Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ENTERTAINMENT
COTTON
LIVE MUSIC
(
www.cotton.shanghaimansion.com
;
3rd fl, Shanghai Mansion, 479-481 Th Yaowarat; live music 6.30-10.30pm;
Tha Ratchawong, Hua Lamphong exit 1 & taxi)
Walk through a bland restaurant to this cosy
Chinatown-themed lounge in the Shanghai Mansion hotel. Virtually the only non-karaoke-
based place of entertainment in Chinatown, it has smooth acoustic jazz and affordable
cocktails.
CHINATOWN'S SHOPPING STREETS
Chinatown is the neighbourhood version of a big-box store divided up into categories of consumerables.
Th Charoen Krung
Chinatown's primary thoroughfare is a prestigious address. Starting on the western end of the
street, near the intersection of Th Mahachai, is a collection of old record stores.
Talat Khlong Ong Ang
OFFLINE MAP
GOOGLE MAP
( Tha Ratchawong, Hua Lamphong exit 1 & taxi) consumes the next
8am-8pm; Tha Saphan Phut) is the reformed thieves' market where vendors now stock up on nifty gadgets for
Tha Ratchawong, Hua Lamphong exit 1 & taxi) , a hardware centre. West of Th Ratchawong is everything
you'd need to give a Chinese funeral.
Th Yaowarat
A hundred years ago this was a poultry farm; now it's gold street, the biggest trading centre of the
precious metal in the country. Along Th Yaowarat, gold is sold by the
bàht
(a unit of weight equivalent to 15g)
from neon-lit storefronts that look more like shrines than shops. Near the intersection of Th Ratchawong, stores
shift to Chinese and Singaporean tourists' tastes: dried fruit and nuts, chintzy talismans and accoutrements for
Chinese festivals. The multistorey buildings around here were some of Bangkok's first skyscrapers and a source of
wonder for the local people. Bangkok's skyline has grown and grown, but this area retains a few Chinese apo-
thecaries, smelling of wood bark and ancient secrets.
Traimit and the Golden Buddha; Thai and Roman letters are typically cut out by a hand-guided lathe placed prom-
inently beside the pavement.
Th Santiphap
OFFLINE MAP
GOOGLE MAP
Car parts and other automotive gear make this the place for kicking
tyres.
Sampeng Lane
(
Click here
) Plastic cuteness in bulk, from pencil cases to pens, stuffed animals, hair flotsam and
enough bling to kit out a rap video - it all hangs out near the eastern end of the alley.
Talat Mai
(
Click here
)
This ancient produce market splays along the cramped alley between Th Yaowarat and Th
Charoen Krung.
