Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [227]
Vendors line Th Ratchadamnoen all the way from the square in front of Pratu Tha Pae to Wat Phra Singh and stretching a few blocks down both sides of Th Phra Pokklao. Many of the products are handmade in and around Chiang Mai, including the cotton scarves, leather sandals and wood carvings. Chiang Mai lets down its hippie hair at this market with lots of ethnic chic accessories, undyed cotton T-shirts and ‘save the planet’ canvas tote bags.
The temples along the way host food stalls selling northern Thai cuisine and other shopping-stamina boosts. Near the grounds of Wat Chedi Luang on Th Phra Pokklao, look for earthenware bowls containing rich concoctions of kôw soy.
We prefer the less crowded time that precedes the playing of the national anthem at 6pm, but after dark has its attractions as well: buskers stake out small spots of the pedestrian path to serenade the crowd with old-fashionedfavourites and new-fangled hits. When you tire of shopping, grab a massage chair where customers are stretched and pulled into angular lumps of dough.
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MONK CHAT
You can go to a million spots in Thailand and be blissfully ignorant, but come to Chiang Mai to learn something. To aid in this pursuit, some of the temples in town offer a ‘monk chat’, where a resident monk or novice fields questions from foreigners. This simple exchange gives them a chance to practise their English while answering questions about daily routines, Buddhist teachings or even how monks stay wrapped up in their robes. Remember that it is respectful to dress modestly: cover your shoulders and knees. Women should take care not to touch the monks or their belongings or to pass anything directly to them.
Wat Suan Dok (Map; 0 5380 8411-3; Th Suthep; 5-7pm Mon, Wed & Fri) has a dedicated room for foreigners to interact with the monastic students. To find the room, enter the wát from the main entrance and walk 100m or so into the temple grounds.
Wat Chedi Luang (Map; 0 5327 8595; Th Phra Pokklao; 1-6pm Mon-Fri) and Wat Sisuphan (Map; 0 5320 0332; 100 Th Wualai; 5.30-7pm Tue, Thu & Sat) both have monk chat tables on certain days.
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If you’re not in town on Sunday, check out the Saturday Walking Street (Click here) on Th Wualai.
East of the Old City & Riverside
Passing through Pratu Tha Phae leads to a standard-issue commercial neighbourhood of two-storey concrete shophouses and busy multi-laned roads. Th Tha Phae is the main tourist drag filled with interesting craft shops and a few heritage-style buildings once belonging to British and Burmese teak merchants. It is much more functional here than the old city with everyday shops selling plastic and paint as well as the nearly derelict shops specialising in dust and gossip. South of Talat Warorot, on Th Chang Khlan, is the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar (Click here). The meandering Mae Ping is another historical attraction and the eastern riverside neighbourhood makes an interesting cycling tour.
WAT CHETAWAN, WAT MAHAWAN & WAT BUPPARAM
These three wáts along Th Tha Phae feature highly ornate wí·hhn and chedi designed by Shan and Burmese artisans. Financed by Burmese teak merchants who immigrated to Chiang Mai a century or more ago, evidence of Shan/Burmese influence is easily seen in the abundant peacock symbol (a solar symbol common in Burmese and Shan temple architecture) and the Mandalay-style standing Buddhas found in wall niches.
TALAT WAROROT
Following Th Chang Moi towards the river you’ll discover a beehive of activity around Chiang Mai’s oldest and most famous marketplace, Talat Warorot (Map; cnr Th Chang Moi & Th Praisani; 6am-5pm). In many ways it looks like any other market, except more dilapidated and more crowded, but this unassuming place is a surviving remnant of Chiang Mai’s early mercantile history. Its placement beside the river isn’t for scenic value but for historical necessity: the waterway was an