Ah, Pak Khlong Talad! This flower market was an island of poetry in Bangkok. Especially around Valentine’s day, it was a hub of beauty and of happiness.
Flowers, activity and friendliness
A bustling flower market, most active at night time, Pak Khlong Talad was a favorite destination for tourists. With its colorful flowers and its welcoming vendors, it was one of the most charming aspects of the Thai capital.
Besides the colorful stalls, the animation and the activity made it a favourite haunt for photographers.
The vendors themselves, as they sold mostly to Thais, had no incentive whatsoever to cheat or scam tourists. On the contrary, they certainly appreciated the interest of the few Westerners who took the trouble of coming and witnessing this typical market. If you lived in Bangkok, Pak Khlong Talad was the occasion of getting fresh flowers at unbeatable prices straight from the wholesaler.
Colors, variety, animation and the beauty of the floral arrangements made Pak Khlong Talad one of the best open markets of Bangkok. Nevertheless, because it was mostly open at night time and because it was a bit out of the way, tourists were not very numerous in this market while it still existed. The tourists that came were of the variety who enjoyed beauty and tradition.
The end of Pak Khlong Talad
In 2016, once again under the impulse of the Thai junta, Pak Khlong Talad was shut down. In a matter of weeks, and despite the protests of the merchants, the market was shut down.
Despite the fact that cleanliness was not really an issue compared to other roadside food markets, Pak Khlong Talad was offered no reprieve. Vendors had expanded onto the street, but that made for a lively, colorful and beautiful market as you can see from the pictures above. Alas, no windfall came for the authorities from maintaining this market as is.
Yet, the Thai Junta and the Bangkok Municipal Administration were relentless in their drive to push out the vendors of Pak Khlong Talad. Some late protests took place by unhappy vendors, but eventually, they all had to close their stalls and move away, either to neighboring buildings, or to other areas of Bangkok. As a result, what was left behind was a large dark and empty street.
