Electronics Paradise

I went to Bangkok with my friend Beer (he's a person, not a beverage). He is also an electrical engineer (well, just finishing up his degree). So we have a lot of common interest, and would discuss it at length except for a GIANT language barrier. We get by.

There are no Radio Shacks in Thailand. If you need a decent selection of electronic parts, you go to Bangkok. More specifically you go to the biggest electronics market I've ever seen. I guess you could call it Bangkok's Electronics District. I decided not to take pictures because they wouldn't capture the place. There are HUNDREDS of little shops. Then you can enter buildings along the road which contain even tinier shops. Some are only 6ft by 4ft and they are just big enough for one person to sit behind the counter. You view their selection from the narrow corridor that you are walking down.

Pros: Lots of variety. Everything is really cheap.
Cons: Everyone carries mostly the same stuff. You have to search hundreds of stores to find the less common things.

And that actually sums it up for a lot of speciality places in Thailand. There are very few all encompassing department stores. Most of the sales are from tiny, family-run businesses. At the beginning it is overwhelming to see all the stores with all sorts of goodies. But after 20 stores, you realize that everyone carries pretty much the same as the next guy with only slight variation (or none at all). So there you have it. It's great for the treasure hunter, but exhausting for the guy who just wants to buy it and leave.

But to leave things on a happy note, it was a cool experience to see another side of Bangkok, and I will probably never see that many electronic components spanning that many streets again.