When my husband and I were planning for our Bangkok trip, we've made one ultimate promise. (((We will not shop))). But oh come on... You know that it is impossible to do when you visit Bangkok right??? They sell the best price for garments, fashion, and decoration. So we broke the promise... We visit the Chatuchak Weekend Market >.<

We received the recommendation to visit the Chatuchak Weekend Market from my best friend who has been living in Bangkok for quite a long time but currently living in the UK. She said that the Chatuchak Market is only open during the weekend (Saturday and Sunday). So if we happen to stay in Bangkok during the weekends, this market is a must to visit.

The market itself is very accessible. We can just go to Mo Chit BTS Station. The market is just right across the station, a five minute walk from the station. The Chatuchak Weekend Market is so big. It is almost impossible to go through every single corner of the market in one day. The market also sells many different things from fashion, food, souvenirs, arts and crafts, until animals and pets.

You will be super surprised with the price offered in Chatuchak Weekend Market. It is ridiculously cheap!!!! Just be careful not to spend too much in this market since the temptation to buy everything we see in this market is very high.

One thing that I adore from this market (aside from its super affordable price) is the sellers. The sellers can speak simple english conversation so it is very easy to communicate or bargain. Remember that in order to be able to get the best price, we have to bargain in this market. But just in case we don't bargain, the starting price is already affordable.

With all the hype and happiness visiting the Chatuchak Weekend Market, there are several things that we need to be aware from. First is the peak hours. The Chatuchak Weekend Market is not fully supported with air conditioner. So if we come during lunch time and peak hours, it will be hell hot! My husband and I came to Chatuchak Weekend Market at around 09:00 AM. I think it is perfect. Although several shops are not open yet during the time, but most shops are already open. There are not too many person during this time. We finished our shopping experience at around 11:00 AM. That is when the crowds started coming. Second is the pickpockets. The Chatuchak Weekend Market can be very crowded. Just be aware of the pickpockets. My tips for this case is to bring just enough money to shop. Then put it in a very small wallet separately from the main wallet. This will prevent us from continuously opening the main wallets that have all our credit cards in it. Other than the two things to be aware of, the rest is fine. Just enjoy the shopping!

Street food is also one of the ultimate attraction in Chatuchak Weekend Market. There are many tasty food that we must try! One of them is the vegetable spring-rolls with sweet Thai chilly sauce sold in the street just before the main entrance. It super tasty and affordable. Only 20 Baht (around IDR.8000) per portion (6 spring rolls). Another must try food is the coconut ice cream. This is the culinary star of Chatuchak Weekend Market.

There are many stalls selling the Coconut Ice cream. But the legendary one is the green food stalls with coconut hanging on it. To reach this stall, just enter the main entrance of Chatuchak Weekend Market. Go straight until you reach another road. Turn left on that road. The green food stalls will be somewhere along that road.

With only 40 Baht to spend (about IDR.16.000) to spend, we can get a very delicate and rich coconut ice cream, coconut fruit shred, two toppings, and one glass of refreshing pure coconut water. The taste of the coconut ice cream is quite similar to the Indonesian Es Puter. The ice cream is very rich in flavour. I highly recommend the Nata De Coco (coconut cubes) as the toppings. It is damn good!

So the highlight of our visit to the Chatuchak Weekend Market is that if you promise yourself not to shop during your stay in Bangkok, please reconsider it. If not, you will regret it. Lol

With love,

Handini Audita