The Bangkok Atlas guide
Nang Loeng & Bobae
นางเลิ้ง–โบ๊เบ๊ — Old flavors, new artists
Nang Loeng's wooden market has been feeding Bangkok since 1900 — royal-recipe curries, dance troupes upstairs, and lately young gallerists moving into the shophouses around it. Bobae, along the canal, sells clothes by the sack to traders from three continents. The Golden Mount rises next door, ringing its bells over a district that gentrifies at a respectful walking pace. Central, cheap and characterful, if you can do without a rail station.
Getting around
No rail here yet — the khlong boat at Bobae and taxis do the work.
Don't miss
Wat SaketTemple
The Golden Mount — 344 steps to the old city's best view.
Nang Loeng MarketMarket
A 1900s wooden market of royal-line curries and kanom.
Bobae MarketWholesale
Dawn garment wholesale by the canal — bags sold by the armful.