Typical of Yaowarat are its small crowded lanes filled with markets, that sell... well, inauthentic can find to sell. You'll stumble on items for sale as diverse as Chinese medicine, snake blood, Buddhist paraphernalia, toys, ant-killer chalk, car spare parts, typical teenager stuff and more.
Parallel to the big Yaowarat Road lies 1 Sampheng Lane (sometimes signposted as Soi Wanit 1, 08:00-18:00 daily) which is probably the most characteristic (if tacky) shopping lane of the area. This narrow lane, at some places having a width of less than one metre, used to be a shady area thriving on brothels, gambling houses and opium dens, but has now turned into a crowded lane of endless ramshackle department stores. The lane can roughly be divided into three sections, all of them selling different kind of products at bargain rates. The lower eastern part of Sampheng Lane focuses on cheap teenager accessories, such as cheap jewellery, toys, and hair products. In the middle part, there is more of a focus on shoes, Chinese ceramics and lanterns. Indian merchants have mostly taken over the part west of Rachawongse Road, where you can find fabrics, silk and other clothing. Don't expect any quality here, just shop for fun.
Crossing Sampheng in the middle is Trok Issaranuphap, the most exotic of Yaowarat's shopping lanes. The part south of Yaowarat Road is known as 2 Talat Kao (04:00-11:00 daily) or "Old Market", which is not an understatement as it has been up and running since the late 18th century. This market is a more down-to-earth than Sampheng and more authentic, but get here early as it closes in the early afternoon. It is largely a food market with fresh meat, fish, vegetables, fruits and other food ingredients for sale. But there are also plenty of non-food products like ant-killer chalk, Chinese medicines and ginseng roots. The part north of Yaowarat Road is known as 3 Talat Mai (04:00-18:00 daily), which means "New Market" despite it being about one hundred years old. It has similar products as elsewhere on Trok Issaranuphap, but it has an even more exotic aura to it. Unlike Talat Kao, this market stays open till the early evening. As it is fully covered, it's a good place to sneak into if it starts raining.
Some of the smaller markets include:
4 Ban Mo (บ้านหม้อ), Soi Thip Wari (side street from the Old Siam Plaza). 09:00-17:00 daily. Hundreds of shops selling electronics and home appliances. There are numerous repair shops and replacement parts on sale. Counterfeit and pornographic CDs and DVDs galore. There are few foreigners here, most visitors are Thai males looking for cheap electronics and spare parts.
5 Khlong Thom Market (คลองถม) (between Luang Rd, Charoen Krung Rd, Worachak Rd and Suapa Rd). Another one of Chinatown's typical markets, and one of the largest. It is not really one market, but instead a combination of speciality stores and open-air markets. It is mostly of interest if you're looking for low-cost electronics and hardware, such as cell phones, CDs and DVDs, gadgets, household tools, toys, vehicle spare parts, some clothing and small things.
6 Noi Market (ตลาดน้อย), Charoen Krung Soi 20 and 22 (Between Soi Wanit 2 and Charoen Krung Rd). This market is so off the beaten path, you may not even find your way back. Its hidden location between Soi 20 and 22 gives this market a very local atmosphere. The vendors sell fruit, vegetables, and non-food products from China. Observing daily life here is more interesting than the actual products sold. You might walk through a living room and see more of the peoples' lives at home. Nearby is the Sieng Kong Zone, which can easily be visited from here.
7 Plaeng Nam Road (ถนนแปลงนาม). This small commercial road feels like a time machine set for 1914. Residents and retailers have crossed ways here for more than one hundred years. Local merchants here sell products in daily use by Chinese households, such as kitchen equipment, Chinese medicine and medicinal herbs. You can also find local shops selling traditional Chinese musical instruments, as well as lanterns and kerosene-fuelled stoves. These stores did have to adapt somewhat to changing times. The store selling Chinese musical instruments now repairs old instruments and sells equipment for use in shrines. The shops that sell lanterns and kerosene stoves now repair these items brought in by collectors. Commerce at this road never comes to a standstill as dining facilities serve food around the clock.
8 Saphan Lek Market (ตลาดสะพานเหล็ก), Boriphat Rd (at the Boriphat Rd and Yaowarat Rd intersection). This cheap market on the banks of Khlong Ong Ang (คลองโอ่งอ่าง) is easily visited together with the Thieves' Market. It feels quite cramped as the shops are congregated around a very small pathway. The products for sale are toys and electronics, such as air guns, video games, camcorders, used cameras and accessories.
9 Sieng Kong Zone, Soi Wanit 2 (at the Soi Wanit 2 and Soi Phanu Rangsi intersection). The oldest car spare parts market in Bangkok. Here you can get a glimpse of the daily life of the Chinese population. The locals here work in garages or repair cars on the street. You will walk by huge piles of car parts, some of them more than 3 m high. The area is named after the San Jao Sieng Kong temple.
10 Thieves' Market (เวิ้งนาครเกษม Woeng Nakhon Kasem), Nakhon Kasem 1 and 2 (between Chakrawat Rd and Boriphat Rd). It is called the Thieves' Market as many of the goods sold here in the past were stolen. Now it is mostly known for its combination of garage sales, brass ware, blue-and-white porcelain, old furniture and reproduction antiques. Not too interesting for most foreigners, but it might be worth a look just to observe local commerce. Some of its visitors are drawn by the sale of all kinds of musical instruments, from guitars to flutes.
