CHATUCHAK’S LOVELY WOODEN BUDDHAS
BANGKOK – Chatuchak…the infamous weekend market. Okay, not really a fave; actually a love-hate relationship. For me, Chatuchak (or JJ as the locals call it) is one gigantic assault on the senses – the crowds, the chaos, the odors, the heat and the endless aisles of anything and everything. But JJ is also about shopping and to a large extent Thai culture itself, both of which I find irresistible. Go in the morning when it’s cooler and less crowded. Try the chicken rice stand (near the Phaholyothin Rd entrance) to get you in the right, JJ frame of mind; Joy’s Thai restaurant in section 17, Cafe Doi Tung (the thai ice teas are fab) in the dream section, and the foot massage shop in section 8 all offer ice-cold air-con if you need a break from the madness. The latter is located near the exit too, so if you need to call it a day, you’re just seconds from a taxi.
What’s the ‘little thing’ that makes JJ worthwhile? Shopping the endless, narrow aisles for Thai nick-nacks. I always seem to leave with loads of t-shirts emblazoned with Thai words or images; oh, and the beautiful hand carved wooden buddhas from the Northern Issan province…so difficult to resist, as are most things in Thailand.
Where is it? Chatuchak is located near the old Don Muang Airport and can be reached by taxi (suggested; just tell the driver ‘JJ’) or by train (MRT to Kamphaengphet station or BTS Skytrain to Mo Chit station). Open on Saturday and Sunday, 9 to 6.
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CHICKEN RICE VENDOR AT PHAHOLYOTHIN RD ENTRANCE
CHATUCHAK OUTDOOR MARKET
CAFE DOITUNG’S THAI ICE TEA
Photos: Gary Fong
Author: Gary Fong
