Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Khao San Road #Bangkok.


In addition to being great for adjusting to the culture and climate,
Khao San Road is also a great place to ease yourself
into the intense sensory m-lange that is Thai cuisine.


 Restaurants, shacks and stalls on wheels abound,
and most of what’s sold at them toned down to cater to the unadjusted Western palate.


In particular, the spiciness of curries, salads and noodles is much less than locals enjoy eating.
If you like spicy, the phrase ‘ped maak’ should do the trick.


Don’t think its all tame variations on Thai cooking and Western junk food
(Burger King, McDonalds and Subway are all in attendence).

 
Recent years have seen an upsurge in upscale restaurants and bars,
and the variety and sophistication of the food
available on Khao San Road has rocketed proportionally.


Menus offering interesting fusions of Thai with Western cuisine are now common,
and many establishments and stalls specialist in gourmet international cuisine.
Pizza, sushi, felafel, seafood, fish and chips, and pasta all get a look in.



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Monday, June 16, 2014

Tourism on Khao San Road in the heart of Bangkok back to normal.


Tourism on Khao San Road in the heart of Bangkok, known as the backpack haven for tourists, has returned to its normal liveliness as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) canceled the curfew it had imposed across the nation.

Khao San Road Business Association chairman Sa-nga Ruangwattanakul said since the NCPO lifted the countryside curfew last Friday, the area has seen the number of visitors climb back to its normal state.

Local Thai residents have been flocking to the tourist spot to enjoy watching the World Cup 2014, while foreign tourists are staying longer in Khao San, up from previously spending just one night in Bangkok before traveling to other provinces to avoid the curfew.

Trading in the area has also regained activeness, noting that he believes the number of visitors to the top tourist destination would soon return to the same level as before.

The association has spread the news of the lifting of the curfew through the world's top social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter, which has brought a better response among Asian tourists than European tourists in traveling to Thailand.

Mr Sa-nga said that the organisation would hold more activities to draw foreign tourists back to the location, since its strategy to return happiness to visitors has proven fruitful and helped to portray the image to the international community that Thailand is safe to visit.

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Saturday, July 6, 2013

Chatuchak Weekend Market - Bangkok

Chatuchak Weekend Market
The Chatuchak Market (JJ) is one of the world’s largest weekend markets.
It covers an area of almost 30 Acres, is divided into 28 different sections & contains more than 15.000 booths selling goods from all over Thailand. You can imagine my face when I stepped out of the BTS train and saw this huge market…jaw dropping. The Chatuchak Market is a very popular shopping destination for Thais but has also become very popular with tourists. Thais from all over the country come here to buy goods for their local shop. Each day, about 200.000 visitors come here (30 % tourists). You can pretty much find everything there, from books to antiques to live animals and plants.

Yes, Chatuchak Makret sounds like a true shopper’s delight. For me, it was much less than that; not only am I not a fan of huge gatherings, but also the entire area was simply too large. As soon as we stepped out of the BTS train, the crowds started showing up. The way from the BTS station to the entrance of the market was maybe only 100 meters, yet it took us almost 15 minutes to get there. Viewing the market from above (from the bridge from the BTS station to the market area) still made it all quite clear but as soon as we were down in the crowd, our orientation got lost. I suggest that you go with the flow, because otherwise you’re just going to struggle. They’ll lead you somewhere anyway.

TIPS.

Chances of getting lost in the crowd are high. If you’re there with a friend, make sure you conclude a meeting point before.

Wear comfy shoes; you’ll walk a lot.

Drink, drink, drink…you’ll sweat like a pig so keep your water level high!

FACTS.

Opening hours: Wednesday-Thursday (Plants & Flowers) 6.00 am – 6.00 pm. Friday (Wholesale day) 6.00 am – 6.00 pm. Saturday-Sunday (Miscellaneous) 6.00 am – 6.00 pm.

How to get there: Skytrain (BTS) to Mo Chit station; take exit no. 1 and follow the crowd.

What to find there: Ah well, you’ve 30 Acres of pretty much everything you need (or don’t need).