Saturday November 7, 2009
Bargain bonanza
By MICHAEL D'OLIVEIRO
Hungry for some shopping in trendy Bangkok? All you need is a weekend and extra space in your luggage.
Mention “weekend shopping trip” to most Malaysians, and chances are Bangkok comes into the conversation. Its reputation for bargains is legendary, like Gotham City, except with masses of shoppers instead of criminals.
The city’s huge malls and the immense variety of brands that we just don’t have over here can be irresistible. Where does the uninitiated start?
CentralWorld is said to be the largest shopping complex in South-East Asia. “But firstly, remember, you’re supposed to be saving money,” my better half pointed out, as we packed our half-empty luggage in anticipation of the weekend bonanza.
There wasn’t much conviction in it, to be honest.
We flew AirAsia direct to Bangkok’s Suvanarbhumi International Airport and took a taxi to our hotel, the Sofitel Centara, which is away from downtown. This hopefully, would keep a lid on too much shopping. The public taxi charge was the equivalent of RM50, including tolls. We estimated a city-based hotel would cost the same.
It was already Friday night. Many city hotels provide complimentary shuttle buses to key tourist areas in the city, including public transport points. We took ours to Chatuchak Park’s BTS station (a. k. a. Sky Train) which only took five minutes. From there, it’s just five stops from the heart of Bangkok.
We alighted at Siam station, which is adjacent to Siam Paragon. This is one of Bangkok’s best malls, with Kinokuniya, home furnishing boutiques and a splendid dining section at the top. Deep-pocketed high-flyers will love the sports and luxury car showroom. However, I was dragged away to our intended destination next to it — the no-less-prestigious CentralWorld.
It’s the largest shopping complex in South-East Asia. We visited the uber-modern department store, Zen’s, which offered real bargains. Would you ever find an RM180 price tag on designer loafers in Kuala Lumpur? Well, Zen certainly had them. With over 500 shops in CentralWorld, we didn’t need to go elsewhere.
Spurred by this shopping “high”, we planned the next day like US Navy SEAL commandos. Up at the crack of dawn and armed to the teeth with Thai baht, spare ringgit and a battery of credit cards, we set off for the Chatuchak Weekend Market.
The brainchild of Thai PM Field Marshall Plaek Phibulsongkram, this gargantuan shopping destination moved several locations in the 70s before settling in 1982 at Chatuchak Park. Official flyers state that over 10,000 stalls operate here, making it the world’s biggest flea market.
We made our way straight to the fashion area, followed by an in-depth foray into the home furnishing area. Two Coke Zeros later, and our shopping bags were multiplying. Shirts were selling for the equivalent of RM15 and pants for RM20. Bargaining is a must, for how else can one get a bargain?
The atmosphere was stuffy at times, so we savoured some delightful Thai food at a cosy little stall packed with patrons. Mango salad, fried chicken and sausages amounted to less than RM20. A couple more hours of shopping, and we trotted off to the nearest cab rank, taking a five-minute ride back to the hotel for under RM10.
Sofitel Centara is also within walking distance to the MRT line, which is a separate line bisecting the right half of Bangkok’s inner city suburbs. It took about nine stops to reach Suan Lum Night Bazaar. Smaller than Chatuchak and spread out in a grid-like layout, it had a good variety of products and specialises in home furnishings or accessories. We bought our placemats for a real bargain.
On the way back, we took a look at one more bargain destination: Patpong Night Market.
It lines the streets just beneath Saladaeing BTS station and is somewhat similar to our Petaling Street market. However, Patpong’s version is much bigger and opens till about 1am. The only concern is that it wasn’t very family-friendly, with plenty of DVD sellers hawking porn and tickets to the nearby Go-Go bars. Good for a look, maybe, but not for shopping.
Our Sunday flight was in the afternoon, and we took the early morning taxi down to the Centara Grand (affiliated with the Sofitel) for temporary safe-keeping while we ventured to one more must-see destination: the Jim Thompson House.
Dedicated to the memory of Jim Thompson, it offers daily tours that are highly informative, not only about the life of the late American (dubbed the “Father of Thai Silk”) but about Thai home life in general.
We finished the tour with some silk scarf purchases and realised that we would have to rush our overweight baggage to the airport. Two-and-a-half hours later, our plane was off with us safely tucked in.
Thailand’s exchange rate and variety means it’s an amazing option for Malaysian shoppers. We have sworn we’d be back there before Christmas.
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