Shopping in Bangkok -If you can’t stop thinking about it, buy it!
By Mark Fischer (Flickr: Siam Paragon) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
The glitzy city of Bangkok is almost synonymous with shopping! The thrill of navigating through the winding streets filled with stalls selling items of unique appeal is one that almost all the tourists who visit the city seldom miss out on. Shopping here is a tradition upheld for generations. Be a part of this tradition while walking your way through the city’s larger than life shopping sites. To enjoy a happy shopping spree you will need to watch your budget. Base yourself at centrally located Bangkok apartment hotel such as the Adelphi Forty- Nine to enjoy greater levels of convenience while shopping here.
Bangkok continues to be blooming with modern, multi-storey shopping malls. No wonder it has become a city frequented by shopaholics. If you start from the iconic MBK, your journey will be across the sophisticated Emporium, trendy Siam Discovery and Central World Plaza, or Siam Paragon. All these shopping malls introduce you to many tastes of the city. And the latest addition is ‘mallscape’, innovative Terminal 21 and Central Plaza Rama 9.
China Town Market is signatory with its striking Chinese temples. They are actually the centres for Taoist learning and traditional Chinese medicine. You can also pass by the medicine shops that sell all types of fantastic medicines to alleviate bodily pains. If you take the small roadways and streets between Yaowarat Road and the Chao Phraya River, you will have to pass through the crowded market stalls and small shops. Here you have a wider choice: hair accessories, tea sets, hardware and food to fabric, strange vegetables imported from mainland China, and Chinese funeral items and also don’t forget to browse goods such as flip-flops, toys, household items and herbs.
Whatever it is – whether it is a night bazaar or a mall – you have it at Asiatique. If you are travelling from Saphan Taksin BTS station, then it is much easier. It takes only ten minutes downriver from here. Asiatique slowly developed into a much busy market complex with more than 1500 boutique and 40 restaurants. The place was an international trade port in the past. If you look from distance, Asiatique is a replica of a warehouse complex. The market comes to life at around five in the evening. An evening here will be quite entertaining as you can do a round of window-shopping. There are enough items such as boutiques or just picking up gifts. Apart from items, the marketplace has a performance every night such as Calypso and cabaret. The best is Thai Puppets Performance.
Roland Lefevre is a travel writer who specializes in creating features on leisure as well as business travel destinations across the globe. Google+
