Date: Dec 15th, 2009
After I got back from my tour, I rested for a bit as I had hardly slept the night before. But I knew I couldn’t waste time sleeping as I planned to leave Chiang Mai tomorrow evening & still had lots more to see. As I laid in bed, I thought to myself how tiring going by overnight buses would be the next few days. I decided since I had to head to Phuket the next day, then to Krabi and then back to Bangkok — I’d go back to consider flying.
I went out to a net cafe and tried for a ticket at all the budget carriers from Chiang Mai to Phuket and from Phuket/Krabi back to Bangkok. While I got the latter on Nok Air (1950 baht/Rs. 2,725), all the budget carriers were full for the Chiang Mai to Phuket route for the next few days. So I thought I’d stick to taking the overnight bus one last time when heading to Phuket.
I was feeling quite hungry after the mediocre lunch at the Elephant camp. So while walking on Loi Kroh road, I saw some tempting barbeques at the Ramming Lodge restaurant…
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… and promptly sat down, ordered the sea food barbeque, fries (which I couldn’t finish) and a Singha. Dinner cost me 320 baht/Rs.447 (including tip).
After that, I walked down Loi Kroh road to head for the Night Market.
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I crossed Changklan Road and stopped by a few stalls selling the usual stuff (souvenirs, fake goods, bags, T-shirts etc.) I picked up a funky ‘Chiang Mai’ t-shirt for 180 baht/Rs. 250 (bargained down from 250 baht/Rs. 350). They had quite a few cool designs incorporating the elements Chiang Mai is famous for — including the pandas at Chiang Mai Zoo.
I walked around the area and saw a sign board pointing to the Night Bazaar.
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I walked into Anusarn market which is essentially a part of the extended Night Bazaar area. Anusarn is predominantly a food court with options ranging from Indian to (real) Chinese among other cuisines.
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I mostly took HD videos of the Night Bazaar so I’ll try and extract the stills and put them up temporarily.
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The Night Bazaar is essentially an open flea market selling everything from handicrafts to funky gear, bags, souvenirs, cool T-shirts, 500 baht Rolexs and more.
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And as you step out, there are more stalls selling more of the same. I picked some more T-shirts (I believe 3 but none costing more than 150 baht/Rs. 200 each).
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Leaving the Night Bazaar, I walked around the area some more, saw where the Japanese and Koreans hung out, checked out some cool bars with live guitar shows and decided I had walked enough and… then walked back to my room.
But as I walked back, I realized how I much I liked Chiang Mai. When I researched on Chiang Mai, most of the websites I visited only showcased the temples and kept talking about it being a historic city and I assumed it was going to be like that. Old and decrepit buildings, undeveloped roads, unorganized traffic, etc. — and man, was I wrong! Chiang Mai has everything you need — but in small doses.
It is a bit laid back. But I guess that’s why I liked it.
Other posts in this series:
Day 1 – Suvarnabhumi, Pantip Plaza, Fotofile & MBK
Day 2 – Bridge over the River Kwai and Tiger Temple (Wat Pa Luangta Bua) in Kanchanaburi
Taking the bus to Chiang Mai from Bangkok
Day 3 – Maesa elephant camp, ‘long-neck’ tribe village near Chiang Mai
Day 4 – Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai… and back in town
Day 5 – Leaving Chiang Mai for Phuket
Day 5 (Part 2) – One night in Phuket
Day 6 – Leaving Phuket for Ao Nang by bus (via Phang Nga)
Day 7 – Touring Koh Phi Phi (Maya Bay, Monkey Island & Bamboo Island)
Day 7 (Part 2) – Exploring Railay, Krabi
Day 8 – Flying from Phuket to Bangkok
Day 8 (Part 2) – Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok
Day 9 – MBK, Siam Paragon… and ‘little Arabia’?
Day 10 – Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha
Day 10 – Wat Pho (the Temple of the Reclining Buddha) and finally leaving Thailand
Figures, lessons learned, and things I couldn’t do
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The NRI
12/07/2010I absolutely love the Chiang Mai night market and the legendary food court. Had the best Tom Yum soup I have ever eaten. And I eat a lot of Thai food.
You should also check out Chiang Rai for another unique Thai experience a world away from Bangkok and the beaches.
Mithun Divakaran Reply:
July 13th, 2010 at 12:51 AM
I didn’t do the Golden Triangle because I didn’t find anything too appealing. I’m going back in November and I’ll make sure I check to it out. Is one day in Chiang Rai long enough?