Guest Posted June 29, 2003 Report Share Posted June 29, 2003 difficult. i kind of like the nightmarket at the bottom end of china town, once a while you find a few nice ones. chatuchak is not so good - very expensive. don't go to 'tha pa chan' opposite wat mahatat - since the "beautyfication" project of rattanakosin island started and they kicked most of the traders out from the street most what is sold is fake, and in the covered area next to the river is very expensive. panthip plaza has some very nice shops, and the few times i bought things there i was surprised at the reasonable prizes. then of course there is river city for the high end stuff, but i would not advise to buy anything there unless you really know it, otherwise you will pay dearly (and of course the more expensive the higher the risk for fakes!). be especially careful with ones made from 'ivory'... it's mainly a question of constantly looking around, for example at the moment there is a guy at the market just where i live who gradually sells his collection and i bought a few very nice amulets for next to nothing (no palad khik's though yet). i bought there a set of khun pean from suphanburi (yellowish, differnt buddha-images with a woman on his lap, some have a guman thong on the back) for about 70 baht each, the same one's i saw at the cornershop for 400 to 800 baht each. lots of little amuletmarkets all over town, i love to just stroll around there and see what i can find... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 29, 2003 Report Share Posted June 29, 2003 Best souvenir idea: Bring along photo's of person(s), their house, pet......whatever. Then give photo to one of those incredibly talented Thai guys who will turn your photo into a hand drawn work of art. Best I've seen are in Pattaya. Some are so good their drawings look like a photo itself, only a lot larger. Best effect is if you don't let the person(s) know you have taken photo(s) with you, and then present full-color rendition upon your return. Guaranteed to go on the wall, and be looked at every day. P.S. You can just roll up in a tube, and bring it home with you, taking up very little luggage space. Just remember to place protecting covering over chalked/painted surface, so doesn't smear onto the back when rolled up (mostly for chalk drawings). Most artist will give you this for free, and have on hand for you. HT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALHOLK Posted June 29, 2003 Report Share Posted June 29, 2003 Hi! for some reason the old folks are worried that the fragile farang will freeze in Thailand HaHaHaHa In my first trip to Thailand in 1982 I spent the last days in Pattaya. I had not yet understood that xmas was best celebrated in Thailad so I want home on dec. 21. Theese last days the cold season started and late night the temperature dropped to around 17-19 C. About the the same as a war summer night in Sweden as you of course know. I really enjoyed to sit at the outdoor beer bars in soi Diamond around 2 am. Of course I was sitting in a T-shirt and shorts. More than once a Thai bloke came up to me dressed in a winter jacket (taeckjacka) and a knitted cap. They wanted to check that I wasn't too drunk to understand that I should put on more clothes. They also tried to convince me that I could die if I didn't dress properly. Another possible souvenir might be the home woven silk that the ladies sit under the houses and weave. This would depend on the reciever though. I haven't been to Isaan for a long time so I don't know if they still do this but the prices I was quoted were ridiculously low. regards ALHOLK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Kev Posted June 29, 2003 Report Share Posted June 29, 2003 The felt-bottom beer bar dice game box (numbers one through nine, flip up as you roll) have been popular gifts for me. Available at almost every shop along Suk for couple hundred baht. :: :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzzz Posted June 29, 2003 Report Share Posted June 29, 2003 Dolls from the hill tribes people are nice. You may be able to find the hill tribes people (sometimes dressed in their elaborate custumes) selling their wares on the streets and in shopping areas. Dolls are dressed in the elaborate custumes of the hill tribes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lazyphil Posted June 29, 2003 Report Share Posted June 29, 2003 A while back a bloke who works at my place asked if I could get hold of a Thai doll as his mrs collects dolls from around the world. So her indoors calls mum in LOS and gets one sent over. Turns out to be one just like you desribed, that of a hill tribe lady with a baby in a papoose, its now in her cabinet with a huge aray of other dolls. As its Thai it stands out, stands to reason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 29, 2003 Report Share Posted June 29, 2003 All-- A few of the more unique things that I've brought back over the years from Thailand: 1) Monk Bowls... Uniquely Thai, and hard if not impossible to foind outside of the Kingdom. 2) Spirit House... Had one made for me in Buri Ram.. Concrete and painted beautifully in classic colors (wiht the gold trim of course)... Heavy? yes, but worth it. 3) Classic thai [Cotto] ceramic tiles.. I re-tiled both of my bathrooms (back in USA) with some very beautiful tiles.. Had them custom made for me.. Cost?? About 1/3 of what the same tiles would cost had I bought them in USA.. --UPSer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaronTT Posted June 30, 2003 Report Share Posted June 30, 2003 Something unique which went over great with my brother was a bottle of clear liquor with a cobra in it. Cobra had another snake in its mouth. Liquor has chili in it. Bought it in Vientiane, but I would think you could find it in other places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 30, 2003 Report Share Posted June 30, 2003 There's a shop on Charoenkrung Road not far from the Oriental that sells all types of fossils and geodes. It's called "Gems House". One of the better gifts they have there is fossilized dinosaur doo-doo, which can apparently be found all throughout Isarn. Not immediately recognizable as "Thai", but fun nonetheless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hidy Ho Posted June 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2003 A lot of good ideas guys .... keep it coming!!! Thanks!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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