Bangkok’s bustling Chinatown is always a delight to explore and its shopping opportunities offer some of the best bargains to be obtained in Bangkok. As one might expect this is the area where settlers of Chinese origin made their home in years past. Today this enclave has retained its quaintly endearing appeal without succumbing to the hand of urban uniformity.

The visitor must enter Chinatown through an immense and unmistakable gate which indicates the entrance to the area. The major roadways of the district lead to small lanes, back streets and narrow alleyways. Everywhere you will see evidence of the Chinese heritage which the local community has preserved with its unique identities, traditions and celebrations.

Today it is the amazing shopping opportunities, distinctive foods and gold vendors which lure visitors to this part of the city. Chinatown presents the exact appearance that many associate with the Thai capital with its quaint shop houses and numerous market stalls with their painted signboards.

The markets of Chinatown are the very antithesis of the luxurious air-conditioned malls many modern shoppers have become accustomed to. In Chinatown you will find an open air informal atmosphere with row upon row of stalls and small shop houses offering a bewildering selection of merchandise.

The marketplaces here are noted for their gold, gemstones and exotic fabrics but also available are hardware, hair accessories, tea sets, exotic fruits and vegetables, tea sets, toys, flip-flops, medicinal herbs and much more.

No visit to Chinatown would be complete without sampling the culinary highlights on offer. Here you will find some of Bangkok’s most delicious and reasonably priced dishes. From Chinese staples to exotic highlights like shark fin and birds’ nest soup there are many gastronomic delights available. The fresh seafood is a local highlight with some of the finest options in the Thai capital.

A number of picturesque temples may be seen in the environs of the district and they are worth visiting for their unique tranquil ambience.

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Thanuja Silva is a travel writer who writes under the pen name Auburn Silver. She has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world. Google+