Bangkok Night Bazaar

Suan Lum Night Bazaar in Bangkok

With a mixture of well-dressed, fresh-from-the-office Thais and expats alongside fisherman-pants-clad tourists, Suan Lum could best be described as the VIP outdoor market of Bangkok (where you're always welcome, of course).

Covered walkways with centrally-located snack bars provide perhaps the most up-to-the-minute (outdoor) market shopping experience in the city. Several bars along with Thai, Italian, German, and even Mexican restaurants are conveniently within the market area; close enough to take in the crowd while enjoying a drink, yet away from the market's hustle and bustle. In the same area, dinner shows featuring classical Thai puppetry can be enjoyed at the famous Joe Louis Puppet Theatre.

On the other side of the market's curious Khmer-looking temple walkway is a large outdoor beer garden, food court, and concert venue all rolled into one. Here one can indulge in an assortment of international and Thai beers and food, with international fare such as Japanese (yakitori and Asahi) or German (sausage, Paulaner, etc). The beer and food are accompanied by live Thai cover bands performing the latest local and international hits and, after a few drinks with friends, head out to one of Silom's many nightclubs.

What to Buy in Suan Lum Night Bazaar

Suan Lum Night Bazaar is the ideal place for nocturnal shoppers, but as at any large market you have to do the leg work to be able to separate the junk from the gems. The fringes of the market are generally loaded with generic Thailand tokens such as counterfeit T-shirts, backpacking uniforms and bags, ethnic jewellery, trinkets, fairy lights and quirky homeware. Beachwear, flip-flops, trainers, miniature tuks-tuks made from the remnants of coca cola cans, tapestries, canvases adorned will saffron-clad Buddhist monks are all common.

Some of this stuff is pretty decent but if you think it isn’t the right price then attempt to barter it down. Once you enter the dense warren of shops, it’s almost an un-navigable bizarre and you’re best orientated by what stands on the outskirts eg a restaurant or pedestrian pathway.

Fashion

Suan Lum is a unique shopping experience in every sense of the word. This is true not only of the goods to be found, but the entire process of buying from an independent trader defies the whole super-brand culture we have become so accustomed to. What the market lacks in the way of air-conditioned changing rooms, and perfectly arranged window displays it more than makes up for in its creative layout and equally impressive attire that you won’t find elsewhere. This is also fertile ground for finding designer-inspired goods with their own unique twists, all at affordable prices.

Everyone – men, women, boys and girls are well catered for here. Many of the stalls adopt striking identities creating boutique like spaces for their clothes which range from quirky one of a kind pieces to indie-kid uniforms, rare vintage finds to some seriously, glam get-up . The Lopburi zone is like Siam Square’s edgier relative – with lots of fresh, young and up-and-coming designers that could well be hitting the catwalks in the future.

Furniture and Home Accessories

If you are interested in picking up some classic teakwood delights or pop-influenced furniture – worry not, you’re in the right place. At the back of the Night Bazaar you will find the Outlet Zone, which is dedicated to furniture and light fixtures. Keeping with the multi-coloured theme that plays throughout the central market, the Outlet Zone is home to bigger spaces displaying various types of furniture ranging from from bold contemporary to more subdued classics. A number of quirky light fixtures can also be found around here.

Art and Design

You can choose from a selection of contemporary and traditionally Thai-inspired canvases, postcards and small frames in Suan Lum. The market takes on the form as a commercial outlet for Bangkok’s creative set and comes highly recommended for those who enjoy buying art without spending astronomical amounts of money. Buddhist -inspired sculptures and teakwood furnishings are also commonly sought around Suan Lum. Usually most shops that sell weighty objects are happy to help arrange shipping back to your respective country.

CDs and DVDs

DVDs and CDs can easily be found at the Night Bazaar, but are not as common as you might expect. Speckled around the outskirts of the market are a handful of vendors selling the latest DVD releases in film and TV. You can also pick up Asian films and TV series. There is a CD store near the Khmer-style building that specializes in dance music, with some good international and homegrown mixes to be found here.

Jewelry

Suan Lum offers more than standard souvenir-style jewelry. You should expect to come across many of the accessories found and worn at backpacker destinations such as embroidered bracelets, chunky beads and turquoise stones. The market is also good for more classic knock offs such as the Tiffany Charm bracelets. When you venture in to the maze of stalls, you’re more likely to encounter sturdy silver pieces and rare stones. Men’s watches are rife, especially counterfeit Rolexes that pass off as the genuine article to the untrained eye.

What to Do in Suan Lum Night Bazaar

The Night Bazaar is not all about shopping till you drop (although for most people it is). If you are not in the mood for trawling around the market in intense heat, it is entirely understandable. Alternatives include slipping off to enjoy a relaxing massage in an air-conditioned room, taking in a beer and a bite to eat or even a traditional Thai puppet show for those seeking some traditional culture. Next door to Suan Lum is the Lumpini Boxing Stadium where temperatures, voices and legs soar – a popular attraction for many of Bangkok’s visitors who are keen to see professional Muay Thai fighters exhibit ‘the science of eight limbs’.

Fish Spa

Forget salt scrubs, foot files and rubs; the Fish Doctor is where you’re going get the smoothest soles on your feet. Here we have a real feet treat; fish spas – originating in Japan offer a thorough alternative to the key part of any skin-beautifying regime, exfoliation
At the time of counting Suan Lum has three fish spas, where tourists and locals queue to immerse themselves in a pool of ravenous creatures, and for what? Forget salt scrubs, foot files and rubs – the Fish Doctor is where you’re going get the smoothest soles on your feet.

Massage

There are over a dozen massage parlors scattered around Suan Lum, offering the perfect antidote to the sore feet and aching joints often experienced after a day of exploring sweltering Bangkok. An oil massage shouldn’t cost any more than 350 baht and Thai massage 300 baht. We highly recommend a good foot massage and it is likely you will need one. Justremember the all important Thai phrases ‘Jep’, the Thai word for pain, and ‘Bao-bao’ meaning ‘softer’.

Fortune Telling

Fortune tellers (Mor Doo), are extremely popular amongst the Thai people who consider these “all seeing” doctors to be able to cure their spiritual ills and prevent any future mishaps. Many even entrust them with the daunting task of naming their children in an attempt to have a lucky name. The teller at Suan Lum speaks English to a good standard, which is fortunate as to be able to converse openly and freely with the teller is a definite positive.

Tattoo

In Thailand, tattoos are assumed to confer qualities, such as protection, good luck and blessings. You will notice that many Thais have Buddhist tattoos; these are thought to fend off evil spirits and are often applied for a small fee by a monk. Here in Lumpini, the tattooists are inclined to apply tattoos that are less religiously affiliated. Perhaps you’d like something that will remind you of that trip of a lifetime in Thailand? We suggest that you look around and see what each parlour has to offer.

Joe Louis Puppet Theatre

This is unlike any puppet performance you have ever seen. Instead of remaining behind screens during the performance, the puppeteers are an integral part of the show. Traditional puppets give performances of the Ramayana (or Ramakien in Thai), the Indian epic tale, drenched in all kinds of intriguing plots. (Read more)

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