Girls Will Be Girls at the Chatuchak Market
Posted on 04. Apr, 2010 by LindsayT in Asia, Kodak Zi8, March, Thailand, Zoo
Travel writers and the new onslaught of travel video bloggers (a category I kind-of, sort-of fall into) have a penchant for glamorizing travel destinations, making them seem 100% beautiful, 100% serene, or 100% desirable, but after surpassing my 2 month mark on the road, hopping through 4 countries (and currently on my 5th), I can tell you that the roses don’t always smell so pretty.
Take for instance the Chatuchak Market in Bangkok, Thailand. It covers almost 35 acres, with 5K stalls and almost 300K visitors a day when it is open Saturday and Sunday. I watched this beautifully composed video from the Matador Travel Network’s Matador TV and thought “This rich cultural experience is where I want to spend all my baht” or something along those lines. As 100% American girls, comfortable with “supercenters of American … consumerism” , to quote my friend Laura Lee Huttenbach, we forged ahead in pursuit of an all day shopping spree with an advantageous conversion rate! Amongst the pretty things, we found mayhem, confusion, pressure, and guilt at an intensity higher than a conversation with Bubbe about interfaith marriage (I say that with lots of love and endearment). Warning, shopping like this is not for the faint of heart.
Track: Superafim by CSS
Related posts:
- Taxicab Confessions of a (Not Quite) Political Refugee
- Traveling by Train in Thailand
- My Last Thoughts on Thailand
7 Responses to “Girls Will Be Girls at the Chatuchak Market”
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The Short of It
I retired in November 2009 after doing everything I was "supposed to do". A life full of Type A achievements lead me to years on the highway promising only more years on the highway. I'm taking a detour on the country road to discover something new, and work on what I can really do to become a contributing member of society. If you can't do it yourself, join me for the drive; I promise to entertain!
xoxo lindsay 
I would go to see the market to say I was there, but after that I couldn’t stay that place just sounds HUGE. I do remember shopping at some markets in Phuket and argh its just all too hard.
I love the ring you are wearing on this video!!! where did you get that?? You could definitely bring me back one of those necklaces…not the incense though…
I picked up the ring somewhere in New Zealand and it’s already back in the States with L.Grass! I’ll start looking for some good stuff for you, although I already have one thing
I suppose that would have been better – just go to see it and then leave. Our excitement just overtook our sensibility : )
Hmmm… I was kicking myself for missing the market — now I’m feeling a little better about the decision. Thanks!
the part with you stressed out trying to be rational is hilarious…and that necklace is gorgeous! def. worth the trip (and the stress). did you buy me a squirrel dressed in an outfit? or just the outfit and i can BYOS (bring your own squirrel)? either one will work.
dude, you can’t tell from the video, or maybe you can, but the squirrel sales woman was not happy about my video, and that part of the market was unreal; Lauren and I were not about to slow down to pick out squirrel outfits. I really wish I could have something to bring to the next BYOS party, but, le sigh, I will have to pick acorns on the ground.