I could tell, there wasn’t much else to see besides the well-lit shop signs
Chinatown shop signs neon Bangkok Thailand
I kept walking down

China Town sign Bangkok Thailand Chinatown lights Bangkok ThailandChinatown main road BangkokWhen I was doing my research, I read there is even a small community where Indians reside. You could call it Bangkok’s ‘Little India’ as Singapore’s popular community is called, but don’t try asking for it here. I tried it with some Thai locals, and they looked at me with a smile… which implied they had no clue what I was talking about. I wanted to find the area mostly because there is a large gurdwara here in Bangkok (since the Indian community here are predominantly Punjabis). I knew asking for a ‘gurudwara’ would get me more puzzled stares but I did ask if anybody knew where the ‘Indian temple’ was. No luck with that either.

Chinatown alley night Bangkok
I kept walking in search of ‘Little India’ but no signs of anything remotely Indian

But just as I was about to give up and walk back, I saw a woman who looked kinda Indian (I’m guessing she was a second generation Indian resident of Thailand) and asked her where the gurudwara was. She told me I needed to get to Pahurat Road, which wasn’t very far from here. I thanked her and noted down the name of the road.

Chinatown building Bangkok Thailand Figuring the gurudwara would be closed to the general public at this time, I decided to come back the day after. I hailed a taxi and headed to Patpong.

Patpong is famous for two things: one, it has a night market; two, it also houses Bangkok’s red light district.

Patpong night market entrance Bangkok Thailand
The Night Market

There wasn’t anything seedy about the place (at first)

Patpong night market sign Bangkok Thailand

Patpong night market stores Bangkok
The usual offerings sold here, nothing special

But as I went to the side street to get a glimpse of what the other stalls were selling…

Patpong night market Kiss bar Bangkok
…you could see the other side of Patpong
Patpong night market tourists
Which made me wonder if the ‘night market’ was just a cover up 🙂
Patpong night market live bar Bangkok
There are a few good bars with live music though

Patpong night market tattoo studio BangkokLike on Pattaya’s Walking Street, here too you will find a few touts soliciting tourists (quite aggressively) to come watch a peep show. Most them say it’s free but having read people’s experiences on Tripadvisor, I knew these are just tactics to pull you in and then slap you with a huge bill as you leave.

One of the touts, even held my hand and dragged me into one such place. Figuring I wouldn’t be coming back to an area like this again, I followed him. He was rather in a hurry saying the ‘ping pong show‘ would start soon. He led me upstairs into a bar where the girls and the mamasan welcomed me in. There weren’t many others in and the setting wasn’t what I was expecting. While I was expecting a more quiet, dark and sensual setting, this joint was just another typical low end bar with dim red lights, and where every song plays at 2x speeds blurts out from the sound system.

As soon as I was seated, I was surrounded by 3 or 4 smiling girls all of whom tried to chat me up, and when it came to ordering drinks, there was no menu. I ordered a vodka drink and insisted on knowing much it cost. The waitress said ฿100. Fair enough. I also made it very clear I was told this show was free and that I wouldn’t have to pay anything to see it. The mamasan assured me with a “yeah yeah”.

When the performance did begin, it was the amusing act of seeing the two girls shoot objects like bananas, darts (at a balloon), and ping pong balls (of course) — all using her nether region. And that’s exactly what it was, amusing… it was the least bit erotic, surely not in the setting I was in 🙂 The most amusing act was when one of the performers pulled a series of blades on a string out — and she cut a paper using the very same razor blades to prove they weren’t blunt. Now, only women know the true potential of their inner workings, but I’m sure even women in far more respectable professions would squeal if they saw this. As a guy, my face looked more like this:  😕 None the less, I had to praise these performers for their, erm, talents.

After 15 minutes and my drink nearly done, I had seen enough and wanted to leave. I could see the other patrons arguing with the mamasan over their bills and I knew what was coming my was as well. Besides the ฿100 for my drink, I wanted to tip a ฿100 each for the two performing women, so that was a total of ฿300. The bill they handed over?

฿3000.

I told the mamasan I wasn’t going to pay it and ฿300 is all she will get. She raised her voice (she had to, they wouldn’t turn down the crappy music) and threatened to call some men to rough me up if I wouldn’t pay. I replied: “Call them”. When she did, I knew things were only getting easy for me. She spoke in English to her Thai “baddie” saying there is an Indian who refuses to pay and that he better come. Now if there is one thing I’ve learned about Thais is that, you’ll never see one Thai speaking to another Thai in English. Very few in Thailand know how to speak English, that too fluently. So I knew this was just an act.

After she hung up, she said they’re coming. I replied: “Okay, I’ll wait”. I could see some of the working girls try and hide their smiles, so I knew I was going to win this one. After waiting around 2 minutes, the mamasan finally said: “Okay, give 1000!”. I said: “No, 300”. More standing still ensued. Finally she gave up and said: “Ok give!”. I handed her the ฿300 and told her ฿100 each were for the two performers. She didn’t say anything and I walked out.

And that was it 🙂

In hindsight, it made me wonder if I should have gone for all this in Pattaya’s Walking Street as the Tourist Police was right there and by now, I’m sure they heard countless such experiences from other visitors. But even if this happens to you, follow the same advice: just keep your foot down and refuse to pay. What’s the worst they’re going to do? Stab a tourist?

Walking out, I noticed there wasn’t even a name for this bar, so it surely was one of those clearly intended to scam people and only remain operational by paying off the right authorities.

Thaniya plaza Japanese clubs bars Patpong Bangkok
This alley looked like it mostly catered to Japanese

What I just experienced didn’t change my opinion of this wonderful country. If your sole purpose of visiting Thailand is just to hang out at such venues, you will most likely leave with many such stories. Even if you don’t, as with any other country in the world, shit happens — you just have to be on your guard.

The so-called ping pong show is one of those “When-in-RomeThailand” things-to-do. Many tourists, men and women alike, are eager to see it. In fact it was a girl friend of mine who told me “not to miss it,” with a laugh. Now I know why — it’s more a laugh than sensual 🙂 Trouble is, many use that eagerness tourists have to run scams like this.

Sala Daeng BTS station Patpong Bangkok
Sala Daeng is the name of the BTS station if you want to get to Patpong

Patpong doesn’t seem as big a seedy place, not based on some people’s descriptions calling it Bangkok’s largest red light district. Maybe there’s more to it, who knows, I wasn’t bothered to explore anymore of it now.

Thaniya Plaza clubs bars Patpong Bangkok If you plan to come to Patpong just for the night market, don’t. There’s nothing here you can’t find anywhere else in Bangkok for the same price (or maybe even cheaper).

I took the BTS back to Siam.

Siam Absolut ice bar concert Bangkok Thailand
Absolut’s open-air concert event at Siam Center

Once back in my area, I decided to grab dinner first and then go back to my room.

Nana arab restaurants Bangkok Thailand
Nana has a lot of Middle Eastern restaurants, which was great for me (given how much I miss this cuisine)
Foreign exchange shops Gulliver's Nana Bangkok
You get really good foreign exchange rates here, far better than the rates the banks in the malls give. I exchanged a few dollars.
Sky Inn Nana Sukhumvit Bangkok Thailand
Picked up a few shawarmas and a drink from 7-11 and called it a night

Date:  27th November 2010

Today, I met up with my friend Sawmteii and her friend, who had just arrived in Thailand. We met up at the Siam BTS and since it was their first time in Bangkok (and came with very clear intentions of shopping – a lot!), I showed them around the malls.

Krispy Kreme Siam Paragon Bangkok Thailand
I couldn’t fathom the locals’ desperation to bag Krispy Kreme donuts. There were huge lines everyday at the Siam Paragon outlet.
Krispy Kreme doughnuts sold Bangkok streets
So much was the demand, there were street hawkers who sell them in ‘black’ outside after doing the tough job of waiting in line just to bag these boxes of doughnuts.

After Siam Discovery and Siam Paragon, we walked towards Petchburi Road.

Sukhumvit road Bangkok city traffic skywalk

Pedestrian overbridge Bangkok city ThailandBangkok city river boat ThailandOn Petchburi road, the girls wanted to check out Platinum Mall, which claims to be Thailand’s largest fashion mall.

Platinum Mall shoppers Bangkok Thailand
Boy, was it crowded inside

Eight floors of fashion goodness… well, mostly for women anyway. Hardly anything for men in here.

Platinum mall shops Bangkok ThailandDespite advising the girls to keep all their shopping towards the end of their journey when they return to Bangkok, they couldn’t help but feel like kids let loose in a candy store 🙂

Who can blame them? Even as a guy, I could appreciate the stuff being sold here. Really good looking dresses and accessories at prices anybody can afford. Dresses which would easily cost upwards of Rs. 1000 in India could be had for Rs. 500 or less. You could buy one, two, three, ten or more — and prices vary accordingly.

Platinum mall women fashion clothes Bangkok Thailand
A lot of bulk buyers too

We spent quite some time in here. And when I saw ‘we,’ I mean Sawmteii and her friend Mimi. I loitered around wondering if there was anything for guys. It wasn’t until we got up to the 4th floor that I found a store selling some pretty nifty t-shirts.

After walking past pretty much every floor, the girls decided to dedicate their last few days in Thailand in here and we went up to the 6th floor to have lunch at the food court.

Post-lunch, I took the girls to Chatuchak (disembark at Mo Chit BTS).

Chatuchak park way to market Bangkok Thailand
We sat at the park for a bit before embarking on more walking through hundreds of shops

Sorry, make that thousands of shops!

Jatujak weekend market is the largest flea market in Thailand and sees most shops open on Saturday and Sunday (It is open on weekdays too, just not every shop).

Chatuchak market entrance 6 Bangkok Thailand
Took a deep breath and went in

Chatuchak market crowd Bangkok I have already written a lot about JJ market in my first visit.

DHL courier shop Chatuchak market Bangkok
In case you buy more than you can carry… there’s always DHL
Palm fap chatuchak market Bangkok Thailand
Palm… fap?
Doner kabab Turkish ice cream Chatuchak weekend market Bangkok
Plenty of food to energize you for all the walking you’ll be doing at Jatujak
Bags shop owner Chatuchak weekend market Bangkok
The famous bags salesman calling every foreigner “Michael” was still at it in 2010 🙂
Chatuchak weekend market home furnishings Bangkok
The reason I like JJ market a lot is because they sell *everything* that can be placed inside a house
Chatuchak weekend market lights store Bangkok Thailand
Bought three kinds of lamp shades

After much walking around and being clueless as to where exactly we were (it will happen), eventually it was time for the puppies to come out. (Real puppies). You’ll only see them being sold once the sun sets — which means they’re probably doing it illegally.

Sawmteii puppy Chatuchak weekend market Bangkok
Sawmteii couldn’t help but pick one up

And at the prices the puppies were being sold for (around ฿3000-฿5000 depending on the breed), she didn’t feel like putting them down either. We were seriously talking about how to bring dogs via airplanes.

Eventually we decided to call it a day.

Choconana vendor Chatuchak market Bangkok
Had one of this: cold banana on a stick dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with nuts
Mo Chit BTS station at night Bangkok Thailand
Mo Chit BTS station

We got down at Nana so that the girls could check out my area (they were staying a few BTS stations further down). Got some currency exchanged and had dinner at an Arabian restaurant before wishing each other goodnight and parting ways.

Tomorrow was going to be my last full day in Bangkok.


Next posts in this series:

Thailand 2010: Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha, Sampeng Market, JJ market (again)

Thailand 2010: Damnoen Saduak Floating Market tour, Cobra show… and leaving Bangkok

Previous posts in this series:

Thailand 2010: Pattaya — Beach road, Viewpoint, Jomtien Beach, Walking Street

Thailand 2010: Golden Triangle in Mae Sai; Chiang Rai’s White Temple (Wat Rong Khun)

Thailand 2010: Heading to Chiang Rai by bus, Wat Jedyod and Golden Clock Tower

Thailand 2010: Last day of Loi Krathong; Sunday Grand Parade (Day 4, Part 2)

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Zoo (Day 4, Part 1)

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Loi Krathong celebrations; first Grand Parade

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai cooking class; Loi Krathong celebrations in Mae Jo, Sansai

Thailand 2010: First day in Chiang Mai for Loi Krathong; driving up Doi Suthep

Thailand 2010: Arriving in Bangkok and preparing for Loi Krathong in Chiang Mai

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