Khlong Lord market is not as gigantic as the Chatuchak market, not as beautiful as the flower market, not as hip as the Ratchada night market – but it has it’s own kind of charm, and if you are looking for something with a weird character during your Bangkok sightseeing trip, this might be interesting.
What’s being sold here is… well, “unique”. It’s actually a kind of curiosity flea market. Old toys? Vintage movie poster? Second-hand clothes? Old DVDs… or video tapes? Lucky charms and amulets? Hard-to-find out-of-print books? You can find it here. Of course, it takes looking and searching, a keen eye and a bit of luck – otherwise, you’ll just walk around here and think: “This is just people selling garbage.”
But the market has been around for decades already – and it is kind of it’s own little microcosmos. Lots of people here know each other, and Bang, the man who oversees it all, takes care of his people. He’s an elderly man white bushy white eyebrows, who is kind of a middle-man between the vendors and the government.
There are many markets in Bangkok – lots of them are of the same kind, mainly vendors selling clothing, fashion items, Korean and Thai DVDs to young Thais, and some markets with a more niche market character. Despite the shopping malls, visiting these markets can often make for an interesting and authentic experience, where you realize: “I’m in Thailand”, rather than “I’m in a glitzy shopping mall that looks just like a shopping mall in Dubai, Hongkong or New York.” Many markets here become active in the evening and go into the nighttime – also because of the hot weather.
If you go to a market – just talk to people, smile, be nice, take your time – it can be a fun way to discover something new and interesting.