Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand) Tourist Guide


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‘WALKING STREET’CHIANG MAI
Join the Crowds, enjoy the Charm

Text & Images : Merin Waite

Outstanding images

It has almost become a victim of its own success, the 'Walking Street' - nigh on impossible to negotiate on a Sunday because of the sheer number of people thronging to gaze at the bizarre products or stopping to look at some street performer or other.

However, it is difficult not to like the atmosphere at Chiang Mai's Sunday market because it really does offer some of the best handicrafts and street food you are ever likely to find in such a small space. Originally organised by the municipality to showcase local products as a one off, due to its popularity, it is now held every week. Trading spaces are given to vendors without charge to encourage enterprise and give Lanna handicrafts both international and national exposure. The scheme has certainly succeeded. Rachadamoen Road (due west from the Thapae Gate) is absolutely brim full of sellers and buyers, and copy-cat markets have sprung up in many other cities, but Chiang Mai remains the biggest and most vibrant.

Going to the market is an odd experience. You simply never know what new products or variations on old ones you are going to come across. Like some creative Cambrian era biological explosion, local artisans keep on inventing and modifying till they hit on something that sells well. There are of course the old standbys such as animals carved from mango wood - I am becoming quite concerned about mango trees, so ubiquitous are these statues of forlorn puppies and cheerful bears - and the soap worked beautifully into flowers then placed in small lacquer boxes. However there is much more: coconut lampshades, name-card boxes, saa paper cards, glass animals, jade from Burma ( or so one is told) amulets… The list is endless. Silver is well represented and most is of good quality and finely worked. Much of the smithying is done by hill tribes who live in the mountains around Chiang Mai, and the beads, bracelets, and necklaces are then reworked into more sophisticated designs or sold as they come. With the debasement of fiat currencies perhaps a few ounces of silver tucked up under the bed isn't such a bad idea. You will certainly be paying less per gram than you would were you to buy the same in the West. Moreover much of the work done by the silversmiths is very fine indeed; I particularly like the designs incorporating ceramic work.

Soap is another product that seems to have found a manufacturing base here in the North of Thailand. I sometimes suspect that the makers are secretly laughing at us when they offer some of their products. I remember quite clearly buying a bar of soap which had the fragrance of bananas! Other fruits seem to be equally popular; lemon grass, mangosteen and orange all have claims to curative qualities - well at least according to the people who make soaps with them. I have tried many different kinds and though I cannot say my skin is any better or worse than before, I do know that the soaps are exceptionally gentle on the skin and not nearly as desiccating as many mass manufactured items. Out of interest (and as an example of yet another of my failed attempts at business) I went to have a look at one of these cottage soap industries and was impressed by dedication of the owner. Despite having a full time job he still managed to make his soap and attempt to market it. In a fit of entrepreneurial madness I bought about 300 bars and had already, in my mind, put down the mortgage on the house I was going to buy from the profits I would garner from selling the stuff in the UK. Five years later I still have 100 bars left and friends and relatives are wary of opening small scented packets, knowing exactly what to expect. Happily I don't really care as the soap is so good I will continue to use it until it runs out - or I do.

Saa paper has been produced from the mulberry tree for centuries in this part of the world and comes in many varieties from almost transparent to something approaching cardboard. It is a versatile product and the containers made from it are attractive and hardwearing. Recently I have noticed a proliferation of lampshades using it. These lamps are not much good if you are going through a legal document with a fine toothcomb but just the job when you are 'slipping into something a little more comfortable' whilst maybe listening to a spot of Chopin on the piano. Just be careful not to put an electric light inside them with too high a wattage or you might find the saa paper lights more than the living room with a pale Episcopal glow. Basket weaving is also an old tradition in Thailand and the variety and quality of the containers is remarkable. If you have a house and are settling into Chiang Mai you could do far worse than spend a day getting yourself all the things you need for an empty dwelling place. Silk is also a plentiful and the uses to which it is put inventive. The deep colours and intricate designs make it an attractive item though I never quite understand why some is so expensive and some so cheap, and sadly I doubt this philistine state of mine will ever truly be rectified by talking to those trying to sell silk to me.

Entertainment and food are not lacking either. Buskers ply their trade; blind musicians, university students, mimes and other artists contrive to make one's tortuous progress even more enraging as they cause bottle necks. The Sunday Market is not the place to be if you have a tight schedule to keep. Better by far to creep into the quiet of one of the temples and contemplate the Lord Buddha to restore some inner peace…. except this is not possible. It is not the money changers who are desecrating the holy ground: it is that most popular of Thai activities that has invaded the preserve of those aiming for enlightenment - eating. Every temple seems to host innumerable little stalls selling all sorts of food from sushi to pad Thai to waffles. Needless to say they all seem to do remarkable good business, as do the people selling fresh strawberries and pure orange juice, or more traditional beverages such as rosella served up in a bamboo tumbler. Homemade ice-cream is also difficult to pass. In fact by the time you have walked up and down the market, bought a few things, eaten six or seven delicious snacks you may well feel rather leaden and tired and this is when they will pounce: the massage mafia.

It is the chairs that do it. Lined up they look so comfortable after slogging up and down the street for a couple of hours that before you know it you are reclining in one and some kindly lady is washing your feet and gently rubbing away all that soreness and tiredness. Five minutes later you are fast asleep and then an hour later you are gently woken and have to cough up the very reasonable amount asked. However you can't help but wonder if you really got that massage or not, it was such a sound sleep.

So you shouldn't miss the Sunday Market even if you aren't that keen on shopping. It really is a great way to enjoy an afternoon and look at the vast inventiveness of the very artistic people of Northern Thailand. There is also the gentle grace and good nature of the vast majority of those who trade in this market; yes, they are here to make money but also to enjoy a social occasion, enliven their week and share their interests with a wider audience. I have only one piece of advice for you. When the red mist of entrepreneurial madness descends on you, and you start calculating the fathomless profits you can make by starting an import export business, resist the temptation to buy 100 silk scarves, 300 bars of soap with saa paper boxes and 3 kilograms of silver because, in all likelihood, you will find yourself with only fractionally less of these purchases five years later, all safely stored in the attic of some long-suffering friend or relative.