by Sippakon Suriyakham
with photography by Vijay Verghese

See also Bangkok hotels | Hongkong shopping | Kuala Lumpur shopping | Singapore shopping | Digital Cameras and Video Reviews | Thai spas

BANGKOK is no slouch when it comes to shopping – or bargains. Whether you're looking for pricey brands or street-side kitsch, the Thai capital has it all. If you survive the smog and car exhaust – though things are decidedly improving – do remember that if it does not have a VAT tag (the tax), there will be no guarantee of quality. That's easy enough. If you don't care about this minor quibble, get your hands dirty and jump right in.

Remember, your VAT refund (seven percent) involves some paperwork and patience. Both involve you. First, you'll need to spend at least 2,000 baht "per store, per day" as per the rules, each time filling out a PP10 form that is usually promptly supplied by sales staff.

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To be eligible to claim a refund, you'll need a total shopping bill of at least Bt5,000 so give that credit card some serious exercise. The PP10 form requires your passport number (though you may not be asked to actually produce it), and your departure flight number. Once that's all neatly entered, sign, and off you go. It's best not to pack your purchases into your check-in luggage. At least not yet. Here's why.

Jewellery, watches and gold purchases over Bt10,000 need to be inspected and other purchases may be checked at the airport. After immigration head for the VAT refund counter and present your credentials to get some cash in hand for that much-needed snack and coffee.

Siam Paragon: gleaming acres

Bangkok duty-free shopping has been pretty much dominated by the ubiquitous King Power (www.kingpower.com) who have also set up a dedicated King Power Duty Free Shop at Rangnam not far from Ratchathewi. Catch the BTS SkyTrain to get there. This duty free complex opened in late August 2006 with a broad range of brands like Burberry, Coach, Chanel, TOD's, and BOSS. Top line designer labels may not end up here as they are already showcased at malls like Gaysorn close by. Dominating Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi Airport duty free shopping is the aforementioned King Power group who have acres of space, quite literally. Duty-free prices at Bangkok airport will range from Bt3,720 for a 7.5ml Chanel "Chance" eu de parfum, to Bt2,250 to Bt4,900 for Ferragamo and Dunhill silk ties (depending on promotional offers). With the Thai baht climbing against the US dollar (exchange rate roughly US$1=Bt36) a one litre bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label costs a dearer US$29 (compared with US$26 or less at other airports). A 12-year-old Chivas one litre is US$31. And ladies, listen up, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has launched its mini-site for women travellers to Thailand with information on shopping, spas and hotels.

That done, you are now all set to go straight upmarket into the gleaming sprawl of the monstrous new Siam Paragon (www.siamparagon.co.th) complex near Siam Square. Or head for the anything-goes weekend market on the outskirts of town. The brand new Siam Paragon mall is right next to the BTS Siam Square station. Put on your walking shoes and explore everything from Hermes, Giorgio Armani, TOD's, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Sisley, Porsche Design, Shanghai Tang and Coach to Swarovski and a fully functioning Ocean World. This combination of class, kitsch and kids' stuff makes Siam Paragon popular with families, if only for the frolicking fish and the vast open spaces where two-year-olds can scamper free. Here you'll also come across SONY, Bang & Olufsen, a well kitted out Paragon Department Store and the excellent 3F Kinokuniya book store that stretches across seeming acres with a great selection of children's books and material in Thai, Chinese and Japanese. Next door is the avant garde TRUE Urban Park I.T. store with mobile phones, gadgets, an Internet cafe, sandwiches, and funky digital delights.

Jim Thompson: silk aplenty

Any serious Bangkok shopping binge, however, has to start at the sprawling and sweaty Chatuchak (Kampaengpet Road) weekend market which hasn't slowed down at all. It's also spelled Jatujak Market. Wildly popular among locals and expats alike, the market is packed each weekend with everything you could possibly need (if you're patient enough). Chatuchak is a riot and will assail the senses. Be prepared and bring along a bottle of water. You’ll need it.

Haggle your way through the warren of shops selling trinkets, funky lights, candles, lacquerware, statues, fake antiques, pillowcases, silk bedspreads, cushion-covers, chopsticks, dining plates and a lot more. Yes, you can buy roosters, cats, dogs and even pythons but this may raise eyebrows as cabin baggage. Set aside at least half a day, if not more, for this expedition. Fortunately, there are a few shops selling snacks, meals, ice-cream, soft drinks and mineral water.

Surprisingly, Chatuchak’s “streets” are numbered, so note your route mentally and leave a breadcrumb trail as it’s easy to get lost in the press. The best time to drop in is 10-11am, on weekends. Take the BTS SkyTrain and hop off at the last station, Mochit. Or tube it underground by the new Metro. There’s a station for Chatuchak. On to more shops. Take a peek at the sexy but elegant G-strings (39 baht, US$0.9, per piece, or Bt100 for three) at No's Bra (Chatuchak Section 24, Soi 1 tel: [66-1] 331-9823). Aspiring art collectors will find affordable acrylic paintings on canvas (Bt5,500, US$129) at Jakkrit Ridswaeng (Chatuchak Section 2, tel: [66-2] 618-4080).

Chatuchak weekend market

This is a tiny gallery specializing in Buddha faces. Close by, in the same section, you'll spot an array of shops that sell everything from home decorations to hip ready-to-wear. Pick up silk fabric lamps in striking colours at Ann’s Living Shop (Sector 8, Soi 14/5 www.annsliving.com). Prices here start from Bt500 and up. Ann, the owner, is young, friendly and helpful. The Bag Bank (Zone B, Soi 3, Room 113) offers natural style woven and handmade bags in a variety of textures and shades. These are bargain prices with bags retailing from Bt35 up. Meanwhile at Benja Lacquerware (Section 8, Soi 17 or Section 9, Soi 3) you’ll find Oriental lacquer in vibrant shades covering everything from plates and fruit bowls to napkin rings and corner decorations.

Many Bangkok shops stay open well into the night and the Suam Lum Night Bazaar (Wireless Road) is drawing increasing numbers of visitors these days. Offering vast parking space and a variety of food outlets and cafés, the place is commonly referred to as "downtown" Chatuchak. Though targeting tourists, the prices are far from outrageous. Many items are, in fact, cheaper than at Chatuchak. Check out the silverware and handicraft. The wallet won't hurt at all and if you’ve time, take in a live music show. For funky – and colourful – candles head for Irene’s Candles (AA36-AA37 Suan Lum Night Bazaar, tel: [66-2] 286-7311). Irene stocks handmade candles with eye-catching designs and tribal motifs and has a ready smile no matter how long or tedious your browse.

Drop by P & O (Ayutthaya Soi 2, B37-38, tel: [66-2] 250-1039), which offers trendy forks and spoons and other tableware. Twalai (Ayutthaya Soi 2, B53-54, tel: [66-2] 250-1454) has northern-style home decor items such as wooden jewellery boxes, vases and napkin rings - the kind of attractive bric-a-brac you'd find in Chiang Mai.

Kudo's River City: gorgeous antiques

Shopping in Bangkok for New Age aromas, spa soap, and essential oils can be fun. Aromatherapy aficionados head to Raan Bai Mai (Ayutthaya Soi 3, B96, tel: [66-2] 251-8596) where quality scented burners are available by the bushel. The price is higher than at other shops perhaps because they supply the Banyan Tree resorts. You can get the same items at a better price (Bt250) without the Banyan Tree logo.

The scented-burner oils offered here are not officially approved like the ones you buy at hotel spas, but if you are feeling brave and have a gas mask handy (just in case), try the shop with no name (Ayuttaya Soi 9, C263, tel: [66-1] 832-3945). This shop "guarantees" its aromatherapy oils are the cheapest (Bt25 for 20ml). Cheaper burners are tucked away on back shelves priced at around Bt100. In fact, New Age lotions and potions are much the rage in Bangkok these days and you are likely to stumble upon a find almost anywhere.

At the New Age Group (Ayuttaya Soi 8, C503, tel: [66-1] 838-6304), a small shop selling candles, take your pick from a variety of wax in creative shapes like matches. These are designer candles and a tad more expensive for it (Bt35-Bt270). There is a distinct "New Age" feel here - and smell (that ranges from watermelon and mint to even Coca-Cola). Some shops here open in the early afternoon, but it's wiser to drop by after 5am. Open daily.

The tried and tested place for antiques is the River City Shopping Complex (23 Yota Road, next to the Royal Orchid Sheraton) where countless musty shops queue up to sell you and ship door-to-door. But there are really no such things as antiques these days in Thailand. To get genuine stuff, the shops have to look farther afield, in Myanmar, India, Cambodia and China. At the River City Shopping Complex visit the small but distinctive Kudo’s (2/F Unit 204, 23 Yota Rd, tel: [66-2] 639-6953). Here you’ll find a fair selection of Cambodian Baiyun period statues (from Bt45,000 up) and attractive sandstone carvings. Sales staff are friendly and polite. Most antique dealers at River City will be happy to furnish certificates of antiquity and authenticity.

Gaysorn: designer brands galore

If you are familiar with this genre, as most antique shoppers will be, a certificate is a useful yardstick. Scrutinise it carefully and ask questions. If you're not an antique expert, it won't make a difference either way. Other Bangkok antique shops here include Grand Antiques (tel: [66-2] 237-0077 or treasure_gallery@hotmail.com) stocking Burmese wooden Buddhas ranging from Bt120,000-Bt250,000 and up, and the India and Central-Asia focused Gandhara (tel: [66-2] 233-4767 or gandhara@orientalclassic-bkk.com) with busty Indian sandstone carvings of preening nymphs and dancers.

Try House of Chao (9/1 Decho Road, tel: [66-2] 635-7118/9). The owner will carefully pack your items herself. A wooden kitchen cabinet costs Bt30,000 (US$696) but you can also make other out-of-the-ordinary requests.

For more upbeat antiques, try Chinese furniture or old screens at Lotus Lifestyle Gallery (3/F, The Oriental Place, 30/1 Charoenkrung Soi 38, New Road, tel: [66-2] 630-9589). For a better priced shopping area, ask for the directions to The Old Siam Plaza (Pahurat Road).

Previously known as the Indian Quarter, Pahurat Road is home to street vendors and shops. It's a bit of a melting pot. On offer are traditional Thai products. No wonder this shopping complex is a favourite hangout for local grandmas and the blue-rinse set. This is perhaps the best place in Bangkok for silk (from Bt250 per metre in most places). The area is abustle with a lot more than silk and there are side streets aplenty to explore. Bring along an umbrella if it's a hot day. Pahurat is also where tailors come to browse for and to purchase their raw material - buttons, zips and the like. Printers are ubiquitous. If you suddenly have the urge to print one thousand invitation cards for your third marriage, this is the place for you. Expensive-looking business cards with gold or silver can be ordered at Bt6 a piece or Bt600 per box of one hundred.

Patpong: T-shirts and bars

A little further, you can continue your wandering up to Sampeng. Pick up a good Thai phrase book as not much English is spoken here. And do don comfortable shoes and t-shirt - it's a long, hot walk and far more crowded than Chatuchak. CDs sell for Bt100 and DVDs for Bt150. If you fancy a knock-off Bvlgari watch (but first figure out how to pronounce it), by all means, try it on. The Chinatown Charoen Krung Road area is swarming with shops bursting out of every nook and cranny. This is perfect weekend browse material with everything from old transistor radios and gramaphones to gold and silk on sale. Drop by here on your way back from the Grand Palace.

On Silom, street stalls start opening for business early evening. On Patpong, fork-lift trucks burst into frenzied activity around 4.30pm and by 6pm the shops are up, lit, and running, competing strongly with the go-go bars.

There’s incredible efficiency in this set-up. Come closing time and the fork-lifts are back like so many teeming ants removing all evidence of commerce. Patpong has everything from watches and DVD movies to silk nightsuits and t-shirts. The branded goods are fake (though you wouldn't know the difference), as are several of the "girls" in the area. Watch for those Adam's Apples. Use the BTS SkyTrain Sala Daeng station for this area. There are lots of trendy eating establishments around Sala Daeng and Convent Road (off Silom) so there will be no need to unduly interrupt your late night shopping spree. Patpong runs till late and the best deals will be early on (as a first customer) or in the wee hours just before closing time when stall owners will be happy to get a last-minute sale clinched at a better rate.

Emporium: easy BTS train access

Of course no shopping visit to Bangkok would be complete without the obligatory visit to the popular Jim Thompson (www.jimthompson.com) outlet on Suriwongse Road (a quick stroll from Patpong). While Jim Thompson’s signature silk motifs can be found at a number of hotel outlets, it’s worth making the trek here to gawk at the eye-popping colours. Pick from ties, handbags (some quite chic and contemporary), scarves, children’s clothes, T-shirts, hair bands, cushion-covers and home furnishing fabrics for sofas, beds and curtains (including some high-end European brands represented by Jim Thompson).

If you really want to spend time here, grab a table at the nice Thai restaurant upstairs and settle in for some serious silk watching. Jim Thompson silk ensembles are also available at numerous hotel outlets and at the airport. SIlk ties range from Bt1,000-Bt1,350, while a silk clutch purse will set you back just Bt1,350. Printed T-shirts start at around Bt580. Cushion covers? No problem. You'll find more colours than you can shake a stick at. An 18-inch square set of four printed or embroidered cushion covers may set you back around Bt3,500. Adjacent to the historic Oriental Hotel on the river is O.P Place in a classic building (dating to 1908) where you can pick upThai silk, antiques, jewellery, carpets and art.

Outside, the streets remain in constant, friendly, turmoil. The Pratunam (Watergate) area not far from the World Trade Centre and right next to the Amari Watergate hotel, is a huge streetside complex of wall-to-wall shoes, handbags, jeans and all manner of knock-offs. At one time this was the premier place to come and sharpen your bargaining skills. A good afternoon can be spent here rummaging about the makeshift stalls.

Siam Square: Trendy clothes, jeans

If all this is argle-bargle and the heady smell of bubbling green curry chicken is too much, hop on a SkyTrain and head to the whisper-quiet Gaysorn Plaza (999 Ploenchit Road, tel: [66-2] 656-1929, www.gaysorn.com), the most "in" high-end shopping complex at the moment. They're all here – Christian Dior, Loewe, Fendi, Hermès, Mont Blanc, Armani, Lanvin, Dunhill, Givenchy and Ferragamo. If you're not keen on a Bt100,000 outlay for a Gucci suit, sip a coffee and watch the beautiful people spend their money. Gaysorn has of late acquired a couple of patio-style coffeeshops so it’s not hard to come by a cuppa or hot snack to go. There’s a Greyhound café with a reasonable menu as well. On the second floor you'll find the colourful stone-bead handbag creations of Tango Leather Co Ltd (tel: 02-656-1047). In the neighbouring blocks along Ploenchit Road, you’ll find all the shopping biggies (most connected by BTS elevated pedestrian walkways), like the gleaming new Erawan Bangkok, the laid-back mid-range Amarin Plaza and Central Chidlom.

Erawan Bangkok is small but elegant newcomer to the haute coutre scene. Here you’ll spot the likes of Burberry, Coach, Esprit, and others of that ilk. Pop by the Erawan Tea Room for a rest and avail of the mall’s swank public toilets. Central Chidlom (Chidlom Station Exit 5, with branches on Silom Road and Ladprao, www.central.co.th) is a several-floor affair with a range of items for every occasion from weddings to survival gear (well, one follows the other, doesn’t it?). This is a huge department store with everything from tiny accessories to TVs. Take your pick. The kids’ section with Mothercare and Benetton Kids is on level six and on the seventh floor is a cavernous and trendy “food loft” for some culinary respite. From the station walk right into the surfer-wear section sporting Quicksilver, Roxy, Billabong and Mambo. The same floor hosts Nike, Puma, Levi's, Miss Sixty, Von Dutch jeans, Calvin Klein and a slew of watches from Guess, Swatch, Hermes, Gucci and Longines. Central Chidlom department store is open from 10am-10pm. There are a number of handy ATM cash dispensers right at the No.5 BTS station exit.

Narai Phand: handicrafts

Around the corner is the musty but well-stocked government-run handicraft complex Narai Phand (www.naraiphand.com). Pick up an intricately-patterned six-piece porcelain tea set for Bt14,500 or a bone china set for Bt35,000. Narai Phand will be happy to ship your purchases to your home country. There’s a Thai food café here should you fancy a bite. Other items include enamel vases, celadon pottery, wooden spirit houses, statues and so on. Amarin Plaza is an unpretentious building that has acquired some glitz in recent years but it is happiest selling cheaper silk and local fashions. A couple of small factory outlets sell their stock here as too.

Just a station or two down is the Siam Square junction that leads to Siam Discovery, Siam Center and the humungous Mah Boon Krong (or MBK as it is commonly known). Pick a juice and, perhaps, some groovy music CDs involving whales and dolphins at the Green Music for Relaxation stall and head for Siam Center which has local fashions, trendy bargains and few international brands plus some popular fast food and drink outlets. Look out for Sisley, Swatch, Levi’s, Benetton, local designer Jaspal, and the welcome ice-cold Haagen Dazs. If you care to brave the heat and walk across the road to Siam Square proper, you’ll find piles of leather goods, handbags and jeans galore. Try the giddy and colourful two-floor It's Happened to be a Closet (266/3 Siam Square, Soi 3, Tel: 658-4696) that despite the idiosyncratic grammar, serves up a delightful concoction of funky fashions, chocolate cake, and snacks, along with a resident hairdresser and a pedicurist.

Siam Centre: fun stuff

This is an Alibaba sort of jumble, and bright. It's open 11am to 9pm (closed on Sundays). Grab a spa lotion, or a gauzy blouze for anywhere between Bt2,500-Bt6,500 and up. Next door are the cheaper IDY (tel: 252-0273) where dreamy Lord of the Rings sort of attire sells for Bt300 and up, and the shocking pink Chic Club by Playboy (tel: 251-9950). For something equally bright but a lot cheaper there's a Giordano just opposite the street.

Siam Discovery Center (www.siamdiscoverycenter.co.th) adjoining Siam Center is avant garde chrome and steel with a few international brands but not a vast selection. A great place to educate yourself though and pick up a historic bauble or two, is The Metropolitan Museum of Art shop (www.metmuseum.org/store/index.asp). The Met Art shop showcases refashioned jewellery and bric-a-brac modelled on original historic pieces housed at the original New York museum. Cufflinks and earrings are always good buys. The fifth floor is Kid’s World where you’ll find Tiny Tykes, The Maternity House, and Pork Chop & Friends. The sixth floor houses cinemas and assorted entertainment. Siam Discovery is close to both Siam Centre and the monster Mah Boon Krong, or MBK as it is commonly known.

Bustling MBK is the heart of city discount shopping. Buy small or buy wholesale. The nearest station is National Stadium, one stop on from Siam Square, but you can easily walk across. MBK is several floors of shops segregated into accessories, furniture, clothing, gold and jewellery and so on, floor by floor. There are some decent restaurants in the complex for a short halt when the feet get weary. Some of the nicest items are to be found in the home decoration area – cushion covers, backrests, tablecloths and sumptuous bedspreads. Grab a signature fold-up Thai mattress that stacks up as a pyramid-shaped cushion for the living room floor.

MBK: serious bargain hunting

Heading back down Sukhumvit to the Phrom Phong Station you’ll find the modern and humming Emporium (622 Sukhumvit Road). It’s popular with tourists and young shoppers though its prices are commensurate with the upscale window displays. There’s Tower Records, Starbucks, a very good Kinokuniya bookstore and cinemas. The usual designer brands are on vivid display from Zara to Nautica and more. Grab a bite at the Greyhound café.

Music lovers can check out Classik (tel: 2664-8867) at level 3 of Emporium where a Linn hometheatre system from the UK will set you back just around US$10,000. Classical CDs, DVDs, operas, symphonies, and original master recordings. Emporium is open 10.30am-10pm. All in it’s a good all-round place with a bit of this and that to keep everyone happy. Last but not least is the newer and somewhat quieter All Seasons Place next to the swish Conrad hotel that offers trendy fashions and a battery of eateries. There's the upscale Bebe, a bargain Bossini, Nautica, and even Bang & Olufsen. The Conrad is kitted out top-to-toe in sultry silk, largely from Jim Thompson. Check it out and then head off to buy some by the yard – or kilometre.

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