Journey to the World

ימים אחרונים בבנגקוק~Last Days In Bangkok

March 10 to 12, 2007

All my attempts to postpone my flight by a week have failed. I was told all flights were full until the end of April and that’s the way it is.

Last three days I went shopping. First day was dedicated almost fully to a special mall called Pantip Plaza which is located nearby Partonam market. Inside you can find everything related to computers and high-tech. Laptops, PDAs, computer parts and many accessories.

Pictures from my last days in Bangkok

Tips for Pantip Plaza

1. Prices are not the same in all stores. Usually you can find bargains on the third and fourth floor.

2. The mall has five floors, not including ground floor. The fifth one is one huge shop in which price are not cheap.

3. You should notice that most electrical device in Thailand come with an American socket.

4. Recommended time for computer freaks is three hours to half a day.

5. On some of the keyboards there are Thai letters. Local people buy there so you always have to check the device supports your own country.

Chatuchak Weekend Market

Second day was in a huge market called Chatuchak. It’s a weekend market which operates only on Saturday and Sunday. Thousands if not tens of thousands of stands are spread on many streets. It offers clothes, shoes, souvenirs and there’s even an entire area for pets like dogs, tropical fish, parrots, iguanas, snakes, turtles, hedgehogs, squirrels and others. You can find there special items or cheap, but sometimes prices can be expensive.

China Town

On the third day I took a boat to China Town in the morning (18 baht). Price is similar to a local bus. The pier is fifteen minutes away from Khao San by foot. In China Town I especially found imported junk from China. Prices can be very expensive at times. However you can find there some special items.

Bo Be Market

After the disappointment of the small China Town, I went for the second time to the cheapest clothes market in Bangkok, Bo Be market. In it are businesses that sell merchandise to regular stores, and if you stumble upon a nice seller you would be able to purchase even one or two pieces for a great price. The trouble is it’s hard to look at the packed items and you can forget about trying it on.

The marked is comprised of five streets. In between the stores are hidden. There are a few types of stores and all of them are using the magic word “wholesale” to disable the possibility for bargaining. When I asked for a discount and heard that word I knew that it’s a waste of time, unless, of course, you’re going to buy several pieces of the same item.

Tip: if you’ve reached a store that looks like a storage room, it’s highly probable that you reached a wholesale business that supplies to other stores. There’s a high chance the merchant will demand that you buy a large amount of the same item, like a dozen or half a dozen for a ridiculous price. If the merchant is nice, he might let you buy even one piece, but there’s no use in arguing about it.

Near the market, there’s a large building five floors high that contains clothes stores of all kinds for low prices. You should know that it’s not always cheap. That building is called Bo Be Tower. It’s advantage is the huge amount of supply inside and the fact that it’s an actual mall where you can try the clothes on you to see if they fit.

Tips about clothes measures in Thailand

1. Thai people are usually short. Therefore most clothes are not suited for a normal 180cm human being. That is why most T shirts are Medium (M) size or Freesize size (F). The last one is between Large and Medium and therefore still small.

2. Collar shirts are small in many cases than the sizes westerns are used to. I found myself purchasing XL instead of L because Large was too small.

3. If you intend buying collar shirts with long sleeves you should check that the sleeves are not too short (or too long).

4. When buying pants you should notice that the length of sleeves is in the correct size.

5. There are many mistakes in pants sizes, especially in those which are sold in markets. You should take a measuring tape to verify that declared size is correct.

6. In some places they sell second hand clothes. The seller do not hide this fact when asked, but it’s not always clear. If something looks suspicious simply ask.

7. When the price is way too cheap compare to other stands, you should verify it’s not damaged goods like bad sewing, stains or other defects.

Most importantly: always bargain with a smile. Take it easy. No one owes you anything. If you make the merchant feel like a cheater or a liar, you will pretty soon find yourself outside the store, and leave a bad taste for the next tourist who comes to buy after you.

Last hours in Khao San

I spent my last hours in Bangkok near Khao San road taking some pictures.

Back to Israel – End of Travel Journal

I left Bangkok on a special van that went directly to the airport. I was picked up at 3:30 AM. Price was 120 baht. A taxi would’ve cost twice. I left with sadness after two months of adventures and experiences of maybe one in a lifetime. I will be back one day.

The flight from Thailand left as planned and landed in Kiev, Ukraine. It wasn’t so cold as it was when I arrived. The plane from Kiev to Israel left on time. Being in Tel Aviv in the middle of Match reminded me that it’s still winter in Israel. It was cold and small drops of rain fell from the skies.