Thailand - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 722

gigs. It offers tapas, a tempting variety of cocktails and
wines, and a great soundtrack. Tues-Sun 6pm-1am.

MARKETS
Chatuchak Weekend Market See p.718.
Pak Khlong Talat Sprawling 24hr flower and vegetable
market in Chinatown that's been in business since the
nineteenth century.
Talat Saphan Phut Night bazaar around the base of
Memorial Bridge, Chinatown, purveying cheap and
idiosyncratic fashions. Tues-Sun 8pm-midnight.

SHOPPING
Department stores, shopping malls and tourist-oriented
shops in the city open at 10 or 11am and close at about 9pm.

BOOKS
Asia Books W asiabooks.com. English-language book-
shop with many branches including: on Th Sukhumvit
between sois 15 and 19; in Siam Discovery Centre and Siam
Paragon, both on Th Rama I; and in Thaniya Plaza on Soi
Thaniya off Th Silom.
Bookazine Huge range of foreign newspapers and
magazines plus a decent selection of English-language
books and maps: Hualamphong train station; Gaysorn
Plaza, Th Ploenchit.
Shaman Books 71 Th Khao San. One of Banglamphu's
main outlets for secondhand books. Daily 9am-10pm.

10

DIRECTORY
Embassies and consulates Australia, 37 Th Sathorn Tai
( T 02 344 6300, W thailand.embassy.gov.au); Cambodia,
518/4 Th Pracha Uthit ( T 02 957 5851-2); Canada, 15th
floor, Abdulrahim Place, 990 Th Rama IV ( T 02 646 4300,
W thailand.gc.ca); Ireland (honorary consul), Room 407,
Thaniya Building, 62 Th Silom ( T 02 632 6720, W ireland
inthailand.com); Laos, 502 1-3 Soi Sahakarnpramoon,
Th Pracha Uthit ( T 02 539 6667-8, W laoembassybkk
.com); Myanmar (Burma), 132 Th Sathorn Nua ( T 02 234
4789); New Zealand, 14th Floor, M Thai Tower, All Seasons
Place, 87 Th Witthayu ( T 02 254 2530); South Africa, Floor
12A, M Thai Tower, All Seasons Place, 87 Th Witthayu ( T 02
659 2900, W saembbangkok.com); UK, 14 Th Witthayu
( T 02 305 8333); US, 120 Th Witthayu ( T 02 205 4000);
Vietnam, 83/1 Th Witthayu ( T 02 650 8979).
Emergencies For English-speaking help in any emergency,
call the tourist police on their free 24hr phoneline T 1155.
The tourist police headquarters is on the eastern edge of
town at 2107 Bangkok Tower, Th Phetchaburi Mai (east
of Phetchaburi subway station), or drop in at the more
convenient Chana Songkhram Police Station at the west
end of Th Khao San in Banglamphu ( T 02 282 3166). In the
evenings, you'll also find tourist police at the Silom end of
Patpong 1.
Exchange The Suvarnabhumi Airport exchange desks are
open 24hr, while many other exchange booths stay open
till 8pm or later, especially along Khao San, Sukhumvit and
Silom roads and in the major shopping malls. You can
withdraw cash from hundreds of ATMs around the city and
at the airports.
Hospitals, clinics and dentists Most expats rate the
private Bumrungrad Hospital, 33 Soi 3, Th Sukhumvit ( T 02
667 1000, emergency T 02 667 2999, W bumrungrad.com),

MALLS
Mah Boon Krong (MBK) Rama I/Phrayathai inter-
section; National Stadium Skytrain stop. Labyrinthine
shopping centre that houses hundreds of small, mostly
inexpensive outlets. It's great for cheap flip-flops, hand-
bags and clothes, and there are numerous opticians as well
as stalls selling cut-price beauty products. Floor 3 is the
best place to buy anything to do with mobile phones;
floors 5 and 6 have extensive food courts and floor 7 has a
cinema with daily English-language film showings.
Siam Square The area around Siam Square is packed
full of malls; check out Siam Centre and Siam Discovery
Centre, the former of which is especially good for trendy
local labels. In Siam Square, head to what's styled as the
area's “Centerpoint” between sois 3 and 4, around which
hundreds of inexpensive boutiques sell colourful street-
gear. Siam Paragon houses the most expensive shops in
Bangkok in a luxurious mall and has an incredible food
centre in the basement.
Ploenchit Around Ploenchit you'll find yet more
upmarket malls, including the unclassifiably huge Central
World and the small but ever so chi-chi Gaysorn Plaza, as
well as Central Chitlom, the city's best department store.

THAI BOXING
Thai boxing ( muay thai ) can be very violent, but also very entertaining. Sessions usually
feature ten bouts of five three-minute rounds and are held at Rajdamnoen Stadium, next to
the TAT o ce on Thanon Rajdamnoen Nok ( W rajadamnern.com; Mon, Wed & Thurs 6.30pm,
Sun 5pm & 8.30pm), and Lumphini Stadium, in its new location on Thanon Ram Intra way
out near Don Muang Airport ( W muaythailumpinee.net; Tues & Fri 6pm, Sat 4pm & 8.30pm).
Tickets range from B1000 to B2000. To partake in muay thai yourself, head to Sor Vorapin's Gym
at 13 Trok Kasap, off Thanon Chakrabongse in Banglamphu (B500 per session; T 02 282 3551,
W thaiboxings.com).