The Chatuchak Weekend Market is held every Saturday and Sunday and is NOT to be missed if you are in Bangkok. It’s the biggest market in all of Thailand. In fact it is the largest market in all of Southeast Asia. This market offers everything from clothing, crafts, and antiques to food and drink. You name it and the Chatuchak Market has it.
An estimated quarter of a million people visit this veritable shopaholic’s paradise each day. The site has over 15,000 stalls and vendors, all grouped into sections to make it easier to find specific items. Here’s an inside tip: Go to this market early in the morning to avoid the crowds and to beat the heat of the day. Bargaining is expected and some vendors will reduce there initial price by more than half. I walked around this area for hours collecting souvenirs and snapping photos.
This is where I met the blind ‘phallic master’, Dhakron, a Bangkok native, who was sporting a pink mohawk hair-do. I negotiated for about 30 minutes to purchase a hand-whittled phallic necklace that he was wearing. Unfortunately, the piece was very old and dear to him and I couldn’t seal the deal with the man who was once a Thai wrestler. So, I walked away, empty handed and phallic-less with only my memory of Dhakron.
On the ‘down side’ for me, the Chatuchak Market is also known for its sale of animals. The animal lover in me knew enough to avoid that section. Dogs, cats, snakes, tortoises, and songbirds are for sale as pets (or food) and the market also has a reputation for trading in endangered species. The government tries to regulate the illegal trade. Several raids on dealers have revealed animals being kept in awful conditions. While casual visitors are never likely to experience it, this illegal trade still continues out of sight.
Last month, the Bangkok news reported over 150,000 Monitor Lizards were confiscated from the backs of pick-up trucks as they crossed the border into Bangkok. And just yesterday on CNN's online news blog I read that the Thai Police arrested a man at the Bangkok airport for attempting to smuggle two baby leopards, two baby panthers, a monkey, birds and more, by stuffing them into suit cases and attempting to bring them to Dubai. No doubt in my mind that these animals came from Chatuchak.
The Government of Thailand got lucky this time, and they are trying to put a stop to this abuse, but the scales are uneven.
For more information about the Chatuchak Market and other popular markets in Thailand check out this website ~ http://www.bangkok.com/shopping-market/popular-markets.htm
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