Cooking Pleasure - Travel & Food: Thailand Night Markets

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

BANGKOK TRAVEL ITINERARY 2015 - KHLONG TOEY MARKET AND BENJAKITTI PARK [PART 7]

CONTINUATION OF BANGKOK TRAVEL ITINERARY PART 1,2, 3, 4, 5 AND 6

DAY 8 [THURSDAY - 19/3/15]

- VISIT - KHLONG TOEY MORNING MARKET

ONE OF THE LOCAL BANGKOK MORNING MARKETS

[DAILY 6.00 AM – 2.00 PM]

THIS IS A VERY ‘FRESH’ MARKET, OFFERING LOW PRICES ON RAW MEAT, SEAFOOD, FARM PRODUCE, KITCHEN WARE, CLOTHINGS ETC. IT IS AN EXTENSIVE MARKET IN THE CITY AND NEARBY TO RAMA IV ROAD. THERE ARE NUMEROUS FOOD STALLS AROUND THE VICINITY OFFERING LOCAL THAI FOOD.
HOW TO GET THERE: MRT TO KLONG TOEI STATION, EXIT UP THE ESCALATORS AND THEN WALK EAST ON THANG RAKFAIKO/RAMA IV ROAD FOR 10 MINS UNTIL YOU REACH THE LARGE INTERSECTION OF RAMA IV AND NARONG ROAD. THE MARKET IS ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE.

- VISIT BENJAKITTI PARK/QUEEN SIRIKIT CONVENTION CENTER

[DAILY 5.00 AM – 10.00 PM]

LOCATION: LAKE RATCHADA, QUEEN SIRIKIT NATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER

OVERLOOKING ONE OF THE MOST PICTURESQUE VIEW OF DOWNTOWN BANGKOK SKYLINE. COVERS A RECTANGULAR AREA OF 208,000 SQ METERS OPPOSITE QUEEN SIRIKIT NATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE

THE PARK FORMS A NARROW SWATHE OF GREEN WITH DEDICATED BICYCLE AND JOGGING TRACKS ENCIRCLING THE WHOLE PARK. MAJOR FESTIVALS LIKE NEW YEAR’S EVE AND LOY KRATHONG ARE HELD HERE. IF YOU LIKE WALKING AROUND THE LAKE, THE BEST TIME TO VISIT IS EARLY MORNING.

HOW TO GET THERE: MRT QUEEN SIRIKIT NATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE. WALK TOWARDS ASOK-MONTRI FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES
NOTES: WE VISITED THE MARKET FOR A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF LOCAL FOOD INGREDIENTS IN BANGKOK. THE PARK IS A GOOD PLACE FOR MORNING OR EVENING EXERCISES. A GOOD PLACE TO STROLL ALONG THE LAKE IN THE HEART OF BANGKOK CITY.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

What To Eat in Chiang Rai - Night Market Street Food

Location - Thanalai Road, from Tung Garden to Chiang Rai Vocational College, Chiang Rai
Opening Hours - 16.00 till midnight [every Saturday evening]

Unlike Chiangmai’s markets, that’s full of mass-produced items made specifically for tourists, a lot of what you can buy at the night market in Chiang Rai are unique items made by hill tribe people such as antique bags, masks, some hill tribe silver earrings, handmade traditional Thai dolls, carved wooden bowl, embroidered bag etc.

Hill-tribes of Thailand produce beautiful products, all unique and of lovely quality. The best places to buy these products are from the stalls the hill tribe people set up by just placing a blanket on the street and selling from there.

Prices are cheap here. You may find the same items elsewhere or in Bangkok but the price may rise to many folds. Another highlight is a string of cultural performances which re-enact scenes from the local way of life and traditions of the ancient Lanna people. There are also live folk music and dancing.

Apart from the inedibles, the night market street food also has a lot of food stalls and most of them offer Thai food that are cooked a little less spicy to cater to tourists’ taste and there’s even live music and dancing girls to keep you entertained while you eat. The stretch of stalls is unbelievably with about 4 rows of stalls along the stretch. Look at the some of the photos here and these are just a small portion of it. Prices range from as low as 10THB for a stick of Miang Kham [5 pieces] or a stick of grilled meat.

10THB per stick of 5 pieces of miang kham

10THB per piece of Crispy Basil Small Prawns Fritters

20THB fruit smoothie per smoothie cup of various combinations, cheapest here in Chiang Rai

You can skip dinner and nib at the various food offered here. They are more than enough to fill your stomach. As you walk along, everything looks so tempting that you love to try. Best of all the prices are very, very reasonable.