Mo Chit BTS…not quite the ‘end of the line’
Most people are well aware of the Chatuchak weekend market. It’s one of the most famous of markets in Thailand among locals and tourists alike, one of the busiest, and has stalls that offer everything from prosaic to exotic. It is reached by way of the Mo Chit BTS, which allows not only extremely close access to the market on the weekends, but also allows a great overview of the complex which gives everyone a great idea of just how diverse and expansive this marketplace happens to be.
The Mo Chit station, on the Sukhumvit Line of course, is on one of the capital’s busiest and longest roads, Phahonyothin.
If you take either exit 1 or 3, and it happens to be a weekday instead of the weekend, you can enter Chatuchak Park. As you enter the park, there is the entrance to the Chatuchak MRT.
The park is one of Bangkok’s few but very welcome green spaces. It has been well maintained over the years and it’s clear the city administration continues to keep landscaping and grass cutting up to reasonable standards. Apart from the lawns there are ponds with fish that attract a variety of bird life and little footbridges to walk over or pause on to admire the scenery.
If you head in a north-westerly direction through the park, you’ll come to Kamphaeng Phet Soi 3. Cross over and go into another park area, one that is substantially larger than Chatuchak Park and which is home to a Buddhist study and meditation centre, a butterfly museum, and a children’s museum.
On weekends, all you need do is follow the always-substantial crowds into Chatuchak Market and either go shopping for almost anything that takes your fancy, browse and wonder at the variety of products available, or sit and drink a coffee or two while people watching.
Mo Chit BTS can be a useful starting point if you want to get to Don Muang International Airport. It’s way too far to walk, but a taxi should only cost a little over 100 baht, depending, of course, on the traffic volume. Or, you could take one of the many mini-vans, which are almost always at the number 1 exit, which ply between Don Muang and the BTS. These cost about half or less than a taxi. If you’re feeling sufficiently adventurous, the No 29 bus travels regularly to Don Muang for around 10 to 15 baht.
You could, if feeling energetic, walk the two kilometres or so to the Mo Chit Bus Terminal. The northern bus terminal is the largest in Thailand and there are air-conditioned buses going to all points of the compass from there. If not energetic, then hire a taxi to the station.
