Overpowering. Blistering and clausterphobic. Intense. And I love every minute of it. Shopping in Thailand is an glazing experience for the foreign traveler. It doesn't matter if you're shopping for grilled duck or mango wood chopsticks -- the adventure far surpasses any you will find in the First World.

Of course, it helps for someone as "thrifty" as myself that spending a significant amount of dollars in Thailand is not easy. The ride from the airport to the hotel -- about the same distance from La Guardia Airport in New York to mid-town Manhattan -- cost less than $5. Abram and I have eaten our full of 50-cent lunches from so-called street "hawker stalls" and family-run restaurants. Today, for lunch, we grabbed a large plate of Pad Thai noodle stirfry for 25-cents. Twenty five cents!! At the famous Thai markets, like Chatuchak Weekend Market, large North Face hiking packs sell for $25 (US price? Over $300). Ralph Lauren polo shirts can be had for $4. I even snagged a "genuine" Louis Vuitton purse for $40... don't tell.

The other primary principle to remember when shopping in Asia is that bargaining is just not acceptable, it is expected. A "must", if you will. And what an invigorating way to shop! You pay what you want to pay for an item, not whatever you consider to be a ridiculous price. For example, shops in Chiang Mai listed t-shirts for 300 Thai baht each (about $8). After a little bantering back and forth with the shopkeeper -- both of us exchanging two-faced looks of shock -- and walking away twice the price was agreed upon: 200 baht (about $5) for two t-shirts if I also bought a pair of shoes (that I wanted anyway). The Diesel sneakers were 350 baht.

There are two principles to remember when bargaining for things. First, always be polite. Most Asians are kind, courteous people -- it is only becoming that we return the favour. These shopkeepers have seen their fair share of rude Americans. Second, never walk into a store unless you are prepared to walk away empty-handed. If the deal doesn't reach your (realistic) price point, just leave. Abram was negotiating prices for chopsticks and the shopkeeper refused to give him a pair of carved chopsticks and a small stand for 10 baht (25 cents). I whispered in his ear, "Just walk away, buddy." We dropped the chopsticks and left. The shopkeeper didn't call after us. Within fifteen minutes, we had found a vendor willing to sell us chopsticks for 5 baht.

Being the businessman that I am, I considered buying a few of those fake (but still extremely well-built) North Face hiking packs and reselling them in the US for 10 times my cost. Hmmm... Perhaps on a future trip.