Best buys in Thailand
 

My daughter will be visiting Thailand the middle of February. What are the best buys for gifts and personal belongings?

Hi Audrey! What u bring back depends on which part of Thailand u are visiting. It it's Bangkok, the choice is limitless . Skirts of Thai silk are very good. And cheap too. The photo albums made of rice paper with wood carvings on the cover are unique gifts too. U can also get straw place mats with colourful trimmings(those laid on dining table). For more expensive items, try the government gem store, but don't get any taxi or tuk-tuk driver to bring u there. Most will drive u to buy fakes or at highly-inflated pieces. Get a licensed tour guide to show the way. Thailand is near to supplies of rubies and sapphires, so they are plentiful and quite cheap there. If u are going to the beaches, then u can get lots of T-shirts. Trinkets and souvenirs are sold everywhere in Thailand. <BR>

Definitely Silk, for many products, neck tie, small bag, scarf, etc. Handicraft depending on where your daughter will be. Wood works, Clothes, and don't forget looking for some thai-styled Dolls. <BR>

I got a beautiful strand of black pearls and matching earrings at the pearl & silk center in Phuket. For the price I paid for them, I'm sure it's not the most precious pearls to be found, but it's a great souvenir that I will always have. Celadon pottery is a good buy in Bangkok - particularly at Celadon House off Silom Road (I think that's the right road, maybe Surawong).

Hi there. With no offense meant, I would like to say that those tourists who wrote before me did not really find the real bargain place in Bangkok. It is the Cha-tu-chak (????) market! Everything is there from furnitures, photo frames, silk, carvings, pets and many others all in low low prices (30%-50% lower than the cheapest price in downtown Bangkok). It is only open for limited time and please check the tourist offices for that. <BR> <BR>Cheers.

Just returned from two weeks in Thailand. Best buys include tailoring (especially in silk), chinese gold (22k) and ceramics. Have her take your favorite blouses and the tailors will copy it, exactly, with the wonderful Thai silk (or other fabrics) in 24 hours for a fraction of the cost here in the US. Didn't shop for jewelry (other than gold--go to Chinatown where the price is regulated for all stores so you'll be bargaining only on the labor cost of creating your piece), so don't know if they were good deals. Chatachuck Market (now reachable by the Sky Train/BTS for 40 baht) is open only on Saturdays and Sundays. The market can be overwhelming because of its size and the numbers of people so buy Nancy Chandler's map of Bangkok that has a map of the market and get there early (by 800 am). IMHO, shopping in Bangkok is a lot more fun and less costly than Hong Kong...