A vain search for shopping steals

A trip to Bangkok a couple of months ago was not very impressive as it was crowded, polluted and overheated -- just like Jakarta.

And, in some ways, Jakarta's skyline is better compared to the Thai capital's maze of overlapping highways and jaded buildings.

But I quickly learned that Bangkok had savvy public relations and marketing skills and, unlike Jakarta, succeeds in attracting millions of visitors each year.

Sex tourism sells, of course, but I also found Bangkok a haven for shopping freaks like myself. There is a wide range of goods and they are cheap because many are sold in traditional markets.

And, again, unlike Jakarta, those places are safe from pickpockets or hoodlums.

Bangkok has an exciting place like Chatuchak market where everything, from clothes to plants to artworks, are on sale. A real find are its funky and fashionable T-shirt shops with prices of about Rp 40,000 (US$4.89).

As I visited Bukittinggi recently, and shopped to its famous Pasar Atas, the great Bangkok shopping experience flashed back into memory.

Bukittinggi is known for its excellent handmade embroidery. There are also wonderful knitted products, like pillowcases and tablecloths.

However, while a whole day at Chatuchak seems to be insufficient, a couple of hours was pretty boring at Pasar Atas, although the latter is cleaner and not as hot.

First, the products are less fashionable. The embroidery is undeniably excellent, but it hardly fits an almost agnostic person like myself as most of the products are mukena (women's prayer clothes), head coverings or koko shirts (high-collared traditional men's shirts used for praying).

Otherwise, the choices are baju kurung (two-piece outfits from West Sumatra) or kebaya (traditional women's blouse) or cloth to be sewn into an outfit. But the latter material was too sleek and unlike the cotton I was searching for.

Secondly, diversification is an issue here as each and every shop sells similar if not the same products. It reminded me of Trusmi batik village in Cirebon, West Java, where each shop offers excellent batik at moderate prices, but it's all much of the same.

I wondered why there were no trendier products. And I wondered about it again when I saw an ad for Banana Republic in the June edition of Vanity Fair, showing a model wearing a skirt with embroidery very similar to the mukena in Pasar Atas. The embroidery is a typical Indonesian technique called kerancang, where a floral motif is embroidered along the edge and cut in the middle.

Yes, designer Biyan applies such embroidery in his designs, but at prices of more than Rp 300,000, not everyone can purchase them. If it were made and sold in Bukittinggi, the price would be much more reasonable.

There are also the pillowcases with the West Sumatra motif on them, but do they all have to be so bright with large mirrors sewn on them?

Again, it is a pity that we have such potential to earn money but we are not capitalizing on the opportunities. -- Hera Diani