Chatuchuk vs The Silk Market

We boarded our bus last night (which was late) at around 530pm. Three horrible movies (“Hellboy 2”, “The Return of Bobby Z” and “2012”) and a five hour nap later, we all awoke to, “Bangkok! Bangkok! Last stop! WAKE-UP!” Ahhh yes. Khao San Rd. 6am. Bah!


Darren and I, along with all the other disoriented, zombie-like backpackers were yelled off the bus and slowly manoeuvred our way through the mud and taxi drivers towards Khao San Rd; which, at 6am was basically deserted but for a few street vendors and one or two bars which seemed not to have closed. The only draw back to arriving en mass as we did, is that the closest surrounding guesthouses seem to fill up pretty quick; and, in some cases, are overflowing with people waiting to see if anything opens up at checkout time (anywhere between 11am and 12 pm). So, Darren and I kept walking, for about an hour. At 7am this morning, we finally settled on a place in the Banglamphu area, a block or two away from the infamous Khau San Rd. Although Bangkok is renowned for its great guesthouse value, we are somewhat disappointed. Maybe all the good places are the ones that were full when we got here, but from what we can tell, Bangkok is fairly expensive and you don’t get much for what you’re paying. In Krabi, for 350 baht, we had a quaint, clean room with AC and a shared bathroom. In Ko Phi Phi we had a nice, clean room with a private bathroom and hot water (a luxury). In Bangkok, the best value we could find is a 280 baht room with a fan, hard bed, and shared bathroom. It’s clean enough but definitely lacks the character and cosiness of the Chan Cha Lay in Krabi, or the Harmony Guesthouse in Ko Phi Phi, and the location is somewhat noisier as well. But it’ll do.

So, what did we get up to our first day in the city of Bangkok?! Can you guess? After a four hour nap, well, we went shopping… sort of. As many of you know I am a sucker for markets, shopping, basically any type of facility that sells stuff. Here in Bangkok there is a weekend market called Chatuchak market. It’s supposed to be one of the best markets it Bangkok, and apparently in all of Thailand, so I had some high hopes. Big mistake! *In order to properly enjoy any vacation in Asia, always expect 50% less than you normally would, with everything, or you’re guaranteed to be disappointed!*

Now, in size Chatuchak definitely has what it takes to take on the Silk Market (which isn’t the best market in the world but definitely knows how to set a standard I’d say). The Chatuchak market is huge! In variety, Chatuchak knocks the Silk Market out of the park… or at least I think it does. The Chatuchak market is so big that we didn’t even make it through the entire thing. Now, despite its seemingly great variety and its intense size, I must say that only the Chinese can execute something so vast so efficiently. The Chatuchak market is too big and too varied. While there are almost too many repeats in the Silk Market, at least you know exactly where you need to be to find what you want. The Chatuchak market is so haphazard and disorienting that if you don’t buy it when you see it, you won’t be able to find it again, and it’s oh so poorly organised. Things are sort of clumped together in the same area but almost accidentally. The Silk Market is very organised. Even with a map to the Chatuchak market we could barely find our way. Not only is it huge, but it’s laid out in a very crowded maze-like disorder making it hard to navigate and exhausting, especially in the heat. It’s like a sauna in there with all the bodies and tin roofs! The best marketing scheme for any of the shops is AC! The biggest draw back of the Chatuchak market however, is that no one really bargains! On the one hand, it’s nice to have somewhat of a set price and know what to expect, but this also makes for slightly more expensive shopping. The Silk Market really isn’t even cheap (by Chinese shopping standards) because they inflate their asking prices so much for us non-locals but at least you get to have a little fun and enjoy the rush of the game. At the Chatuchak market, you ask for the price, which they tell you, and then they immediately offer you a discount price (which is normal), but that’s it. That’s not bargaining! Bargaining is when they tell you that a shirt is 500, but for you they’ll do 450, and then you counter-offer with 40 and it goes back and forth until you land somewhere between 50 and 60. Nope! Not at this market. Not even if you offer to buy in multiples! Come to think of it, it’s not even just the Chatuchak market it’s all of Thailand so far. I’ve tried bargaining and they just don’t seem interested! You ask for a discount and they either give you one (may 20-30 baht= $1) or they don’t. End of discussion. It’s a little disappointing because bargaining really is a lot of fun, and people told me I’d have to expect it here, a lot, and so far, nothing!

Anyway, we got our taxi to drop us off at Khao San Rd and the street seemed to have done a complete 180 since we saw it this morning. Walking back to our guesthouse I didn’t even recognize the area. The street came alive! Ahhh! Really though, little stalls and shops had opened up all over the place. The road itself was blocked off from traffic and it was basically one large market with a lot of restaurants (if I had read my guidebook more carefully I would’ve noticed that the market occurs nightly). Khao San Rd was a little more pleasant than the weekend market, if only because the stalls were on either side of the street and it was a little easier to move through the crowds. I was a little disheartened when we left Chatuchak (I had mentally prepared myself for some excellent shopping and was let down), but when we got to Khao San Rd my blood started pumping again. Variety is nice, but being able to see the same stuff every couple of stalls makes it easier to walk away if you don’t get the price you want (though with the little to no bargaining maybe it’s all pointless)! Anyway, Darren clearly perceived my elevated pulse and made me come back to our room to take a nap so I wouldn’t be overwhelmed and taken over by all the shiny things and new clothes! Needless to say, I couldn’t sleep and he didn’t feel comfortable letting me loose on my own so he slept and I read. When we did finally head out together it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be (probably due to Darren’s careful preparation). I wanted everything and therefore couldn’t make up my mind on anything. I came away empty handed! Imagine that!? Me, empty handed after wandering for at least two or three hours through endless stalls of clothes! (We do have plans to go to a giant mall tomorrow.) My only purchases after an ENTIRE day of shopping were two pillowcases and a t-shirt!

Darren was brave today, and very patient. I have to be brave and patient tomorrow. We’re going to a giant computer/electronics mall! We’ll see what tomorrow will bring. I predict that I will either snap and come home with hands full of shopping bags or I will have to admit that I do have some sort of self control.