Chatuchak Weekend Market @ Bangkok, Thailand

Every visitor to Bangkok will have heard of this world-famous market. Whack yourself (hard) on the head if you have ever been to Bangkok and yet have never stepped into this amazing shopping arena!

Seriously, Chatuchak (or Jatujak) Market is the highlight for any Bangkok trip!!! Most of us plan our holiday over the weekend just so that we can visit this humongous bazaar!

My feeling for this market is mixed; on one hand, i love Chatuchak because it's so large and allows me to roam through the thousands of stalls that sell a wide variety of almost everything at a fraction of the price back in Singapore. At times, there might even be budding entrepreneurs selling stuff not found anywhere else except Jatujak!

On the other hand, i hate Jatujak, as a confirmed trip there will guarantee a big hole in my pocket!! The daunting size of the market also means that i am likely to spend a day there and the tortuous result is nonetheless the absolute soreness of my legs!

Pictures pictures pictures!

Childishly colourful carrier bags at only 20 baht a piece (that's less than a Singapore dollar)!

Every now and then, an unlikely food stall will appear in the middle of nowhere. Not that i am complaining because it can be damn tiring and having something to bite is always welcome for Cavin!

Large sheets of colour papers used as wrappers for gifts!

Prefer wrappers with patterns? The whole shop was filled with piles and piles of them and you can have your pick!! Provided you don't see stars after 15 minutes.

Souvenirs for your family, friends and colleagues back home? These were really popular when i first stepped in to Chatuchak in 2007.

Retro tableware with the signature chicken that used to be so common in Singapore! Unless you are importing thousands of them, the fragility of these items makes it really torturing for individuals like me to bring it back to Singapore.

Dried cuttlefish that you can smell from a few shops away! Do you know that these cuttlefish are very delicious when you BBQ them??

Gaudy designs that were the rage ten to twenty years ago! My sister has a pair of shorts with similar design that stink my eyes whenever i see her wearing them.

Cute door labellers! I am gonna get this once i have my own house. Eh... That's provided i can still find the shop! Change is constant in Chatuchak and it can be difficult to remember the exact location of a shop!! Get a namecard if you know there will be a revisit! The section and unit number are prominently displayed (in bright yellow) outside each shop!

Food again? Hey, i may love food but there's only so much my stomach can hold!

This picture is a continuation from the one before. Have you guessed correctly? They are actually candles!

No idea what are the uses for these. However i thought they looked very pretty!

Loads of windchimes hanging from the ceiling! Mysterious instrument that could be so soothing in the daytime yet so scary at night.

The lanes can get really crowded! Keep your cool and just wait a while. People will eventually move! If you are impatient like me, walk into any of the shops beside you; something interesting might just catch your attention long enough.

Thousands of cups of various sizes, patterns, designs! There was even a mug that was way bigger than what i have in the office!

Tiny paper flower buds for your scrapbook. Scrapbook lovers will most likely spend hours in the shop! Thank god i have no interest in this time-consuming hobby!

Paintings that will brighten up any dull and ugly walls. I should have bought some for my office! Not that my luggage can afford the additional weight though.

Rows of bangles! Again, i am thanking god that i am male.

Antique-looking fans i will never bring back to Singapore! The current trend is danger-free bladeless fans (you can find them in Courts)!

Can never get enough of salted fish? Get this big one from Chatuchak!

Silver jewellery that only cost less than S$2.00 a piece. The best deal? Buy five pieces and you get one free. Too good to be true! Must be silver plated lah (i think)!

Need a clean helmet to replace that musty, smelly one you have back home! A big question mark on whether it is LTA approved or not.

What do you call these? Miniatures? Since young, i have a special affection for these stuff; small yet realistic! This interest could be due to the book "Gulliver's Travel".

Something as basic as a wooden spatula can be found in Chatuchak market! You won't believe it but my mom bought two of them for the kitchen! Sighz....

A shop full of scented candles! Aromatherapy has a very strong following in Thailand and you can find an extensive range of high quality products catering to this market.

Heard that growling stomach? Time to buy some snacks!

As it reaches the end of the day, you will see some shop owners dragging their wares onto the main street and selling them at a discounted price!

Beautifully crafted glass pens! Using it the traditional way by dipping the glass tip into a bottle of ink, i bought one plainly because of its unique design. My handwriting sucks big time.

Bags that looked like bulky radios! Fortunately, they are not suitable for my age.

The evening crowd that was still as enthusiastic in their shopping! Well, the main purpose of this picture is to inform all smokers that lighting up a ciggie in the area will attract a fine of 2,000 baht (look at banner)!

Sexy attire made entirely from seashells! Who will wear this? Your guess is as good as mine. :)

Lampshade from the pre-80s; it seems that anything before the 80s have a certain vibe to it!

A tired body is guaranteed after all the walking, looking, haggling! It's time for a traditional Thai massage in full view for everybody!

At the end of the day, it's not uncommon to see this view.

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I have hundreds of photographs taken in Chatuchak and only a small portion is published today! Another post on the pets section will be published soon!

Additional Information

Map of Chatuchak (Jatujak) Weekend Market

Getting to Chatuchak weekend market is very easy with public transportation. It’s within walking distance from Mo Chit station (BTS Skytrain) and Chatuchak Park MRT station.

What is considered a good time to visit Chatuchak? For me, it’s Saturday around 11.00 am.

Dental Review @ The Dental Practice

Dental Review

@ The Dental Practice

After more than two years since my last visit, i am finally back to my ex-colleague's dental clinic for a supposedly half a year routine dental checkup!

It's not a good sign when i realised that my gums are bleeding more often and a sore sensation was frequently felt in between my teeth...... Awwww, ageing is really cruel!!

According to Dr Edwin Oh, my teeth are (thankfully) doing well and the few fillings i have are still intact. Yooohooo!! Some periodontitis (gum disease) though.... which was easily rectified with a simple scaling procedure!

Of course, Dr Oh can only see so much with his naked eyes! A bitewing x-ray was necessary to check if there's any decay in-between the posterior teeth.

If you are wondering why i seem to know the dental terms pretty well, it's because i served my national service in a military dental clinic (Dr Oh was one of the resident dentists)!

Cool right?!?! Hahahaha

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Interested to let Dr Edwin Oh Chih Min analyse your oral hygiene?

The Dental Practice is located at Block 746, Bedok Reservoir Road, #01-3007. Please call 62425626 for an appointment! 

Strawberry Cream Puff @ Beard Papa's

Beard Papa used to attract a long queue at its virgin store in Takashimaya and i can vaguely remember the deliciously cold cream oozing out of that somewhat crunchy pastry known simply as Cream Puff.

I cannot even remember the last time i had that signature creamy rich puff from Beard Papa.

It's been so long, i was surprised to find out recently that flavours other than vanilla are available. Ms Tan, after knowing how poor and pathetic i am for the past few months, offered me a strawberry flavour (for free of course)!

The strawberry cream tasted as natural as it can be without being overloaded with excessive sugar. There was that sourish, refreshing aftertaste that was so much like real strawberries.

As a person with a sweet tooth, i don't really enjoy this strawberry puff. By all means give me the vanilla flavour!! 

Wu Xiang (Ngoh Hiang, 五香) @ Nam Heng Restaurant (南興餐室)

Wu Xiang (Ngoh Hiang)

@ Nam Heng Restaurant

I am a variety lover, which means i enjoy having things that allow a lot of choices well within financial limits! And it's precisely this reason i love to eat Wu Xiang (五香).

At first glance, Wu Xiang may look really complicated with so many food items to choose from! Sentences that run through my head may range from "this looks delicious" to "are you sure that is edible!?".

 

Comprising of mostly deep fried food items (my bane when it comes to food), the choice is yours to decide what you like to eat, place them on a plate and pass it to the person manning the stall.

 

Usually not termed as a main dish, my mom and i decided to have a plate of wu xiang in Nam Heng since we were seated right in front of the stall.

After years of experience, i know it's always good to go for the basics when we ordered too much (of other dishes) and just wanted to give the wu xiang a try.

What appeared in front of us eventually was a plate filled with items like spring roll, prawn cracker, fish cake and century egg.

With the exception of the egg, the others were normally re-fried for that hot crispy bite.

One item i used for comparison across wu xiang stalls is prawn cracker. The one in Nam Heng had too thick a batter and though it was reflecting a hopeful yellowish tinge, the taste was disappointingly bland.

As with any mixed dish, one item could be horrid but the other items could be terribly good. In the case of the crunchy spring rolls, it was one of the better ones i had in wu xiang stalls with bits of carrots and long beans.

Although i am a late bloomer when it comes to chilli, i do know how to differentiate the chilli used for different Singapore dishes okay! For wu xiang, the chilli has to have a scoop of peanut bits and it has to be hot yet sweet!

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I might be back for the spring roll and maybe fish cake but definitely not for its prawn cracker!

Location

949 Upper Serangoon Road

(Junction of Simon Road and very near to Kovan MRT Station)

Price

Depending on your selection! Mine cost around S$4.50.

Additional Information

Nam Heng is open daily and their operation usually ends at night except for Sunday and Monday when they close at 4pm.

Touristy Junk Cruise in Singapore

Back in November 2010, the administrative team of my department organised a dinner cruise for a rare get-together session after work!

It was really fun to partake in a touristy activity and seriously, as a citizen, we often take things for granted without realising there are many things often miss out in our daily lives.

Without further ado, let's now continue the pictorial trail of this novel trip.

Embarking the junk from Marina South pier, i expected it to be the classic type with sails shown on many pictures of the Hong Kong harbour. It may look small but the space is sufficient for 150 passengers!

The more popular Cheng Ho ship; it looks way more grand with an imperial air around it. In addition, it has an air-conditioned area! However, there's no way we can exclusively use this vessel for our event.

Facing the cooling sea breeze, we took in the Singapore's skyline as the junk slowly made its way to Saint John Island where it will anchor for roughly an hour for us to have dinner.

Of course, nothing beats a beautiful setting sun while on a cruise. The admin team was really anxious that it will turn out to be a rainy day as it had been raining for the past few days!

Silhouette of a colleague against the setting sun. I love this picture!

Our buffet dinner on the ship! It was sufficient to fill our stomachs without any fanciful item that was particularly outstanding.

Second level where the captain controls the ship.

Everyone was really famished by this time! Time should not be wasted though and many of them could be seen interacting with one another while eating! Precisely the reason for organising this!

One highlight of this trip was the stopover at Sentosa to watch the Songs of the Seas show!

Okay, it wasn't very comfortable as the boat was rocking and we actually watched the show from its back without really knowing what it was all about.

Visually, there was a lot of fire, lights and water!

The show ended with the beloved fireworks that always fascinate people.

It was definitely a wise move by the Sentosa management to demolish the ageing Musical Fountains and come up with this pyrotechnics show.

Some of us were already showing signs of motion sickness by the time the show ended and i was grateful that the engine was restarted to continue our cruise back to the pier.

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Skills wise, i am a noob. Hardware wise, Nikon D5000 isn't exactly the top of the range. Conditions wise, the boat was shaking!!! 

These three factors explained why i did not manage to take any pictures of the Singapore's skyline at night.

Except this last one when we reached the pier.

Roasted Chicken Rice (烧鸡饭) @ Yee Shun Coffeeshop, Toa Payoh

Roasted Chicken Rice

@ Yee Shun Coffeeshop, Toa Payoh

When i was still working in Pet Lovers Centre, i am frequently assigned to this branch in Toa Payoh (TPY) as it was a relatively new outlet and i was one of the more experienced "floaters" in the company.

Back in those happy days, it's habitual for me to have roast chicken rice at this run-down coffee shop whenever i am working in TPY! Even if it's pouring cats and dogs or as hot as an oven toaster!

It's been a long time since i last dined in this coffee shop and having tested so many chicken rice stalls in the last five years, i am back once again to recollect the good memories.

At S$2.50 a plate, the portion was still comfortable despite an expected slight inflationary increase. However, the affable lady who used to take my order is sadly no longer around. :(

Having tried so many chicken rice stalls in Singapore, health fanatics will like the rice here as they were drier without compromising on the all-important chicken rice fragrance.

Similarly, the chicken meat was also found to be less oily. In this instance, it's a bad sign as the meat lacked the necessary juiciness that authentic chicken rice lovers look for!

Auntie, my mom, begged to differ.

She adored the fact that this plate of chicken was not loaded with too much oil (bad for health she said) and in particular, loved the hot and sensational chilli!

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Location

Yee Shun Coffee Shop (Mooi Kee Chicken Duck Rice Stall)

Block 183, Toa Payoh Central