I don't remember what I was doing here, but probably lamenting the 9 Baht I lost out on (read on...).
When I was in Thailand and Hong Kong, there were plenty of places to shop where price tags don’t exist and everything is done through bargaining. In places like these, initial prices are never to be trusted and it’s wise to walk around to get a feel for the products available first. After all, things tend to be the same from shop to shop and if you find the lowest asking price, you have a good starting point to hack from. You never know how much they’re trying to earn off of you, but you can bet that their quoted price is at least two to three times as expensive as it needs to be, if not more. My mom can usually get things for about 20-40% what the vendors try to sell for. I’m happy when I can get half (even when I know I’m still being ripped off).
In Bangkok, I spent some time at the Chatuchak Weekend Market as well as the Night Bazaar, searching for fun little trinkets that I could give as gifts to friends. I was also on the hunt for a bikini and a pair of flip flops for myself. I’d been told to check out the weekend market, if only for its pure massiveness, so I found a buddy at the hostel and we headed out for a day in the heat. At first, we weren’t sure which section we were in and wandered around the antiques area, crossed over to the food (where I had to stop to feed myself!), and finally ended up in the heart of it all, where the clothes and shoes and knickknacks are sold.
The only pickings from a day of walking, walking, and shopping.
None of the swimsuits impressed me that much and the lady selling the best stall’s worth was extremely unfriendly, so I decided against giving her business. I found a stall with very cheap flip flops at 59 Baht and chose a pair that wasn’t half bad. I really wanted it for just 50 Baht, but they weren’t budging and my friend was impatient to move on, so I took them. To be environmentally friendly, I decided to not take a bag and just hold them on the way back. And I swore that that 9 Baht would matter down the line, but of course he didn’t believe me! We headed out not long after, leaving behind the football field of place with little to show.
On the ride back, I fell asleep and woke up to find us in front of the hostel again. I quickly got out after paying and we went inside to say hi to the lady running the place. Right as I was about to step over the threshold, I realized I was holding one flip flop. One. Alas, I watched as the taxi went out of view, carrying with it the other half of my now useless shoe. My shopping partner chortled at me, tickled by the absurdity of the loss. It was the only thing either of us bought in the ENTIRE market! -____- Those cursed sandals!
This is when I realized that I now had a useless shoe.
And you know what? Before I left Bangkok, I realized that I was exactly 9 Baht short of paying for the airport express. I knew it’d come back to kick me in the butt. I had no ATM card (the new one was sent to my home address since I didn’t think I’d need it in the few weeks I had left – boy was I wrong). My credit cards wouldn’t let me take a cash advance (I never set up a PIN number to use in ATM machines). So, I had to borrow from my poor roommate who I had barely known for two days. Bless her kind soul. She helped me get from Thailand to Hong Kong!
More on my shopping experiences at the Night Bazaar and the Hong Kong markets in a future entry…
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