Chiang Mai old city & walking markets
'Fantasy. Lunacy.
All revolutions are, until they happen, then they are historical inevitabilities.'
David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas
The old city in the heart of the modern city of Chiang Mai is truly something special. This part of the city has been kept very much in the older style that means so much to the people here. This step back in time is the original entirety of Chiang Mai. The massive city walls that surround this central part of modern-day Chiang Mai are the old city's original walls. Driving around to find out way in through one of the entrances, it is so interesting to see the different states of disrepair of the city walls. In some areas, they are very much still intact for the most part, while in others the walls have crumbled to look more like points of ancient interest (which, in a way, is exactly what they are).
The gates themselves have been maintained in fantastic condition, and stepping through them into the old city genuinely is like stepping back in time. Once you walk through the giant gated entrance, the streets are filled with intricately ornate temples topped with gold and tiles. There are so many wonderful temples, however the most special and memorable ones from our time exploring the old city are Wat Chedi Luang (an ancient temple built between 1385 and 1402 during the reign of King Saen Muang Ma, the seventh ruler of the Mengrai dynastry) and Wat Chiang Man (the oldest temple in Chiang Mai, built in 1305, and the home of a famous crystal buddha)
There are also galleries and museums, all of which harbour either precious memories from Chiang Mai's history or artful dedications to this special part of Thailand. Here, the culture quite literally surrounds you. It is impossible not to understand how so many tourists choose to stay within the old city itself. Walking around all the temples (and even being fortunate enough to walk through some of them), there is clearly so much history here. One point to be mindful of is that you must be aware that some temples allow the entry of men only (I did not see the sign in time and accidentally went in...learnt that lesson very quickly).
"Quiet is peace. Tranquility. Quiet is turning down the volume knob on life"
- Kahled Hosseini, The Kite Runner
One of the things that stands out the most about the old city here in Chiang Mai is that there is a definitive peace that settles over the place. Even in its busiest moments, the old city emulates this kind of tranquility that makes it so special. There are several markets in Chiang Mai, and all are worth a visit. And then, every Sunday night, the old city walking market comes to life. We spent a Saturday afternoon browsing the Wualai Walking Street market, however we went back the next day to spend an entire Sunday afternoon/night exploring the old city's markets. The kilometre-long stretch of markets (many of which spill over into side alleys and wind around temples off the main market street) is unlike anything we have ever seen before. The night bazaar is great but this Sunday market is especially unique because it gears more towards hand crafted purchases rather than mass produced tourist items (which are of course still fun, however it is always great finding those unique little market finds). Something to keep in mind here - bartering is welcome, especially if you are buying more than one item from the one market stall. As always, just be sure to be respectful - but do not be afraid to be firm in your choice if you feel it is worth it.
Wandering around temples to try delicious local foods (we had, at different times throughout the afternoon/night, chicken and rice, prawns, and some bar snack foods with drinks later on when we took a break halfway through), it is easy and enjoyable to get lost in the markets. When we sat down to eat the prawns (and I will never forget this) we were struggling to find a seat, it was so busy. We wandered off to the side a little bit, and found a little bench. Unsure if we should sit down, we looked around and then a monk who was hanging his washing kindly waved to us from his balcony and gestured for us to go ahead and sit. It was a lovely moment that reminded us all over again how special and kind the people of Thailand are, and it was a great way to step out of the exciting and vibrant chaos of the markets for a second.
As we started to wind down towards the end of the night, we were walking down a little side street and heard music. We ended up enjoying some drinks and sitting down to watch a fantastic jazz band play in a little bar (a definite highlight!). Then, I decided that if we could somehow find it again, that I really did want these wildly cool, unique earrings from a little stall somewhere on the street (I knew they would be the perfect finishing touch for an upcoming festival outfit - which, as it turns out, they were). By some miracle, we found the stall and I got those earrings. The market kickstarted at 4pm and closed up for the night around midnight, and we stayed practically the entire time, eventually getting a tuk tuk back to our place. We walked out of that night buzzing and holding (no joke) six shopping bags of market finds...if you only have a week or two to spend in Chiang Mai, make it a point to go to these markets.
