Chapter 3. PRATUNAM MARKET

So early already so many people

Pratunam Market is a wholesale market situated in the Pratunam area of Bangkok City. It's located at the intersection of Ratchaprarop and Phetburi roads in the district Ratchathewi. In other words, Central Bangkok.

Things are cheap ;p

It consists of a wide open-air section with mini temporary stalls, much like pasar malams and our famed "Chi Cheong Kai" in KL.

The markets are opened daily from 10am - 6pm. So the stalls disappear after opening hours to give way to night traffic.

Stalls along the road

The stalls are lined up on both sides of the street, with both owners and potential buyers haggling over the prices as vehicles swept pass.

This is arguably the cheapest market for buying clothes, fabrics and textiles in central Bangkok. However I should state that the quality of the clothes here are on par with the price. "If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys."

City Complex

It is located adjacently with City Complex Pratunam & Indra Square, which offers almost the same goods, with the exception of being in an air-conditioned area ... which is a commodity rather than a luxury in the searing Bangkok heat.

Shaded Area

After a brief shopping spree in the outside heat, we succumbed to the heat and headed to the other portion of Pratunam Market, which is shaded.

We hoped that the shades could help us escape from the scorching heat. Unfortunately the shaded areas were even hotter than outside. The maze like tunnels made channeling of wind inside almost none-existent. (trapped heat)

Fruit Dessert Lady

Mango Dessert 10Baht (2/5)

Fresh sliced green mangoes dipped with (sugar+unknown spicy mixture). The mangoes were too raw and solid initially, but turned out tender and crispy after soaking up the condiments.

One thing we've realized is you can't feel the Thailand spiciness outright. But take a few bites and your mouth will be bursting with "hotness"

A lot of ladies stuff, not too much for the guys

The concept about wholesale is you'll need to buy a minimum of 3pcs to get a good deal. A general example is "1pc (retail) for 200Baht or 3pcs (wholesale) for 150Baht"

Other Food Vendors

After wandering around the markets and indulging in some retail therapy for 2 hours, we headed back to the hotel to check-in, take bath and bask in the AC room to get reprieve from the heat.


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