Shopping in Thailand: Personal Experience

This is the largest Bangkok market, open only on Saturdays and Sundays. It is located near the last northern station Skytrain. A huge market where even I could not resist the spending of how many BAT! Mass of people goes to the market from the station.

Market – like a small city, sectors are divided by streets.

I liked the risks on various works of art most of all, often directly from artists.

Such a market of art instead of galleries.

Trat (Thailand): city market

Throwing things in the room, went to the bazaar. In any small town, the market is his heart.

Clean, crowded goods market. Despite the hot, the wet climate does not stink the rubbish fish or rotten meat. Tasty edible odors. Harmony Thai Homon resembles a bird tweet. And everywhere paint fruits, spices, vegetables, colors and painted eggs.

Choose shrimp. Charming stuffed frogs. Round eggplants for soup Green Curry. Caracatians, squid, fish, frogs and other marine, earth and amphibian reptiles.

This is not an Arab market. No one sticks to you, does not call, does not pull the sleeve to his counter. Came up, chose what you need, called the seller.

Appetizing and delicious pancakes with scrambled eggs or bananas. And give you them with a smile.

Well, and of course – the most fragrant, the most juicy, the most delicious Thai pineapple in the world.

Shopping on Phuket Island

On the beach of Karon, the right of the hotel Baan Karon Buri Resort (if you face a face to the sea) there is a Karon Plaza shopping center (essentially this indoor market), where textiles, souvenirs, leather goods and t.NS. The choice is not bad. It is also recommended to bargain when buying. Prices can be significantly reduced.

Modern shopping centers and a greater choice of goods are in the resort Patong either in shopping centers near the city of Phuket in the depths of the island. On Patong go closer, shopping centers there are huge. For honey lovers, I recommend purchasing a VEJPong honey to Tesco Lotus (WWW.vejpong.COM). Price per jar 300 g 75 baht. Honey is very exotic taste, which has enlightened a large variety of Thai flower beds, and excellent quality.

But the best souvenirs from Thailand is, in my opinion, fruit. For the export, buy them better in the markets are not quite ripe, because during the transportation they have time to divert, and mature fruits can spoil or torture on the road.

Orchids can also be brought, but in our homeland Thai orchids are also sold at quite reasonable prices.

This time we also bought an orthopedic pillow of latex. In the area of ​​Karon Beach there are several shops selling latex products (foamed rubber). We purchased a classic pillow for 1,700 baht. Prices that are offered on excursions are two – three times higher with the same quality. On an excursion to latex warehouse, you can go to have an idea of ​​what the quality product from latex should be. I recommend buying in ordinary stores without a tourist markup.

For the use of almost three months I have somewhat improved sleep and almost disappeared. Pillow is quite elastic and has not lost the form yet. It is argued that with proper operation, the pillow will serve at least 10 years. At the same time, when buying a pillow give a warranty for 4 years to replace or return, in the event of a loss of consumer qualities at proper operation. If I wonder, we bought latex pillows in the Famous LaTEX store, which is located in the north of the beach Karon for the circle and then turn right near the lakeside bazaar, you need to go through the arch.

Clothing stores in Pattaya and Bangkok

The most popular way of deceiving tourists in Thailand

I have been living in Thailand for many years and I am an employee of a travel company for receiving our tourists. All these years, one of the most of our big problems was Indian (Pakistani) tailors, which in huge numbers offer their services in the tourist cities of Thailand, such as Pattaya, Bangkok, Phuket, and others. We always warn our tourists about this danger, but nevertheless cases of fraud happen constantly. Thai honest law-abiding citizens and the crime rate in the country is very low. Especially unpleasant that a small group of people (Hindus and Pakistanis) spoil the whole picture. So, that’s how it all happens.

On any street from each hotel, especially in such where many our tourists live, you can see small shops with fully glass windows, in which male and female suits on mannequins are exhibited, the visibility of atelier has been created. In front of the shop there is a smiling Hindu (Pakistani), which speaks English perfectly in English, and knows several phrases in our (for example "Hi, man"). Hindus (Pakistanis) is very easy to distinguish from Thais: they have European eyes and dark leather. Often they have an album in their hands with photos of male and female costumes. These people know how to rub in trust very well, they always smile (Thais are smiling when they are really good, Indians (Pakistanis) are smiling when they want to fool), they can lure in trust, will always look straight in the eyes, they will try to shake their hand, will offer drinks for free. When you, yielding to persuasion, enter his shop, you will show very well-looking fabrics and persuade the sewing costume (with a tie and shirt). The costume will cost from $ 80 (2700 baht) to $ 300 (9000 baht), depending on how your purchasing power will appreciate "tailor". You will take a deposit of 90% of the total cost. At the same time, they must (!) Ask, when you fly away, and prescribe the end time as possible as possible, usually in the evening of the last day of your stay in Thailand. Guess why? Now understand.

1) you will come to fitting (usually two days before departure to your homeland) and you will be offered a terrible type of Balahon, nothing to do with a pretty suit that. You will start to scandalize and you say that the matter is spent, so you want to continue, but no, then the deposit will not be returned. There is no time to go to the police (and most ours, unfortunately, do not speak English and do not trust the police, about which "Tailors" know very well). Here the focus is that they did not start (!) sew your costume this "like a suit" They hang on all customers, it is made specifically to make the shift.

2) After fitting you, in spite of everything, require the completion of the costume and come to take it on the last day of your stay in Thailand. Here in front of you played a playful performance with the wicked of hands, worships, etc. It is said that your costume was almost ready, when: a) broke the pipe b) burned out the workshop c) Mom got sick and t.D. Wherein "tailor" Mom swars like a suit at your address in Russia at your own expense. How do you guess, no suit you get. ours in such cases are not scandaling, they think: we will scandalize – I will not get anything at all, and so – suddenly he will send? So with ours happens in 90% of cases, although sometimes they really give a suit. When they work with Europeans, then give suits in 40% of cases. This is due to the fact that Europeans speak English (and therefore they can talk to the police) and much more like to scandal. 10 years ago they almost always gave suits. But over the years they began to understand that it is much more profitable to sew anything. Police, in principle, can help, but she will be done very hard, because "Tailors" never give receipts, but only write from the hands on the reverse side of your business card, and this is not a document.

Another focus is that in fact these "Tailors" really don’t know how to sew. The only thing they can do is to force the tourist to order a suit. Even if the suit will be sewn (quite a rare case), the Hindu (Pakistani) will order it from the Thai tailor for $ 27 (900 baht), and the difference will put himself in his pocket. Of course, a good suit for $ 27 to sew it impossible. You may ask why the taits themselves do not make a studio? I answer: Thai Atelier is, but the problem is that the Thai is much more difficult to learn European languages ​​than the Hindu, since the secret language is very unlike European, so the Hindus (Pakistanis) won due to eloquence, sweeping, "Highlighted" Money for anyone, get into the soul. They will talk to you very friendly, clap on the shoulder, maybe you will become acquainted with your family, they will treat something, but it is only as long as everything goes as it is profitable if something is wrong, they start loud without warning scream, insult and even threaten. This is done not because "tailor" really got angry, and in order that you are embarrassed and gone, spitting on money. And smile and threats are one hundred percent pretense.