{"id":15064,"date":"2013-11-04T17:25:46","date_gmt":"2013-11-04T16:25:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tasteaway.pl\/en\/?p=15064"},"modified":"2018-06-06T10:22:22","modified_gmt":"2018-06-06T08:22:22","slug":"tuk-tuk-chinatown-chatuchak-market-loads-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteaway.pl\/en\/2013\/11\/04\/tuk-tuk-chinatown-chatuchak-market-loads-food\/","title":{"rendered":"Tuk-tuk, Chinatown, Chatuchak Market and loads of food…"},"content":{"rendered":"

We had planned to start our journey in Bangkok for few main reasons: <\/b>first, we found a good connection, cheap and at a good hour, second, it\u2019s a great starting point for a further journey to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, and third, we visited Bangkok last year, so we could just focus on slow adaptation and tension-free struggle with jet lag \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

We had bad experiences with jet lag last year \u2013 Maks was one and a half and maybe it was his age that got him really mixed up! At first, we were enjoying the fact that he would go to sleep at 10 pm (oh, he has no problems with the time change!!!), but then, he would wake up at midnight and play until 6 am\u2026 For the first couple of days we would have breakfast at 6 am after a sleepless night, and then we would go to sleep. We would start our day at 1 or 2 pm, so we had to prolong our stay to see some of the biggest attractions, such as the Grand Palace, the Emerald Buddha or Wat Pho. This time we didn\u2019t have a tight schedule, so we decided to make plans when we get there, depending on our present will\u2026<\/p>\n

Once more, we rented a place near the main street called Sukhumwit<\/b>. I\u2019m quite sure that it\u2019s the longest street in the world \u2013 it\u2019s 400 km long and it goes from Bangkok to Trat, near the Cambodian border. We\u2019re staying on one of the Sukhumwit\u2019s cross streets \u2013 once more in an area most densely filled with working girls of various ages and old white beaus. Or maybe the entire Bangkok is like this? \ud83d\ude42 It doesn\u2019t bother us, as we are spending our days away from our locum\u2026<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Bangkok,<\/a><\/dt>\n
the main street of Chinatown<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

We\u2019re starting with a very very long walk to Chinatown…<\/b>\u00a0We have a coconut juice on our way (I adore them and they cost only 30 baht = approx. PLN 3), we go pass street food stalls, but also luxurious hotels and even more luxurious malls \u2013 one of the best known is Siam Paragon <\/b>that contains an oceanarium. We were considering taking Maks, but PLN 90 per ticket is quite a lot, especially that it\u2019s probably less attractive than the oceanarium in Lisbon\u2026 Anyway, everywhere you go, exotic fruits, skewers and wieners prepared on improvised cookers are accompanied by screaming signboards of Starbucks and McDonald’s. There\u2019s even a Louis Vuitton, so if you don\u2019t like to distance yourself from the commercial West too much, you\u2019ll survive in Bangkok! \ud83d\ude42 But we\u2019re escaping skyscrapers and heading towards Chinatown.<\/p>\n

We have a tourist map of Bangkok, but nonetheless, every time we go to Chinatown, we cannot find the main street! Is it fate? So, once more we\u2019re wandering around the small, empty streets and the only thing that suggests that we are in the right place are the Chinese names on the shops next to the Thai names\u2026 Thankfully, we have a Trip Advisor application, that\u2019s much better than the tourist map of Bangkok, and that has pointed us to the right direction a few times in the past\u2026<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Chinatown,<\/a><\/dt>\n
in the evening Chinatown turns into a one, big eatery – street stalls, small restaurant tables…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

CHINATOWN… is definitely our favourite place in Bangkok, and you have to see it! \ud83d\ude42 It\u2019s best to go in the evening, when the district is most vital. <\/b>The number of colours, sounds, and scents is incredible\u2026 On the one hand, it\u2019s due to lights and huge Chinese signs, on the other hand, it\u2019s due to tuk-tuks and scooters that create the impression that you are in the middle of the world\u2026 But the most important elements creating Chinatown\u2019s atmosphere are street vendors and street food\u2026 you can find everything there! The most popular snacks are: shark fin soup, cuckoo nest soup, seafood and small skewers (there\u2019s also a homelike version with a wiener!). There\u2019s our favourite coconut juice to drink, but also freshly squeezed orange, lemon, and especially pomegranate juices look delicious\u2026<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Chinatown,<\/a><\/dt>\n
tasty-looking skewers<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\"Chinatown,<\/a><\/dt>\n
fancy something with a frankfurter or with mushrooms?<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\"Chinatown,<\/a><\/dt>\n
Chinese delicacies \u2014 e.g. seafood<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\"sok<\/a><\/dt>\n
and freshly-squeezed pomegranate juice to drink<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\"Bangkok,<\/a><\/dt>\n
or something a bit more sour \ud83d\ude42<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

As I have already written and as I have told you in\u00a0my Chinatown video report<\/a>,\u00a0we eat in the Chinese restaurant\/bistor\u00a0Texas Suki<\/a>. We\u00a0have three reasons for this: it\u2019s tasty, cheap and there\u2019s space for the little ones to go bananas! And if there\u2019s space for going bananas, there are usually also companions for this \u2013 and that\u2019s most important for Maks \ud83d\ude42 Just take a look at the picture at the top of this post! What should you eat in Texas Suki? They have a large menu, so you won\u2019t get bored for sure!<\/p>\n

We have our favourite dishes (mine are i.e. fried won tons with pork or dim sum), but we always try something new as well\u2026<\/p>\n

I think that deserts are the most intriguing dish \u2013 unfortunately, pictures don\u2019t quite show their character. We chose a local delicacy called taro in coconut milk <\/b>(do you remember? I\u2019ve already mentioned it in the film \u2013 it\u2019s often used in deserts, here it has the form of small balls dipped in hot milk) and a desert that has greatly and continually fascinated us since the last year \u2013 water chestnut <\/i>(pink balls of funny consistency) dipped in frozen coconut milk. I would have never chosen this desert over tiramisu or chocolate souffl\u00e9 but you should definitely try it! Here are a few delicacies to encourage you \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"dim<\/a><\/dt>\n
steamed dim sum with shrimps \u2014 my favourite<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\"Chinatown,<\/a><\/dt>\n
steamed won tons with shrimps \u2014 in Thailand served also for breakfast<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\"Chinatown,<\/a><\/dt>\n
\u0141ukasz’s discovery: thick chicken soup with vegetables and delicious green noodles<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\"Chinatown,<\/a><\/dt>\n
one of Maks’s favoutires \u2014 satay skewers \u2014 pork this time<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\"water<\/a><\/dt>\n
one of the most specific desserts \u2014 water chestnut in coconut milk<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

Of course we returned from Chinatown in a tuk-tuk!<\/b>\u00a0Last year we were a bit disappointed because Maks was afraid of tuk-tuks (they\u2019re windy and loud) and we were travelling around Bangkok on foot or by taxi. But, as it turns out, a year changes a lot and currently Maks would like to spend his entire day in a tuk-tuk! Well, O.K. he\u2019d like to spend time in a \u201csky train\u201d as well, but I\u2019ll tell you about it in a minute! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Bangkok,<\/a><\/dt>\n
our favourite means of transport \u2014 Maks screams right away: “Tuk-tuks, tuk-tuks!”<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

As we were staying in Bangkok also for a weekend, we decided to finally visit the Chatuchak Market<\/b>. It\u2019s the largest bazaar in Thailand and one of the largest in the world. Apparently it has approx. 15 000 stalls and there\u2019s up to 200 thousand visitors a day on a weekend!! I must say \u2013 our expectations were high\u2026 a quality bazaar, loud, Asian, local food, but also some souvenirs, something local, something interesting. From the area of Sukhumwit Soi 2 where we stayed it\u2019s best to get to the Chatuchak Market by a Sky Train<\/b>. We climb the sky station with our buggy and buy tickets \u2013 their price depends on the distance \u2013 we are going rather far \u2013 we pay around PLN 4 per person\u2026 We love the journey! Us and Maks! Sky Train is very quick, and the view of skyscrapers nearby is quite astonishing.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Bangkok,<\/a><\/dt>\n
Chatuchak Park – finally some space for running and a playground!<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

We get out directly into the Chatuchak Park<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 Maks is happy, and the crowd and the arrows take us to the Chatuchak Market,<\/b>\u00a0also called the J.J. Market. It\u2019s very crowded, there\u2019s plenty of street food \u2013 I\u2019m fascinated by the ice cream in a coconut but I\u2019m a bit afraid of it, so we don\u2019t have it\u2026 It reminds me of Stadion Dziesi\u0119ciolecia, only with Thai food\u2026 I think I\u2019ve already experienced it many years ago\u2026 socks, shirts, clothes, something for the house, some phone cases and tablets\u2026 I was tempted by the so-called\u00a0cotton balls<\/i>, or cotton, glowing balls\u2026 a nice decoration for a room, especially a child\u2019s room. I found them last year at the night bazaar in Chiang Mai and I was planning on buying them, but I forgot about them, ignored them, and decided to buy them next time. I believe that they\u2019re trendy now, as they cost several tens of PLN (PLN 70-80), and here they cost only PLN 15 or 20. Unfortunately, Maks was sleepy and fussy, and he quickly forced us out of the bazaar and I didn\u2019t even buy the balls. Well, maybe they\u2019re not for me\u2026 But if you\u2019re looking for delicacies, Chatuchak bazaar has it all!<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Bangkok,<\/a><\/dt>\n
food is all around!<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\"Chatuchak<\/a><\/dt>\n
skewers can be found everywhere and cost from PLN 1 to 4<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\"Chatuchak<\/a><\/dt>\n
would you fancy some mushrooms?<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

What else should you see in Bangkok? We enjoyed a cruise on the Menam river (Chao Praya)<\/b> in a longboat<\/i><\/b>. <\/i>You can rent a boat i.e. near the Sheraton hotel, very close to Chinatown\u2026 Our hour-long cruise cost PLN 100, and we had the boat to ourselves. We enjoyed the changing scenery\u2026 from large, illuminated hotels, to fairy-like temples and small, wooden houses with a boat moored just in front of the house\u2026 It\u2019s best to take the cruise in the afternoon after a whole day of sightseeing \u2013 you\u2019ll definitely relax! \ud83d\ude42 We\u2019d like you to get the atmosphere of a tuk-tuk ride, and a longboat <\/i>Chao Praya cruise, so we\u2019ll have another film for you tomorrow, I hope \ud83d\ude42 And now, we\u2019re saying goodnight from Phnom Penh, the capitol of Cambodia!<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Bangkok,<\/a><\/dt>\n
the most beautiful view during the cruise<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We had planned to start our journey in Bangkok for few main reasons: first, we found a good connection, cheap and at a good hour, second, it\u2019s a great starting point for a further journey to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, and third, we visited Bangkok last year, so we could just focus on slow adaptation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15366,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2990,2985,2984,2999,2981],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nTuk-tuk, Chinatown, Chatuchak Market and loads of food...<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"First stop on our Asian trip - Thailand. 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