In Thailand you shop for anything from gems and high technology, to designer items and ... err... things that look very much like designer items, but ... err ... aren't quite! Trousers, shirts, dishtowels, gold, silver, antiques, silk, sharks fin, Chinese herbs and medicine - the mundane and the exotic, they are all found side-by-side in plentiful amounts. Of course Thailand's markets are legendary, not simply because they are places to find cheap gifts for people back home, but because they are also a slice of the real Thailand.
Markets are not just there for the tourists, they are focal points for the various communities that make up the kingdom. You will see the 'real deal' in a market - real people going about their daily lives rather than some contrived scene created for the tourists! And of course, shopping is not restricted to markets. Every city and town has shopping malls that would be fit nicely in any other country.
Thailand also has some great locations which act equally as much as meeting places as shopping venues. Places like Thailand's world famous Night Bazaars where you can spend an evening picking up some bargains and also get a bite to eat and drink if you want. If shopping is your thing, Thailand is the right place for you - it is good value, however you look at it!
