Half day - Every Morning

Chaotic, exciting, stimulating, mysterious, fascinating, – these are the adjectives visitors most often use to describe Bangkok’s famous Chinatown. The area dates back to the late 1700’s with the arrival of Chinese immigrants, when, as well as developing into a major trading centre it became a nucleus for nefarious opium dens, brothels and gambling houses. Today, these are gone, but an exotic aura prevails, and the packed streets and narrow lanes are home to a seemingly endless variety of street markets, food stalls, herbal cure-alls, wooden shop houses, over 100 gold shops, intriguing Chinese temples, and vestiges of colonial architecture. There are very few touristy souvenirs here, but one never tires of viewing the bonanza of bizarre produce on sale - animal, vegetable, mineral, or, quite  often, of unknown origin! A colourful and impressive sight waits at the wholesale Flower Market with its panoply of exotic blooms, and the ensemble of Chinatown with its ever-changing contrasts of light and shade represents an exciting challenge for any photographer. Since this tour is mostly walking, it can be tiring for the feet, and noisy for the ears, but it is certainly a feast for the eyes.