If you love to bargain, like crowds, want endless choice, aren’t afraid of the bizarre and don’t care if you’re overheating in the process, then Bangkok’s Chatuchak or weekend market is the place for you.

The expression “shop till you drop” has never been more appropriate.

The city’s original Weekend Market was held at Sanam Luang, an oval field across from the Grand Palace. Due to hopeless congestion, it moved to it’s current site at Chatuchak Park in 1982, land owned by The State Railway of Thailand.

At first, there was doubt it could survive the transfer from its spectacular setting to what was regarded then as a remote and uninteresting site. But the market’s unique vitality proved to be stronger than nostalgia.

Back then it was located at the edge of the town. Now the city has grown to embrace the market that is also at the heart of many new projects – an elevated train depot and a future subway station. While local shoppers do enjoy the dazzle of ornate shopping malls with air-conditioning, the traditional market remains both a practical and social reality in Thailand.

The current site is huge - covering 31 acres with over 9,000 individual stalls.

The market is open Saturday & Sunday from around 8am to 6pm. This is the World’s Biggest Weekend Market selling practically anything under the sun, from the smallest nail, to foods, trendy fashions and antique intricate woodcarvings. Just inside the main entrance, tattooed Mohawk wearing self-styled Thai hippies make jewelry and other trinkets of self-expression.

Other sellers spill out of the market onto the surrounding sidewalks, to offer items such as sculptures of insects made from bamboo, or small gadgets to improve TV reception.

For anyone thinking of decorating their home, searching for that perfect piece of furniture or decor, be it antique, modern, Thai or Western this is the place to look. Perhaps it’s a lovingly created ethnic handicraft to brighten the home or ceramic products be it a tea cup, coffee mug, pots, traditional Thai Benjarong or a ceramic doll. Few visit Chatuchak and go home empty handed.

The world famous plant section has an extensive and exotic selection of orchids, bamboo and massive draping fans. Anyone just starting to live in Bangkok can convert an ordinary apartment into an exciting living space for just few thousand baht.

However, foreigner visitors who may be tempted to buy exotic plants to take back home with them, should check with the customs department of their country of residence as few allow the importation of plants in soil.

Arguably the most extensive section is the clothing zone where teenage vendors sit atop huge piles of fashionable well-worn blue jeans barking out “best price, best price”. Throughout the market, bargaining is vigorous but as low-key and genteel as the Thais. Normally a shopper will ask the price of an item and the seller will give an opening price knowing that it will be cut by as much as 50%. It’s a game that you are expected to play. To win, make sure that you have the exact amount of banknotes that you are willing to part with. Bargaining is not a life-and-death affair to Thais, but a form of social interaction. Many foreign visitors are not comfortable the first time they bargain particularly when they realize they’re haggling over a small amount. Remember though, the price you ended up paying is the market price in Thailand and not what you would pay in the High Street back home.

Thais love to keep aquariums and the tropical fish section is a big draw. One booth might house a small fish tank, while its neighbor offers a dramatic display of energetic cichids or expensive chubby goldfish.

There are also a variety of more unusual creatures such including freshwater rays, eels, and archerfish. Some booths present vase upon vase of the famous Siamese fighting fish. Potential buyers, for the most part well-muscled young men who look like they might enjoy a fight themselves, scrutinize each specimen for signs that it might have the makings of a champion.

In the popular “used book and magazine” section, buyers comb through 10 year old issues of Popular Mechanics and Computing Magazines. In Thailand magazines would appear to have an unlimited shelf life.

Some western visitors may not be comfortable with the pets and animal section with an array of newly born puppies for sale. Despite numerous police raids, the dark side of the market is still a center for illegal exotic wildlife trade and a conduit for endangered species from surrounding countries. But this is less than 1% of the total activity at Chatuchuk and if you feel that it might upset you then simply avoid that section.

If you see something you like, Buy it. Immediately.

The market is extensive and there is nothing more frustrating then knowing you passed a stall with something that caught your eye, you want to back to get it, but can’t find the way.

After three hours hunting around in the humidity you might have seen just 10% of the market. My recommendation is to go early to avoid the heat.

Feeling a little hot and weary, then maybe it’s time to seek out a cool refreshing drink. There is an endless selection of food and drink, ranging from small beverage stalls on almost every soi or corner, iced refreshments, noodles, rice & curries, rice with roast pork, chicken rice and Thai-style fast food. I have my favourite Khao Soi stall selling the tasty chicken noodle curry soup from Chiang Mai for 20 baht a bowl.

If you are in need of air conditioning try Toh-Plue Restaurant in Section 2.

Lesser known amongst tourists is Autogoa Market, bordering Chatuchak on the south. This market provides only the highest-quality and most expensive produce to those who can afford to pay it. It is not uncommon to find local movie stars, rock singers, or politicians paying top-baht for imported Japanese melons or apples. Some of this produce will end up in local temples or spirit houses and small shrines on the grounds of many Thai homes.