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Shopping tips for Bangkok
You've heard all about
the great shopping in Bangkok, and now you're on your way to see for yourself
what all the fuss is about. Possibly, to get a slice of that big bargain
pie too. Bangkok has a very unique shopping culture, and if you take a
minute to orientate yourself with this practical guide, and take heed of
these useful shopping tips, you're bound to have a pleasurable experience
that will make you want to come back for more
1. What to wear
Most people love to look
fabulous, but the key here is to be practical. Bangkok is hot and sticky,
almost year-round. Wear cool clothes. You're going to be doing a lot of
walking too, which makes practical shoes essential. Watch where you're
walking too, because pavements often resemble obstacle courses with exposed
manholes, potholes, vendor carts, the odd beggar and garland maker all
spoken for.
Shopping tip: A small
hand towel, face cloth or wet wipes come in very handy, especially if you're
going to venture around markets.
2. Plan your shopping
- timing is crucial
Start by making a list
of what you want to buy, and then match it with where to go. Markets are
good to visit in the mornings or evenings when it's a little cooler and
often less frantic. In the heat of the day, air-conditioned malls is a
much better place to be. Simply venturing aimlessly into the city, hoping
to find what you're looking for by chance, is not advisable. Plan your
shopping around specific areas, say, Chinatown (outdoor) in the morning,
and Siam (with its many malls) in the afternoon. Often, places within an
area can be reached on foot, thereby eliminating unnecessary travelling.
Have a look at the shopping highlights of various prime areas in our very
comprehensive Bangkok Area Guides section.
Shopping tip: Try to
avoid travelling around the city during rush hours (mornings from 07:30
- 09:00 and in the afternoons from 17:00 - 18:30). |
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Wat Pho was built as a restoration
of an earlier temple on the same site, Wat Phodharam, with work beginning
in 1788. It was restored and extended in the reign of King Rama III (1824-51),
and restored again in 1982.
Wat Pho is the birthplace
of traditional Thai massage. Even prior to the temple's founding, the site
was a center of education for traditional Thai medicine, and statues were
created showing yoga positions.
During the Rama III restoration
plaques inscribed with medical texts were placed around the temple, while
in 1962 a school for traditional medicine and massage was established,
The Wat Pho complex consists of two walled compounds, bisected north-south
by Sanamchai Road running east-west. The northern walled compound is where
the reclining Buddha and massage school are found. The southern walled
compound, Tukgawee, is a working Buddhist monastery with monks in residence
and a school.
Wat Pho is the largest and oldest
wat in Bangkok and is home to more than 1,000 Buddha images, more than
any other temple in the country. It also shelters the largest Buddha image
in Thailand: the Reclining Buddha (Phra Buddhasaiyas). Created as part
of Rama III's restoration (1824-51), the Reclining Buddha is 46 meters
long and 15 meters high.
His body is covered in gold
plating and he is decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay on his eyes and
the soles of his feet. The bottoms of the Buddha's feet are intricately
decorated with 108 auspicious scenes in Chinese and Indian styles.
Boats
Bangkok was built around
the Chao Phraya River and its network of canals ( khlongs) and boats are
still the fastest and most comfortable way of getting around the city.
The Chao Phraya Express runs large, numbered water buses between Krung
Thep Bridge in the south and
Nonthaburi in the north,
stopping at piers ( tha) all along its course; boats (6am-7pm; every 15
min) do not necessarily stop at every landing, but will pull in if people
want to get on or off. During rush hours (Mon-Fri 6-9am & 4-7pm), there
are limited-stop services on set routes: a coloured flag sign on each pier
shows which service stops there. The less frequent and less useful boats
of Laemthong for the most part use the same piers, but don't stop at Banglamphu's
Phra Athit pier.
Longtail boats ( reua hang yao)
run frequently along Khlong Sen Seb canal from the Phanfa pier at the Golden
Mount (handy for Banglamphu, Ratanakosin and Chinatown), and head way out
east, with useful stops at Thanon Phrayathai, Pratunam, Soi Chitlom, Thanon
Witthayu (Wireless), and Soi Nana Neva (Soi 3), Soi Asoke (Soi 21), Soi
Thonglo (Soi 55) and Soi Ekamai (Soi 63), all off Thanon Sukhumvit. This
is your quickest and most interesting way of getting across town, if you
can stand the stench of the canal. Another very useful longtail service
travels along Khlong Krung Kasem between Hualamphong Station and Banglamphu,
depositing passengers near the New World department store before terminating
at a tiny pier off Thanon Phra Athit (every 20-30min; 15min; B6). It's
also possible to get a longtail from Hualamphong to Phanfa pier. |
