A traveller's reflection: Day 04: Year-end Trip

My Travel Journal

"There isn't much I haven't shared with you along the road and through it all there'd always be tomorrow's episode" - Elton John

I started traveling around the world since early 80s when I had the opportunity to combine business trips with vacations. Then later when my rezeki is in abundance, there were numerous other trips along the way for vacations, most of the time with hubby and the kids when the timing is right. I have also started to compile the journal and photo-pages covering almost more than 45 years of world wide travel. Some destinations I visited just once, others many times. Many of those places are the obvious famous places people would like to visit but some, the casual traveler doesn't even think to try. I have placed links to my travel at the side bar of my personal page, My Life Reflections, and will be updating them from time to time.

My wish is to continue my travel and complete circumnavigate the globe, insyaAllah…

Saturday, 31 December 2022

Day 04: Year-end Trip - Chatuchak, Bangkok

"You don't always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go and see what happens." - Mandy Hale

(Chatuchak Red Indian)

Day 04: Sunday, 18 December 2022
Chatuchak free and easy.

Today our plan was to spend time in Chatuchak Weekend Market.

(The early birds)

(The breakfast spread)

We had breakfast at the hotel dining area in the lobby. There were varieties of breakfast sets but we chose scrambled eggs and toast with fruits and juices and coffee. It was a filling meal that would last us till lunch time.

We had a few ways to get to the Chatuchak Market. On foot may take us more than an hour as there is no direct route. Or we could either drive there or call a Grab taxi. Another way is to take a ride on the BTS SkyTrain or Metro train.

(Riding on the BTS Skytrain)

(The carriage was packed with commuters)

We decided to take the BTS SkyTrain which is the most convenient form of transport. We walked to Phahon Yothin 24 station which is about 500m from our hotel. At the ticket booth we were surprised that the tickets were free. BTS SkyTrain was offering free trips between newly opened stations as a new year gift to Bangkok's commuters until next year!

Mo Chit Station near Chatuchak Market was two stations away. Before we visited the market we detoured to Chatuchak Park and had a nice stroll around the lake. The park is a large public park situated next to Chatuchak Weekend Market. It is a leisure and recreation area. There are nine pieces of ASEAN sculptures that enhance the character of the park.

(Chatuchak Park next to the weekend market)

(The lake in Chatuchak Park)

(The Chatuchak Park Clock Tower)

When we arrived at the market area it was not very crowded and some stalls were not opened. Chatuchak Weekend Market is a combination of indoor and outdoor market. It is also known as JJ Market and a must-visit place for tourists. It is a huge market consisting of about 30 sections with more than 10,000 shops and stalls offering a wide range of products from Thai handicrafts, handmade products, clothing, accessories, arts etc. Opening hours are from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm. The market is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Some sections are opened only on certain days. But all sections are open only on Saturdays and Sundays that is why it is always crowded on the weekends. The market is huge and navigating it can be confusing.

(Local and foreign visitors to Chatuchak Market)

(Souvenirs shopping)

(T-shirts and sunglasses)

Before we started exploring the market, we had an hour of therapeutic foot and shoulder massage. There were many massage outlets in the market for tourists to take a break from shopping and tired feet. After the massage, we started our tour of the market. We were not looking for anything in particular so we strolled among rows and rows of stalls and managed to buy some souvenirs.

(Vintage signages on sale)

(Colorful trinkets)

(Woodcrafts and porcelain)

(Chatuchak Market Clock Tower and Muslim stalls)

We had delicious nasi briyani ayam for lunch at one of the many halal stalls in the market. A plate of nasi briyani cost B50/plate which was very cheap. Met many Malaysian tourists on a shopping spree. When we had enough of walking and browsing, we took the BTS SkyTrain back to our hotel.

(MRT and Skytrain Mo Chit Stations)

(Less crowd in the afternoon)

The rest of the afternoon was spent napping and resting. We had halal seafood burger and chicken burger for dinner in the room while watching the World Cup finals Argentina Vs France. Argentina won on penalties and a good farewell for Messi.