Our plane landed in Chiang Mai on a Sunday afternoon. Good, I thought. I could finally visit the Sunday Night Market which I missed during my previous two trips to the city. After checking into the hotel we took a leisurely walk along the outer moat of the Old City and headed for Tha Phae Gate which marks the starting point of the night market.
Tha Phae Gate at 6.20pm was already bustling with activities. The Sunday Night Market or more popularly known as The Walking Street is apparently a major attraction for the locals and tourists alike.
Hundreds of street vendors congregate here to display and sell their wares.
There are lots of interesting things to see. For interested buyers, haggling is the norm to get a good purchase.
The Walking Street stretches approximately 1.1km from Tha Phae Gate all the way through the centre of the Old City to Wat Phra Singh. Ratchadamnoen Road where the night market is located is closed to traffic from 4pm every Sunday. This walking street is not only confined to Ratchadamnoen Road but spill over to the smaller lanes (soi) branching off this main road making it a big scale night market indeed.
At 7pm we could walk comfortably but by 9pm the crowd got so thick we had to inch our way. We were constantly warned about pickpockets through a PA system that is audible along the major stretch of The Walking Street.
Delicate soap carving in pretty casing makes good souvenirs for visiting tourists.
This white boy was throwing tantrums and his parents just didn't know what to do.
The Walking Street spill over to Wat Phan On temple ground.
Among some local food we tasted was this Chiang Mai traditional ice-cream with very strong coconut flavour.
Street musicians playing different genres of music add to the vibrancy of The Walking Street. These musician are no doubt waiting for contribution from generous onlookers and passersby.
Another temple (Wat Si Koed) we saw along the Walking Street.
Food court in the temple ground.
There are lots of street food stalls but there are also a number of proper restaurants along the Walking Street.
Fanciful sunglasses for sale.
Blind musicians playing upbeat music.
The Thai National Anthem was played and all activities came to a standstill.
Everyone stood at attention, we included.
We resumed our walk.
Cute dumplings.
Edible insects and worms.
We passed by the police station.
Creative soap carvings
Wat Phra Singh marks the end of The Walking Street. We have walked more than one kilometre and it was time to walk back along the same path, but this time on the other side of the street.
10 ฿ per stick. Super yummy.
20 ฿ each - comes with different filling. Quite nice as it wasn't too sweet.
We tasted a few types of street food but decided to have dinner in a proper restaurant. We chose Restaurant Kaow Tom 1฿ as it is popular among the locals. It was full house and we had to queue to wait for an empty table.
We had salted egg salad.
Seafood Tom Yum Soup
Basil Leaves Chicken
A meal for two including rice and lime juice cost 350 ฿. It was reasonably priced and full of flavour but the seasoning was too salty so I didn't really enjoy the meal.
By the time we finished dinner, the crowd have more than doubled.
foot massage by the roadside
Something that looks like otak-otak.
Young musician trying to earn extra bucks.
Young and amateurish but full of inspiration to perform.
Another group of blind musicians.
A tribal woman selling her wares
Click here to view all other attractions I visited in Chiang Mai:
Part 1: Walking Through The Sunday Night Market ( The Walking Street)
Part 2: 3 Hours Of Fun At Art In Paradise
Part 3: A Traditional Thai Dining Experience At Khum Khantoke
Part 4: Elephant Safari - A Popular Day Tour In Chiang Mai
Part 5: Bai Orchid And Butterfly Farm , Chiang Mai
Part 6: A Chance Visit To Elephant Poopoopaper Park
Part 7: Hungry Go Where In Chiang Mai
Part 8: Dining, Shopping And Ladyboys At Anusarn Market
Part 9: Wat Rongkhun - Just Like A Fairytale
Part 10: A Stopover At Chiang Rai (Pha Soet) Hot Spring
Part 11: A Day Tour To Golden Triangle Of Thailand
Part 12: Visiting The Northernmost Town Of Thailand
Part 13: Visiting An Akha Village In Chiang Rai
Part 14: Exploring Wororot Market
Part 15: Maninarakorn Hotel - Review And Photos
Part 16: Where To Stay In Chiang Mai
Part 17: Chiang Mai On A Walking Tour
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