Bangkok Shopping & Forex

"Brian" wrote in message
...
Hi.
What is the best place in Bangkok to shop for these things
1) Casual Clothes
2) Shoes (joggers, sports shoes)
3) cheap cell phone accessories

How much of a bargaining would be involved in any of these?


Also, I am carrying US dollars to the country. Do I need to exchange as
soon
as I get there - or can I exchange as I need money? Where can I get good
exchange
rates?
Or do shops/cabs etc take USD?
What is the current rate of exchange?

Thank you for all the replies. I went to Bangkok & and I am back. So let
me try answering my own questions.

Did most of my clothes/shoes shopping at Pratunam Market & Platinum Market
next to it. I was on a tight schedule & didn't get to visit any other
clothes market.
Purchased a lot of fake Polo (RL) & Boss Shirts, T-Shirts & Polos - paid
somewhere
around 150-200 Baht's for each. Very satisfied.
Didn't get time to visit the shops for cellphone accessories.
Purchased a 3 DVD set of Fawlty Towers at the Night Bazaar for 300 Baht's.
Amazing quality. The DVD's even had the artwork printed on one side.

Visited Floating Market on a half day tour - paid 500 baht's per person
for this - they took us to floating market, Elephant village & some
handicraft place
for this money & brought us back. Wife bought some idols, tea set etc from
the
floating markter - lot of bargaining involved.
Wife also purchased a jade bangle from China Town.

Visited the Grand(?) Palace or is it the Royal Palace - forgot the name.
Costs
around 8USD per person & not allowed to go in with shorts.
When I was taking a taxi back from the Palace to Sukumvit Soi 11, on
the way, the wife noticed a couple of street which were full of shops
selling
huge Buddha & other idols. Stopped a taxi there & wife bought some idols
there.

Exchange money mostly at the small Bank Exchange Kiosks all over the
place - Bangkok Bank, Ayuthya Bank etc. Usually got 34+ baht's per
USD.

Cabs were great & very reasonably priced.

My local agent contact was Chin Tour - They picked me up from the airport
& took me to my hotel - the Ambassador - not bad. Reasonably clean &
comfortable
but seems to be a very old hotel & hence a little run down. My flight back
was
at 6:45 pm & Chin Tour said they would pick me up at 2:00 pm (at my
Sukumvit Road hotel
for this) - in my opinion it was too early even accounting for traffic
problems.
They said they didn't have a 3.00 pm slot. Finally they phoned me back,
saying they will come at 3:00 to pick me up. Left the hotel at 3:15 &
reached
at 4:00.


I also visited Bali for a couple of days. Dollars are almost universally
accepted
there but still better to keep local currency. Stayed at Wina Holiday - was
ok.