Shopping
Thailand is renowned for its superb shopping, and the choices are often overwhelming. If time permits, it is wise to shop around and compare prices before making a purchase. When shopping in markets and at street stalls, bargaining is expected. Reasonable prices on brand names can be found at the many department stores and shopping centres.
Silk: Thai silk is available in a variety of weights and colours, or as ready-to-wear clothing. The quality may vary, and unless you are experienced, it is better to buy from reputable shops such as those selling the Jim Thompson brand.
Ceramics & Pottery: Thai ceramics and pottery come in many attractive forms, shapes and sizes, from the richly decorated Benjarong style to the simple beauty of celadon.
Wickerwork: A wide variety of durable rattan and bamboo wickerwork make these products an excellent buy. Most shops will happily arrange shipment of large items to your home country.
Brass & Bronze: From tiny objects to huge casts, bronzeware is a Thai specialty coming in beautiful forms, both traditional and modern. New silicone coating methods prevent normal tarnishing, and household items, such as cutlery, now need only the minimum of care.
Gold & Silver: Since prices are fixed according to daily market prices as well as workmanship, costs can vary. Favourites include hand crafted chains, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, coins, and pendants. Many jewellers can craft items to individual specifications. Small antique silver items make particularly attractive souvenirs or gifts.
Pearls: There are several pearl farms producing fine quality products in Thailand’s southern peninsula, particularly in Phuket, Phang Nga and Ranong.
Sa Paper: Made from the Sa tree, this remarkably strong paper is used for making religious scriptures, canvases, fans, and masks for the traditional Thai theatre as well as for many attractive inexpensive souvenirs. Its most famous use is for the colourful and wonderfully durable umbrellas made in Chiang Mai.
Artificial Flowers: Entirely hand made using Sa paper, coconut fibre and silkworm cocoons, Thailand’s artificial flowers rank amongst the finest in the world.
Dolls: The art of doll making dates back hundreds of years, and reflects Thailand’s wide range of different peoples and customs, from classical dancers in full costume, ethnic minorities in their colourful dress and rural folks in everyday attire to traditional Thai children with their topknots.
Shadow Puppets: Shadow theatre figures are normally made from buffalo hide, with singles and pairs, usually fixed in a fighting pose, and groups, often with backgrounds of earthly or celestial scenery. These characters come from the Indian epic drama, the Ramayana.
Wood Crafts: Ranging from superb furniture to the most delicate carvings, Thai craftsmen are renowned for their talent in transforming raw wood into beautifully aesthetic forms, from lifelike replicas of animals to reproductions of figures from old temples and palaces. Chiang Mai is particularly noted for teakwood furniture which can be made to measure and shipped to your home.
Jewellery: Thailand is now a well-established cutting centre for precious stones mined locally and those imported from neighbouring countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia. There are many attractive jewellery items for sale in hundreds of shops and markets all over the country and almost anything can be copied or made to measure to suit your preference.
Antiques: The export of Buddha images, images of deities and antiques is strictly forbidden without first obtaining approval from the Fine Arts Department. Note that in the case of Buddha images, this only applies to consecrated images and not those sold as souvenirs.