Day 9:Jack Giovanello
Good evening everyone!
My name is Jack Giovanello. I graduated from Marshfield high school and now attend Massachusetts Maritime Academy studying in the International Maritime Business program.
Today we woke up at 0830 and headed into the Chatuchak weekend market which is considered to be the largest market in Thailand with more than 15,000 stalls divided into 27 sections. Chatuchak Market sells many different kinds of goods, including plants, antiques, cosmetics, pets, fresh and dry food and drinks, ceramics, furniture, clothing, and souvenirs. We had a very enthusiastic tour guide named Wendy, dressed in traditional Thai costume, who showed us around.
We first stopped in the adjecant mall first to explore and exchange currency. The mall was 3 floors tall and was filled with souvenirs separated by each floor. The first floor was mainly small shops selling house hold items, the second floor was filled with mini food shops from barbecue to ice cream, and the third floor was all large plants for home decor. The mall was very large and felt endless on all floors.
After exploring the mall we headed outside and got to explore on our own in the hundreds of street vendors. It was unlike anything I have ever seen, and you could get basically anything you could think of. It was divided into sections but instead of using the map, we all just randomly walked around. This was a perfect place for everyone to get souvenirs and gifts for their family and friends. These shops also felt endless and you could honestly spend multiple days here just looking around because there was so much. We even saw things that no one could imagine like a 10 foot tall wooden horse that cost 250,000 Baht! The outside was so full and packed with different vendors and it was honestly just surreal.
We found a way out of the vendors and saw streets filled with even more shops. The size of the market was insane and had so many tourists walking around filling the streets. All of us were buying random trinkets and souvenirs that you wouldn’t be able to find in a regular American mall.
While we were walking back we all saw some policemen running down the street so we went to check it out. Above one of the shops a power line had caught fire and the Thai policemen/ firefighters started going up on a ladder to extinguish it. The problem was quickly resolved but it was very cool to see. Everything felt like a fever dream and Chatuchak market is definitely a must go if you visit Thailand.
After that we all drove back to AIT and I began writing this daily blog. I’m very lucky and privileged to be here on this once in a lifetime trip. We will be traveling to the southern coast of Thailand tomorrow and I can’t wait to see what the next few days have in store for me and my classmates.
