The Weekend Market, JJ Market, or Chatuchak . . . whatever you call it it's gotta be on your to-do list for any and every visit to Bangkok. (Taking a cab there? Ask for Chatuchak . . . more drivers seem to know it by this name than the others.) A delight for all the senses, and absolutely the best place to buy your souvenirs and trinkets for friends back home, the Weekend Market (with all stalls open on Saturday and Sunday - hence the name) will be an experience you will not forget.

I’ve yet read a description of this place that even remotely does it justice. And I’ll probably do no better here. Imagine the biggest flea market you’ve ever been to, now increase that size by a factor of 20 and you may come close to the size of this place. There must be a few thousand stalls and I doubt you could walk every aisle in every building in a single day.

There are approximately 30 large tin roofed, open sided buildings, each filled with every imaginable type of goods. Each building is designated for a certain type of merchandise (clothes, rocks, plants, etc.) but that designation seems to only be a guideline as you’ll find all sorts of nonconforming merchandise spread throughout each. And don’t be put off by my using an American flea market as an example earlier here, the majority of the goods are all new with a smattering of used clothes, used books, and “antiques” thrown in.

What can you buy at the Weekend Market? A better question is what can’t you. And even then the answer would be difficult. Clothes of every type from knock-off designer stuff to T shirts to handmade originals; any and everything for your garden; the very latest in illegally copied DVDs and CD’s ( movies that just opened in the theater that week, even); art of every form . . . paintings, sculpture, metal work, et.; jewelry as well as precious and semi precious stones and beads; books both new and used; anything and everything for the kitchen; musical instruments; a pet section that would make PetsMart jealous . . . and seem puny to boot; every damn souvenir, trinket, and object d’ art that you’ve seen on the street or at the night markets (and much, much cheaper); and, food of every type and style imaginable. And that’s just a partial list!

Getting there is easy. The best way is to hop on the BTS and head for Mo Chit station, the end of the line. Then just let the crowds move you along to an entrance to the market. You can take a cab, too. Skip the tuk-tuk (if you haven’t already adopted this as your mantra for the entire trip) ‘cuz the market is quite a distance from where you are probably staying. Getting back to your hotel, laden with purchases, is easy too: Take a cab. Yes, you could use the BTS to get back to your base but a) you’ll be hot and drenched in sweat, and b) you’ll not want to walk another foot further than necessary, so spend the 100 baht and ride back for your afternoon nap.

An early start for a trip to the Weekend Market would be smart, but since most stalls don’t open until 10 in the morning, there’s plenty of time for the free breakfast offered by your hotel. Once you get there, you’ll be sharing your shopping experience with 50,000 Thais and touri, so dress cool and light and leave the backpack at home. If you go with a few friends, best to stick together because you will get lost. No, I’m not kidding. There are few landmarks to site into to keep your bearings and even the few there are will seem to move on you so stick together or plan on meeting back at your hotel.

Now like any Thai market there is seldom only one stall selling and item. Rather there are a few dozen. Sometime they are all lined up together; other times they’ll be spread out in different corners of the market. I mention this as a warning against seeing something that interests you and deciding to return later for it. Don’t do it. Buy whatever you see as you come across it. You may not run into one of the other stalls selling your item and most certainly you won’t find that particular stall again.

The Weekend Market is a great place to begin to hone your bartering skills. It’s mini-bartering. You won’t run into the 75% higher asking price scenario you’ll encounter at most street stalls. More like 25%. And the true discounts are for those buying quantity (Wholesale? will be the normal question you’re asked if you try for a lower price . . . and that means they expect you to be buying a dozen or so of the item). About the only bad thing I can say about pricing at the Weekend Market is that if you’ve bought anything elsewhere in Bangkok you’ll find it here at a much lower price . . . even if you don’t barter! I’d picked up a few silk throw pillow covers the day before at a hard bargained 300 baht each and saw the same ones at the market at a starting price of 140 baht. Not that I needed more, but I ended up buying two additional ones for 100 baht each. Lesson learned?

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