Shopping in Ko Lanta Island - authentic goods, best outlets, malls and boutiques

Ko Lanta Yai is a pretty small island. Here you can buy not only souvenirs but many essential goods as well. Nevertheless, if you’re determined to go shopping and buy various clothes, shoes or accessories by famous brands, then it’s better to go to the continental part of the country. There are no large shopping malls on the island. On the other hand, goods by the local masters are really popular. It’s better to start shopping just by the end of your vacation. The reason of it is quite simple: if you make a seller think that you’ve already spent a great amount of money during your holidays, then they won’t set too high prices as they really want to sell their products to you. In addition to it, it’s also a good idea to have just a little money in your wallet.

One more trick – always go shopping in a good mood. Bargain for Thai sellers is not a competition, it’s just fun. So, come to them and start a conversation with a smile and the phrase «Sawadee khap» (if you’re a man) or «Sawadee ka» (if you’re a woman). If you like something and want to the price, then say: «Tâo-rài?» («How much?»). People bargain here on markets or in small shops. Don’t forget to smile, compliment the island, the seller and his or her shop. In case you don’t like a price and a seller doesn’t agree to reduce it, then don’t hesitate to come and look for another place. A seller will likely catch you up and propose you a better price.

If you want not only to buy some local stuff but also to get to know the Thai culture and the local cuisine, then so-called «night markets» are the best option. Actually, it’s not an attraction for tourists – it’s a casual routine for the locals. Still, it’s a perfect spot for shopping. You can buy delicious fruits and vegetables as well as hand-made stuff made by locals and, of course, something to taste. What about fruits, everyone should definitely try dragon fruit, chom-poo, guava, lychee, longan, durian, and jackfruit. Even though these are exotic fruits, everybody would like how it tastes. But remember that durian has a very unpleasant smell so it’s better not to eat it in crowded places. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Because of the specific smell, durian is forbidden to transferring by air. However, you can buy chips or a jar of jam from it. Chips are also made from various fruits – bananas, mango, oranges, and breadfruit. Moreover, a pack of local coffee would be an extremely nice present. The islanders are keen on coffee and they drink it quite often, so only qualitative sort of coffee are sold here. You can also buy a fancy cezve. If you prefer tea to coffee, you’ll find it here as well. Here you can bay basic black or green tea as well as unique butterfly pea flower tea and delicious matoom tea.

Perhaps you are looking for something even more peculiar? Then you can buy fish sauce or a Tom yum cooking set. Frankly speaking, there is a great variety of tasty and unusual products like sweet-and-sour sauce (it’s really hot as well), rice noodles, coconut milk, a bunch of soy sauce etc. Different sweets with pepper would also be a nice present. Besides, you can also find and buy a qualitative dentifrice by Viset-Niyom or Rung Arung, salt scrubs, muscle pain balms. Many tourists also buy local hair products.

There are diverse goods made of Thai silk of high quality. For instance, a proper silk shirt would cost around baths. You can distinguish it from a fake one by a perfectly smooth surface (what is absolutely untypical for a product from the real silk). Another good idea for a present is a snake or crocodile skin. But be careful and don’t buy it directly as you could a simple bag made of a cow skin for the same high price. The same goes for silver and gold jewelry. A souvenir made of teak wood and mainly shaped as an elephant would also be a worthy memento.