Thailand Trip Day 11

Day 11 : After settle down, today early morning I start to explore this beautiful old town city Chiang Mai. Take Tha Pae Gate as base direction, I headed to north and south direction until I see another moat gate of Chiang Mai old city at each direction.

If you walk slowly, each direction to another moat gate takes you about 30 minutes. On the way there are few small lane on the left and right of the main road flourishing with coffee shops, guesthouses, tour packages agencies, massage shops, local residence houses, stalls selling foods and drinks, and Wat (temple).

To mentioned too, local food here are ranging from 25 baht to 50 baht and the drinks are ranging from 15 baht to 35 baht. For the coffee shops that built along the central Chiang Mai targeted to tourists, the food prices range from 60 baht to 250 baht and above and the coffee drinks prices range from 45 baht and above. In addition, cross the road of Tha Pae Gate do have international fast food chain shop – Mc Donald and Starbucks. Local foods here are quite small portion per dishes.

Day 12 : Wake up early morning, I start to explore towards east and west direction of Tha Pae Gate. Walk eastward takes me to famous market, Warorot Market and Ton Lam Yai Market. These 2 market is combination of wet market and dry market and do have stalls selling clothes, handicraft, and foods. The chestnuts (500 gram for 180 baht) here is very fragrance and crunchy, highly recommended. Both markets occupy quite large scale of spaces. There are a lot of other shops and goldsmith shops in this area.

When I arrive here at 7 am, Warorot Market and Ton Lam Yai Market are just open, but some stalls selling clothes and handicraft are not opened yet, and the besides shophouses are not open shops yet. The rest of the shops and stalls here opened at 9 am.

Opposite road of these 2 markets is Chiang Mai old city famous Night Bazaar. It starts operate every night from 7 pm until 1 am midnight. Night Bazaar gathers many western and Asian tourists especially those who are stay at star hotels. Few with stars big hotels are operated here. It has a lot of stalls open stretch along the shops and Anusarn Market (night market). Anusarn market does have stage performing Thailand traditional dance and besides of it is eateries food court. The journey to Warorot Market, Ton Lam Yai Market, Night Bazaar take around 20 minutes from Tha Pae Gate.

Afternoon I walk westward to Wat Phra Singh. Wat Phra Singh is a famous and big temple inside Chiang Mai old city precinct, together with Wat Chedi Luang. Both attract tourist buses bring in tourist to visit these over few hundreds years historical temple. Wat Phra Singh do have 700 years of history. On Sunday, Sunday Market is operated here stretching along the road from Wat Phra Singh to Tha Pae Gate. It takes 20 minutes to walk from Tha Pae Gate to Wat Phra Singh. If you like to stroll night market and buying, it might take you more than 3 hours to walk along the Sunday Market. Always bargain before you buy, normally around 20% of selling price. However, some minor stalls don’t let you bargain. Sunday Market is the most famous market in Chiang Mai and has the most local people coming here.