A weekend at the Kingdom’s Capital

The last weekend I had encounters with two of Bangkok’s icons: The Jatujak Market and Khao San Road.

My “paisano” Gejo was to spend the weekend in the capital in his way to his visit to Argentina and I accompanied him. We arrived there on Saturday morning, dropped everything in the hotel room and roamed the neighborhood for some food. Since we are both almost vegetarian, we had a little hard time finding food in an area bared from tourists. Everything has gai (chicken) and muu (pork).

In the early afternoon we arrived in the mighty Jatujak Market, which is the largest market in Thailand and the world's largest weekend market. In its 35 acres and 5,000 stalls you can find a wide variety of products including household items, clothing, Thai handicrafts, religious artifacts, collectibles, foods, and live animals. It can be pretty overwhelming and I was glad that I did not have to do the shopping. It was extremely hot and the amount of people incredible (about 200,000 people visit the market each day). We had an early dinner and went to bed early to gather strength for another day of shopping on Sunday. I never saw any human shop like that! He bought really nice presents for all his family and friends, which filled two suitcases.

          Outside of the Jatujak Market

On Sunday evening we strolled on Khao San Road, a backpacker area in the center of Bangkok. Since most backpackers in South East Asia start their trip in Bangkok, this section of the city is strategic to meet fellow travelers and network for travel tips and companions. There are also many cheap hotels and restaurants and the energy of the place is quite special. A few minutes after sitting at an outdoor table at a restaurant several people (in their twenties) approached us to talk. It helped that I had ordered a scorpion from a street vendor.

Scorpions at Khao San Road

 

When I was in my twenties I spend my time working and studying, then getting married, and I missed all that backpacking experience. Now it is fun to see it from the outside. I do not believe in age limitations and still would not be comfortable mixing with the backpackers. I just feel so grateful to see these pockets in the world, where life is so beyond imagination.

On Monday I escorted Gejo to the Suvarnabhumi airport and then I went to the Don Muang airport (the other international airport in Bangkok) to take my flight back to suburban Phuket.