{"id":5284,"date":"2021-10-27T09:33:54","date_gmt":"2021-10-27T13:33:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oxfordseminars.com\/blog\/?p=5284"},"modified":"2021-10-27T09:55:14","modified_gmt":"2021-10-27T13:55:14","slug":"shop-til-drop-thai-weekend-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oxfordseminars.com\/blog\/shop-til-drop-thai-weekend-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Shop Till You Drop at a Thai Weekend Market"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u00a0When I got the chance to teach English in Japan<\/a> through the JET\u00a0Programme, I knew I wanted to take the opportunity to travel and explore the country as much as possible. One of the biggest draws of teaching abroad for me was the idea of seeing as much of Japan<\/a><\/span> \u2013 its castles, shrines, and mountainous landscapes \u2013 as I could. But I soon realized I had another opportunity as well: there would never be a better time to explore the rest of Asia! With Japan<\/a><\/span> as my \u201chome base,\u201d I started thinking of all the other places I wanted to see while living on the other side of the world. And the first stop on my list\u2026Thailand<\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0Typically, I like to plan my vacations down to the letter.\u00a0I like to know exactly where I\u2019m going, what I\u2019m doing, and what to expect along the way. But it didn\u2019t seem right to do so in a relaxing tropical paradise like Thailand<\/a>. If I were to truly become a globe-trotting explorer, I had to learn to go with the flow and see where the adventure would take me. Luckily, I had two traveling companions with me (fellow teachers abroad, each with their own schedules packed to the gills), so I decided to let myself relax and be swept along for once. Looking back, I\u2019m glad I did. Relaxing days on the beach were certainly on the schedule for later, but we hit the ground running right in the heart of Bangkok on our first day, and I would surely have been overwhelmed trying to do it any other way. Time to channel some Zen.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Thai culture is a vibrant blend of old and new, and nowhere is this more evident than in the country\u2019s largest market, Chatuchak Weekend Market. With a whopping 15,000 stalls, the sprawling Bangkok market brings in over 200,000 visitors every week. In the hot, humid summer of 2015, that number included three wide-eyed Canadians stepping off the plane from Japan. Admittedly, our experience with North American flea markets and sidewalk sales had not prepared us for Chatuchak. Even after arriving at one of the market\u2019s many entrances, it was hard to visualize its sprawling size \u2013 an incredible 35 acres. The walkways between stalls are numbered on large, hanging signs to help shoppers navigate the 26 sections, but if you\u2019re only visiting, it\u2019s unlikely you\u2019ll ever end up crossing the same one twice.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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You may start to notice some themes amongst the items for sale: elephants are a common motif, being the national animal of Thailand<\/a>. Buying a wooden carving or a t-shirt of one is a great way to enjoy these iconic giants without engaging in potentially harmful elephant tourism. Thailand<\/a><\/span> is also a Buddhist nation, and you\u2019ll see happy, Thai-style Buddhas everywhere you look.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Shoppers at Chatuchak are expected to haggle, which doesn\u2019t exactly come easy to a bunch of overly-polite\u00a0Canadians. Luckily,\u00a0a Thai phrasebook app helped us along considerably. Once we had learned to\u00a0say \u201chello\u201d (<\/span>sa\u00a0wat dee<\/span><\/i>) and \u201cthank you\u201d (<\/span>kop\u00a0kun<\/span><\/i>), it was easy to engage with the friendly locals. Throwing in a\u00a0<\/span>wai\u00a0<\/span><\/i>(Thai-style bow) will usually get a few smiles, too. I\u2019m still not sure I can actually barter, but at least I was polite when I did it badly! The three of us had nearly checked off everything\u00a0on our souvenir shopping lists, and I was finally starting to feel like I could allow myself to completely wing it on vacation without worrying where the path ahead would take me…<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0…But just when you think you\u2019ve figured out Chatuchak Market, you turn\u00a0a\u00a0corner and find homemade Transformers. Or a bridal shop. Or a stall selling nothing but colorful rubber ducks. It\u2019s almost easier to go in without any specific idea of what you\u2019d like to buy, and just let the colors and textures of the\u00a0market pull you along. Every time you think you\u2019re done shopping, you run into something else that is so weird you have to have it. Or, at the very least, snap a picture\u00a0of it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Market isn\u2019t just for tourists buying souvenirs, though.\u00a0Its 26 sections include art, antiques, home decor, and even raw materials you can buy in bulk. Courier services are offered on-site for items large enough to be shipped\u00a0home\u00a0directly. If you come here on a schedule and ignore all the strange little detours, you\u2019re missing out — the Market\u2019s website says it takes 3 hours to \u201cbriefly sweep\u201d the market, and recommends giving yourself at least 5 hours to wander. It might sound like a long time to be on your feet, but it is completely worth it when you find a shop that makes you stop and laugh.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Locals shop here, too, and you\u2019ll encounter \u201creal\u201d Thai culture as much as the spruced-up tourist version. On the other hand, you\u2019re just as likely to find the symbols of neighboring cultures, too.\u00a0Buddha figurines share shelf space with colorful Hindu deities, reflecting the mix of tourists and natives in the crowd of shoppers.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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One of the easiest places to compare old and new culture in Thailand<\/a><\/span> is the fashions for sale at Chatuchak. Beautifully dyed textiles, handmade bags, and brightly-patterned harem pants (a must-buy for the tourist who only packed jeans)\u00a0neighbor\u00a0up against stalls of the latest fashions worn by Thai teens.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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We ended up buying a few shirts printed with tourist-y imagery (hello again, elephants) after being sold on a 3-for-1 deal by an enthusiastic and very persuasive shop girl. I can\u2019t complain, though, as the\u00a0impulse purchase ended up featuring in the few pictures I have of myself in Thailand<\/a>.\u00a0Though I\u2019m not much for selfies, I do enjoy being thematically appropriate with my wardrobe.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Whatever you came looking for at Chatuchak Market, chances are you won\u2019t walk away empty-handed. And don\u2019t forget to treat yourself! Walking through bustling crowds in the Thai heat and humidity works up a sweat, and it\u2019s important to stay hydrated. Outside the Market, we spent a considerable amount of our food budget on sports drinks, thanks to the handy 7-11s on every corner. But being a tropical nation, you will also encounter fresh flavors like coconut, mango,\u00a0dragonfruit, and durian (if you\u2019re brave) everywhere you go, often for only a few baht. Before you leave Chatuchak, be sure to snap up a freshly-blended, ice cold fruit smoothie — or, you know, whatever you happen to find. Go with the flow.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"Cat Tompkins tutored ESL students while earning their BA in English and a TESOL certification at CSU, Chico. After graduating, they taught English in Japan through the JET Programme for three years. They are currently a proud member of Oxford Seminars’ Job Placement team, and love to get pictures of pets from our grads.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0When I got the chance to teach English in Japan through the JET\u00a0Programme, I knew I wanted to take the opportunity to travel and explore the country as much as possible. One of the biggest draws of teaching abroad for me was the idea of seeing as much of Japan \u2013 its castles, shrines, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":5285,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[315,25,26,28,37,343],"tags":[196,8,20,412,179,6,105,102],"class_list":["post-5284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-abroad","category-life-abroad","category-switching-cultures","category-tesol-stories","category-thailand","category-travel","tag-adventure","tag-culture","tag-food","tag-grad-stories","tag-life-abroad","tag-tesol","tag-thailand","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oxfordseminars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oxfordseminars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oxfordseminars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oxfordseminars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oxfordseminars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5284"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.oxfordseminars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5284\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5306,"href":"https:\/\/www.oxfordseminars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5284\/revisions\/5306"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oxfordseminars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oxfordseminars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oxfordseminars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oxfordseminars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}