Chiang Mai Markets

I am a hunter, not a gatherer. When I go shopping I like to have a clear idea of what it is I am going to buy, I seek it out, kill it, pay for it and then take it home. About the only place where I really find myself browsing is a book store but who doesn’t like browsing through a good book store?

A little while ago I decided that I was in need of a bag in addition to my pack, which I use as a carry-on bag, for when I return to Luang Prabang. I seem to have accumulated a supply of cooking utensils and some new t-shirts while I’ve been here in Chiang Mai and expanding into a check-in bag seemed a wise decision. I had a look around the Airport Plaza Shopping Centre for a bag but was really surprised at the prices. There was a stock standard hard sided suitcase, a brand name but I won’t give them any free advertising, and it was priced at a little over $500 USD. For that price I would almost expect a flight to come with it.

So where do you go in Chiang Mai if you want something a bit cheaper? Well, I headed to the Night Bazaar. This is a nightly market that is set up on either side of Chang Klan road, between the eastern wall of the old city and the Ping River.

There are small stands flanking the footpath on both sides of the road and it is the place to go if you are not in town for the weekend markets. The items for sale tend to be of the more mass produced type but it’s good for cheap t-shirts, watches etc. and it’s open every night. You will rub shoulders with a lot of tourists but people watching in this situation is half the fun.

I found my bag (considerably less than $500) and then wandered into Anusarn Market, a separate off street area full of more stalls and a number of restaurants. My feet took me to O’Malley’s Irish Pub and I sated my desire for non-Asian food by ordering the full English breakfast. I’m not sure what they thought out in the kitchen since it was about 8pm but the food was plentiful, filling and extremely satisfying.

If you are looking for something a bit more artisan though and you are in Chiang Mai on the weekend then the Saturday and Sunday Night Markets are the go.

The Saturday Market takes over Wualai Road, just off the southern edge of the old city walls.

You have two options with this market. Go early and have the possibility of actually seeing what’s for sale or go later and enjoy a better atmosphere and more crowded experience but with less opportunity to stop and shop in comfort. Set up starts around 4pm but it really starts to get crowded when it gets dark but, either way, there is some great stuff for sale and plenty of food stalls as well. It’s much easier here to find hand crafted products than the Night Bazaar.

But be warned, if you are at all claustrophobic or just don’t like shuffling along as part of the masses then go earlier rather than later.

Another tip would be to be prepared to carry the remains of any food you buy. There are no places to put rubbish so if you get a cob of corn you will find yourself carrying it for a while. Having said that, there is a great variety of food and if you are not really the shopping type then it’s worth checking out for that alone.

As an experiment, with a couple of future projects in mind, I used my phone to film my walk around the market. I was there for about 4 hours, wandering around and sampling food, but only filmed the first 45 minutes. For those who may be interested I’m posting both the normal speed video and then a hyperlapse that has managed to get the 45 minutes down to just 5. You may not want to sit through the entirety of either but just a sample will give you an idea of what it’s like, especially the number of people.