One of the best places for the adventurous shopper to go is Chalai Bazaar in Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum). If your image of Kerala is one of the houseboats, Dutch palaces, or tranquil stretches of beach, this market may seem worlds away. However, in some respects, the busy market is just as magical, if not more so.
Motorbikes and lorries honk at full volume as they speed along the seemingly unending road lined on both sides with stores, giving off an electric atmosphere even under the midday sun. The Chalai Bazaar is full of promise since practically anything can be purchased here and because shoppers always leave with more than they bargained for.
How to explore Chalai Bazaar?
- The famed Sree Padmanabha cinema is located less than a block away from the bazaar's entrance, adding to the bustle at the entry.
- There is not much need to stray from the main street unless you really do not want to find anything because you can find all you need right there.
- Raw dates, likely imported from the Gulf, not-yet-ripe custard apples from the villages, many species of grapes, and acidic oranges are just some of the fruits sold by merchants along Chalai Market Road.
- The shoe stores behind the fruit stalls are chock-a-block with varieties that you need to browse through every rack to get your style of shoe.
- Numerous goldsmiths and gold vendors pop up out of nowhere along the road, crammed in between shoe businesses. Families are spending lakhs here, either on multiple items for a forthcoming wedding or on a single bracelet for a newborn baby.
- There are also vendors hawking anything from screwdrivers to rope for drying clothes right next to these shops.
- Stop by Azad, which has been serving delicious food since 1940. Pick between the mutton biryani and the Kerala vegetarian lunch.
- Just across the street, the freshly squeezed juice creates a stunning rainbow of colors at the entrance of its respective establishments.
Duration Required
5.0
