Vacation CheckList: Pasalubong from Bangkok, Thailand

Bring Home Goodies!

Vacation Checklist:

-no bags
-baht, baht, baht
-rubber shoes
-puppy eyes for bargaining
-cap to throw when you have no more bills
-peace of mind to know who gets this and that
-possessed eyes for calculating numbers

Philippines is most likely the same with the urban atmosphere in Thailand. It was hard to find something different that we can bring as pasalubong when we go back home. Pasalubong is a term we use in my country which represents something like a present a person gives to someone after going overseas or somewhere away from home. Aside from the fact that they have a good wholesale market for clothes, the street foods and fruits were great too. We have noticed how fresh and tasty the fruits are and decided to bring a lot of them for my two crocodile brothers at home.

At Pratunam Market we bought big sweet tamarind for only 50-80 baht and it taste really good especially if you put a dab of salt. It’s bigger compared to the one's I grew up with. If I remembered it right we used to climb this tamarind tree near my cousins house. It was the only tree that leads to a restricted area where we can go swimming in a nearby beach. A rusted ship by the shore can be found too where we play inside and look for leeches.

The other night while roaming around Pratunam's night market we ate these big Tambis for only 50 baht. We referred to this fruit Tambis in Philippines; it is also common as malay apple or rose apple. Normally, tambis in the Philippines don't get this big and I was even surprised on how sweet, juicy and crispy it tasted. It brings back memories of my childhood; we use to have this tree nearby our apartment when I was young. All the kids from the block gather and play around this tree. And so my mum and I decided to buy a pack of it for my brothers to try back at home.

Nearby Wat Pho temple in the dried goods area near the river ferry we drop by to buy some dried spicy shredded fish. It's an orange paper-like stripe of fish which is suitable paired with a beer. Cost around 50-100 baht. My cousin's elder brother visited Thailand just a month ago and was still craving for the shredded papers. Later, I realized that it was actually an addicting snack. You never get full so you crave for more of it in your mouth.

Lastly, we shop at Pratunam Night Market for wholesale goods, also the Night Bazaar at Ramkamheng Soi 65 in Bangkok was a great place to shop . We bought a great deal of clothes clothing at a very affordable price. An original price of 300 baht dress will be discounted if you buy 2 more items approximately 250-200 baht for each. Moreover, further reduction is given for 6 items in about 50 percent off, which makes it just around 150 baht. What good news for my online business back in the Philippines. We also bought a few statement t-shirts and polo shirts for my brothers.