One of the most popular areas that attracts a great number of both local and foreign visitors is Chatuchak. The area is easily accessible by public transportation like the BTS and MRT. Chatuchak is best known as the ‘Mother of Markets’ due to its huge space. It is measured to be as big as 27 acres, housing over 15,000 individual stores. In this week’s Guide to Bangkok, foodpanda will be your Chatuchak local guide.
8:00 AM | Starting the Day Right
Before seeing the area packed with visitors piling up in the late afternoon, let’s start our morning stroll at Queen Sirikit Park. This public park is the heart of tree gardens which features different areas for sightseeing and provides information in relation to the Thai Royal Family projects, so it’s both enjoyable and informative at the same time.
You can pick an area that you fancy visiting, ranging from beautiful Frangipani Green to a hard-to-find-in-Bangkok Rice Paddles. You’ll also get to see 76 plants for 76 Thai provinces collection if you roam around.
9:30 AM | Find One of the Best Local Markets in Town
Near the Queen Sirikit Park lies one of the best fresh market in Bangkok, the Or Tor Kor market. There’s no need to visit all 77 provinces in Thailand since Or Tor Kor has carefully picked and gathered all the best products of the country and gathered to sell them here. Fruits, including seasonal ones, the freshest greens, local cooking ingredients, raw meat and seafood, and mouthwatering Thai traditional sweets and snacks are abundant. Since the quality is rather high, the price of the goods sold at Or Tor Kor market may be a little bit higher compared to other markets.
Wander around the market and don’t forget to have your late breakfast. A spicy pork noodle will do, but if you want to try something extraordinary, I recommend that you try Khao Phra Ram Long Song (Swimming Rama), a Thai rice topped with special peanut sauce.
10:30 AM | The Highlight
The Chatuchak Weekend Market is the landmark of Chatuchak area. If you have friends from other countries stopping by at Bangkok, then this is the right place to visit for shopping. The market is divided into different sections. It’s massive, a whole day might not even be enough to get to see every corner of this place.
For those looking for local souvenirs, you’ll find a wide range of refined handicrafts, ceramics, and home decorations. Food and beverage are available everywhere. There’s also a big clothing and accessory section, selling basic and trendy pieces. Pet lovers will be happy to find several stores selling pet needs and accessories. For those who love gardening, you can visit the plants and gardening tools section, and grab something home.
4:00 PM | Take a Cold, Sweet Break
After our non-stop shopping trips, you may need to fill up your energy with some sweets. Take a short walk to a major department store in Bangkok called the Central Plaza Ladprao.
Before starting another shopping trip here, you may first head to the basement floor and stop by at Melt Me, a Hokkaido Ice-cream and Chocolate store. The Chocolate Toast is my favorite and recommended menu. It has 2 scoops of ice-cream placed on top of a crispy toast, served with fruits and white marshmallows, and topped with chocolate sauce and whipped cream on the side. It’s refreshing!
Now you have more energy to do some shopping again here, if you’d prefer.
6:00 PM | Completing the Chatuchak Adventure
Before heading back home, you can go to the fifth floor of Central Plaza Ladprao, and look for a Thai restaurant named The Terrace. An incredible range of Thai and European dishes are served here with quality service.
The first menu item that you should try is the ‘Kao Soi’, a Northern-style Noodle Soup with Chicken. The soup is rich with Thai spices and crispy Chinese egg noodles. If you want to have a rice meal, then order the ‘Thai Muslim Style Baked Chicken in Rice’, served with a sour-spicy sauce.
Don’t forget to order some fresh juice drinks along with your meal, my order is always the Blended Lemonade. End your meal with the homemade Thai style dessert, ‘Combination Coconut Ice Cream’, served cool and fresh, with sweet jelly pieces, and jackfruit slices.
Tell us how much you enjoyed your own Chatuchak visit! Do you have any tips to share with us?
Writing is not a one way communication. I always keep this quote in my mind whenever I start to write, and that’s the reason why I’m so much in love with the world of writing. I’m Patsaya Pongpanich, a 22 year-old recent graduate from the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University.
Content Image credits to: JJ Harrison (jjharrison89@facebook.com), Karl Baron, phuongkim1981, and Deror Avi.
Featured Image credits to: By edwin11_79
