Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
cross-dresser, a
mŏr lam
(Thai country music) performer, or both. Amid the spectacle of
colour there are also good deals on machine-made Thai textiles and children's clothes.
Behind the more obvious storefronts are winding alleys that criss-cross Khlong Ong
Ang, where merchants grab a bite to eat or make travel arrangements for trips home. It's a
great area to just wander through, stopping for masala chai or lassi as you go.
PAK KHLONG TALAT
(Flower Market; Th Chakraphet; 24hr; Tha Saphan Phut, Memorial Bridge)
This sprawling wholesale
flower market has become a tourist attraction in its own right. The endless piles of delic-
ate orchids, rows of roses and stacks of button carnations are a sight to be seen, and the
shirtless porters wheeling blazing piles of colour set the place in motion. The best time to
come is late at night, when the goods arrive from upcountry.
MARKET
WAT MANGKON KAMALAWAT
(cnr Th Charoen Krung & Th Mangkon; 6am-6pm; Tha Ratchawong, Hua Lamphong exit 1 & taxi)
F
Explore the cryptlike sermon halls of this busy Chinese temple (also known as Leng Noi
Yee) to find Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian shrines. During the annual Vegetarian Festiv-
al, religious and culinary activities are centred here. But almost any time of day or night
this temple is busy with worshippers lighting incense, filling the ever-burning altar lamps
with oil and making offerings to their ancestors.
Offering oil is believed to provide a smooth journey into the afterlife and to fuel the fire
of the present life. Surrounding the temple are vendors selling food for the gods - steamed
lotus-shaped dumplings and oranges - which are donated to the temple in exchange for
merit.
BUDDHIST TEMPLE
FLASHLIGHT MARKET
MARKET
(cnr Th Phlap Phla Chai & Th Luang; 5am Sat-5pm Sun; Tha Ratchawong, Hua Lamphong exit 1 & taxi)
This street market extends west from the Phlap Phla Chai intersection, forging a trail of
antiques, secondhand items and sometimes, well, just plain junk along the area's foot-
paths. It's at its busiest on Saturday night, when a flashlight (torch) is needed to see many
of the goods for sale.
CHURCH OF SANTA CRUZ
CHURCH
