Close your eyes and imagine that you are walking along the crowded streets of Bangkok. Now turn your head to the right, and get ready to see plentiful small shops that sell almost all sorts of products like fabrics, jewelry, fishes and of course many useless items. There are also stalls with colorful vegetables and fruits and especially the famous street food stalls. 

In this kind of market, a unique shopping culture prevails. Everyone is bargaining! In overly tourist areas like Chatuchak Market – which it is a must when visiting Bangkok – the first price offered is seldom the true price.  So, don’t hesitate to haggle for a better deal as the real price tends to be almost always somewhere between 25 and 50 percent cheaper than what is first asked.

OK, so let’s imagine now what’s on your left hand? Have you heard of the MBK Center? The giant shopping mall of Bangkok that is eight stories high? That’s why we are talking about controversial experiences when visiting Bangkok. By the time you are doing your shopping in the crowded shopping centers, perhaps your friend is at the floating markets and buying exotic coconut juice from the traditional long-tail boats. Or maybe while you are taking the ultramodern and over ground SkyTrain your partner is on a Tuk –Tuk taxis bargaining for the course.

…and somehow like that the life in Bangkok goes on. 

 

Contradictory Bangkok | Travel by Interest