Last year as I was trying to discover new things around Bangkok, I headed out to find the airplane graveyard. Unfortunately, the planes had been removed, and it was nothing but an open field. I am delighted to report that this year I stumbled upon one of those planes that had been brought back to life.

Across the Chao Phraya river from central Bangkok is the neighborhood of Bang Phlat. I’ve been trying to start a trend of calling it the west side since it’s difficult for me to remember, or pronounce, the names of the neighborhoods. I am not the only one renaming areas. Many people I’ve met refer to the Bang Kachao neighborhood as the Green Lung because it is a rural oasis in Bangkok. That name has had more traction than mine.

Food markets have been evolving all over Bangkok but especially on the west side of the river. That has traditionally been the lower rent area so you have many younger people living there. As a result, new markets have popped up all over the city, and they must compete for attention.

Like anyone resistant to change, I find this good and bad. The food market near my hostel was closed when I arrived in October this year, but it had re-opened by the time I left. It was a white-washed version of its former self. There was bright lighting, solid tables with real chairs, and even clean bathrooms. In the past it was a place that some foreigners visited to get the feel of eating authentically, but now it’s practically a western mall food court.

I appreciate the effort that was made to encourage foreigners to feel more comfortable eating street food, but for me it has lost the feel of eating in Thailand. I didn’t even see any Thai people eating there when I walked through. I had the same experience with Vora last year. We walked through a brand new food market, and were so unimpressed with the offerings that we left to find something Thai.

I was really excited to stumble upon the Chang Chui Creative Park, not only because it was far enough from the city center that there weren’t many foreigners but because it had one of the ghost airplanes I’d been looking for a year ago.

The entire market is built around a 747 that is propped two stories above the ground so it appears to be landing right in the market. There is a spiral slide coming out of one of the emergency exits that lets you quickly drop from the plane into the market below.

At night the place comes alive with a thrift market of people selling vintage clothes and their artistic creations. As you walk around the park you find a variety of stores and restaurants. There are even a couple of performance venues.

Scattered along the pathways are parts of planes and other detritus that makes the place feel as if it could be the site of a plane crash. Bright murals lure you to other parts of the park, and I was left thinking I would definitely need to return a few times to visit all the eateries.

Unfortunately, I had planned my visit during the day and there weren’t many things open, but I enjoyed watching everyone set up for the evening while eating my hamburger. You heard me right. I came all this way just to experience authenticity and ended up eating a hamburger. It is not entirely my fault. When you put a massive Wagyu beef patty with cheese, bacon, caramelized onion chutney, and a homemade bun on the menu, I’m gonna try it.

To make matters better (or worse) Olive Kitchen also has a Ferrero Rocher frappe on the menu. There is no way that’s not going to end up in front of me after walking around for an hour in 95 degree heat with 100% humidity.

Despite my western transgression, there are plenty of Thai foods to be had at the market. I just picked the place that had air conditioning. For this reason, and because most things don’t pick up until after dark, I recommend coming in the evening.

Chang Chui Creative Park is my favorite new food market in Bangkok, and it was great to see that at least one of the planes that had been removed from the graveyard had been resurrected as the centerpiece of this lively attraction. And don’t forget to bring your appetite as you exit the aircraft.