Chatuchak Market

It took awhile for all of us to recover from our ailments. For awhile, I was getting over Dengue Fever while Jordan had a painful infected cut on his foot that he acquired on jungle trek. Kush wasn't fairing any better since he had an upset stomach for several days. On our way to the south, we spent one night in Bangkok and stayed at our favorite hostel, Suk 11 (near Sukhumvit Road). A very rustic and comfortable place, we hung out there for the night and bumped into some other BRUINS in the lobby! Surprisingly enough, each of us knew at least one of them (Jesslyn and Lindsey), as they were traveling with one other really cool dude from the states. The next day we all met at the Chatuchak market, a huge weekend market just outside Bangkok.

The Market was insanely large. It would take an entire weekend to see it all, since every vendor is so densly packed together in a 2 square mile region. There are dozens of tiny streets, or "soi" that divide the open-air market into different sections. One can find anything from underwear, handmade jewelry, antiques, loads of food, pets, electronics, to furniture, jeans, and vintage American clothing. Looking through one store, I discovered recycled shirts from the states that were probably originally manufactured in Thailand, shipped to the states, printed and sold, then sent back on some huge Goodwill truck and re-sold in a Thai market. Some favorite shirts were the "Bank of America Family picnic 1996" and "Beaver Tale Ale" we happened to stumble upon. It was quite a sight, and MUST DO for anyone visiting Bangkok. Extremely cheap and equipped with almost every type of merchandise imaginable, it is a bargainers paradise. Even if you don't want to buy anything, it's a sight to see. (One of my most memorable of the trip)