The Ladies Market is a definite one not to miss. With stall after stall of kitsch souvenirs and every imaginable thing you could desire such as handbags, watches, T-shirts, DVD’s, jackets, Cheongsam dresses, Mahjong & Chess sets and the list just goes on and on.
Copyright pirating is taken seriously here, especially when it comes to handbags and watches. Clothing doesn’t seem to be quite as stringent. My racing mad nephew was lucky enough to receive a Holden racing jacket that would cost $100’s of dollars at home but cost me a fraction of that.
If you have your heart set on a "designer" label handbag, wallet or watch it is still possible, pick your mark and they will take you up one of the rickety staircases to their rooms that hold their secret stash. It did cross my mind "was I going to get out of this" but it turned out OK.
You have the option of different grades of name brands. Pay for the top quality and like me, my handbag is indistinguishable from the real thing as well as my designer watches.
Just a word of warning we had a problem with customs coming home as they thought we were trying to duck the sales tax as they couldn’t tell them from the real thing. In the end I asked if I would be flying "economy" on a budget airline if I could afford the real name brands the customs officials seem to get the idea that they were really just good copies.
Located nearby but not for everyone but we did visit the Goldfish Market as we have a Marine Tank.
For us to stock up on equipment it was a tenth of the price of what we would pay back at home. If you have any interest in fish the range of absolutely gorgeous fish is mind blowing and so cheap. No chance of packing any livestock in your luggage to take home though!