Pak Khlong Talat (Flower Market)

"Bangkok’s bustling 24-hour flower market is a feast for the eyes and the nostrils—and one of the best places for jet-lagged travelers awake at odd hours to do some sightseeing. The highlight of the market is visiting the vendors along Chakkaraphet Road and watching locals prepare sacred temple offerings at lightning speed. They’re folding back the delicate petals of lotus blossoms, stringing fragrant jasmine into garlands known as malais, sorting through bags teeming with marigolds, and creating elaborate arrangements for funerals and weddings. Under the market’s tin roof, merchants sell bundles of orchids, button carnations, roses, green bananas still on the stem, towering stacks of prickly pineapples, and pre-made temple offerings. Across Chakkaraphet Road, don’t miss the elaborate ready-made bouquets and stacks of colorful orchids for 20 baht (60 cents) each." - Diana Hubbell, Katie Lockhart

"Imagine a city of 10 million people that’s twice the size of New York with no decent subway and traffic that feels like all 10 million hit the road at once. Maddening, right? Not when it comes to Bangkok, whose unconventional charms make the far larger impression. Instead of little shops or galleries down the alleyways of its old districts, you’ll find neighbors drinking tea and laughing in small plazas where their homes meet."