It was a great thing that my partner and I decided to sleep early the night before, as we woke up fully charged and very enthusiastic about our day’s activities. Before heading out for our big Bangkok city tour, we took advantage of the free buffet breakfast that was included in our hotel package. We enjoyed our sunny side up eggs, fried rice, bacon, ham, and sliced fruits. Usually, breakfast is included in the package rates that are offered by the different hotels in Thailand. You can try booking a room at the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok.

When we were full, we left the hotel with our Bangkok maps on hand.

PANTIP PLAZA – My partner and I are both into photography. A lot of our friends told us that we should check out the camera shops in Bangkok as the prices are really affordable. One of the best places to go to for some electronic shopping is Pantip Plaza. This shopping centre can be reached by taking tuk tuks, taxi cabs, bus number 511 or by taking the Bangkok Mass Transit System or the BTS.

We decided to take the BTS so we walked to the nearest BTS station to our hotel which was Saphan Taksin. Then we bought tickets to Ratchathewi, the nearest BTS station to Pantip Plaza. From this station, we walked for about fifteen minutes to reach the IT City (Pantip Plaza), located right next to the Indonesian Embassy. Walking can be quite tricky most especially around noon when the sun’s rays are scorching hot.

All our tiredness melted away when we entered the glass doors of Pantip Plaza. This is an indoor IT shopping mall that is considered a heaven for all techies. All five floors are filled with of shops selling all kinds of merchandise including computer software (genuine and counterfeit), cameras, camera accessories, VCD/DVD players, music players, computers, computer accessories, and laptop bags. Most goods were offered at reasonable and competitive prices. Vendors were willing to give additional discounts for cash purchases. Tourists who shop here must not expect any warranties for all products bought unless they were willing to go back to Thailand for refunds, exchanges or repairs.

Visitors can never go hungry while shopping at Pantip Plaza. There’s a fast food area serving different kinds of yummy snacks and refreshing beverages.

CHATUCHAK WEEKEND MARKET – It was fantastic timing that we were touring Bangkok on a weekend, as we can visit the famous Chatuchak Weekend Market. It is called such because it is only open every Saturday and Sunday. There are days when the market is open on a Friday but only wholesale purchases are accommodated.

From Pantip Plaza, we walked back to Ratchathewi BTS Station and bought tickets for our next stop, Mo Chit BTS Station. When we reached our stop, we walked for another five minutes and we found ourselves at one of the numerous entrances of the huge market.
The Chatcuchak Weekend market is considered the world’s largest open-air weekend flea market. Thousands of visitors flock here in a single shopping day to check out more than 15, 000 shops that line the entire market grounds from end to end. You will find anything and everything being sold here. There are different sections like Household Section, Plants Section, Fashion Section, and an entirely different section for PETS! Merchandise includes shoes, bags, clothes, handicrafts, jewelry, paintings, sculptures, ceramics, Thailand souvenirs, and delicacies. One section of the market is devoted to pets and pet accessories. I had a shopping spree in a store selling all kinds of dog food and dog clothes. It was pretty unexpected for me to find so much stuff for my pet dachshund being sold at such affordable prices.
Prepare yourself to do a lot of bargaining and haggling when shopping at the Chatuchak Weekend Market. If you would like to get more discounts, it is also advisable to arrive at the market very early in the morning when the stalls are just starting to open. Alternatively, you can also get discounts late in the afternoon when the stores are already preparing to close for the day as they would be more than happy to make last-minute sales.
There were so many stores to check out at the Chatuchak Market that we lost track of time. We decided to transfer to Mahboonkrong or MBK Center for a late lunch.

(To be continued)

HELPFUL INFORMATION:

Pantip Plaza
Address: New Petchburi Road, Rajthevee, Bangkok 10400
Operating Hours: 10:00 am to 8:00 pm everyday

Chatuchak Weekend Market
Address: Kamphaeng Phet 2 Road, Chatuchak, Bangkok, Thailand
Operating Hours: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (Some stalls open around 9:30 am)

Posted in Attractions, Thailand

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