April 14th 2019
In spite of the Songkran holiday festivities, Chatuchak (also known as J.J’s) market was open for business as usual!
According to Wikipedia “The Chatuchak Weekend Market, on Kamphaeng Phet 2 Road, Chatuchak, Bangkok, is the largest market in Thailand. Also known as JJ Market, it has more than 15,000 stalls and 11,505 vendors, divided into 27 sections.
When venturing into this massive market be prepared with lots of cash (especially smaller bills), a hand fan, and keep hydrated! The aisles are narrow and lengthy and the heat can be intense inside the main covered sections of the market. Locate the toilets! There aren’t many around.
There is so much to see. Although many items appear repetitively in stalls, others are very unique. Also be ready to negotiate price (somewhat… in a respectful manner…) Most shop owners seem to be willing to reduce prices if you purchase more than 1 item from them. This is a wonderful location to discover a vast array of souvenirs as well as nearly anything you could possibly need or imagine.
To add to the shopping frenzy atmosphere, we visited Chatuchak during Songkran! However, as the temperatures were around 38 degrees with over 80% humidity … getting icy water poured on you or getting squirted with water from water guns actually felt quite refreshing!
The restaurant we visited for lunch in J.J.’s even decorated food and drinks with flags and flowers in honor of Songkran. Although royally wilted at the end of the day, it was yet another memorable Bangkok experience 😉.
We walked to home base through a local park then admired our purchases from the day!
Sandy's Global Eyes 