Chinatown in Bangkok has been around for about 200 years. It is quite a big area and is always busy with buyers and sellers of just about anything you can think of. Different parts of CHinatown sell different things and there are several markets. Sampeng Lane is a "walking street" meaning that there is no traffic but in reality this means not very much traffic as you still get the odd motorbike or scooter winding its way down the lane not to mention all the food, fruit and ice cream sellers pushing their carts. A glance at this photo gives a good idea of how busy and crowded this very narrow lane is. At times, there are so many people going in each direction that the flow literally comes to halt. Unfortunately, this is a haven for opportunistic pickpockets so it is best to hold on toght to your wallet!