Night markets, food markets, fruit markets, Saturday and Sunday walking street markets – Chiang Mai has more night markets than you’d ever need!
Thailand‘s largest northern town really comes alive at night. Chiang Mai’s night markets are perfect for people watching, joining the local Thais and falang checking out what’s on offer, enjoying the smells of mouthwatering Thai street food, getting some great Travel Photography, and generally taking in the atmosphere.
We were out every night during our stay in Chiang Mai, either stuffing our faces or enjoying the weird and wonderful stuff on offer!
There’s something for everyone in Chiang Mai’s night markets, ranging from relatively normal pretty wacky – Exploring Chiang Mai’s markets is in our eyes one of the best things to do during your stay in this great town!
So get out there! Get a fresh juice shake, grab a Pad Thai, drink a Singha or two, and explore the sights and sounds of Chiang Mai’s night markets!
We hope you enjoy our photos. We’d love to know which is your favourite!
Mouth watering orange juice!Amazing art at the night bazaarCareful where you tread – Trophy poochThe Chilling monk
Hand made gifts at the night marketsThai ‘Apples’Hot dog rolls…sort ofNight market entertainment!Serving up dumpings!Thai ShallotsAny ideas what these guys are?More amazing art at the night bazaarWhipping up some amazing noodles!Locals girls enjoying the marketsExcitableCould I fit one of these in my backpack?
We’d heard from other travellers about the Samoeng Loop, and as huge motorbike fans we thought it would make for a perfect day getaway trip from Chiang Mai. Touted as the best motorbike ride in Northern Thailand, the Samoeng Loop is a fantastic 100km round trip rural circular adventure ride west of Chiang Mai!
If you spend enough time in Chiang Mai, you’ll hear locals and expats talking about the the Samoeng Loop. If Chiang Mai’s amazing coffee culture and restaurant scene is getting to you, then a day trip round the Samoeng Loop on two wheels is a good way to see a more real side of Thailand.
We heard that the Samoung Loop was an beautiful mountain route, with a glimpse of Thai rural life, farming and strawberry farms – helpfully mixed with regular road side coffee shops and eateries to recharge and stunning view points and look outs to admire along the way.
The Samoueng Loop is essentially on 4 main roads, the 108, 1269, 1096 and 107.
We took a clockwise route, leaving Chiang Mai south on the 108, then cutting west on the 1269 towards Samoeng. Once you actually leave Chiang Mai, the town melts away and becomes stunningly rural. If you plan to actually go to Samoeng, then you pass the turning towards Mae Rim about 5km before you get there, meaning a brief back-track.
Once back on the 1096, you’ll twist an climb through the forests, passing strawberry farms, elephant camps and banana plantations to Mae Rim. Once there, you head south on the 107 back towards Chiang Mai.
We’ve read that the whole loop can be done in as little as an hour and a half, but we recommend take your time and take all day! The roads are great all the way, but watch out for the occasional pot hole!
It can get pretty steep in parts, so make sure your brakes are OK before you set out. We rode a 125cc semi-auto, and to be fair it was too weak for the steep climbs. Still great fun though!
The route reminded us of riding through rural Vietnam back in July 2011 – It’s hard to think that the reasonably hectic Chiang Mai is a few kilometres away.
We found the GT Rider article about the Samoeng Loop very helpful and informative, with road names and attractions in much more detail than we could manage!
We hope you enjoy some of our pictures from our Samoeng Loop adventure!
Warp speed!Rural farmers at workPlenty of great bends on the Samoeng Loop!A quick strawberry and coffee break in Samoeng townIt gets pretty steep!Quick breather before more bends!You might see a few of these!
Making friends on the wayEloise on navigator duties!
We’ve only had a quick taste of Rajasthan, but it’s made me hungry for more! When I think of India, images of Rajasthan are the first thing that comes into my mind – The grand forts, the blue cities, camels, deserts, turbans and lots of colour!
There is so much to see in Rajasthan and a visit is the ultimate Indian experience.
Colour
Rajasthan has definitely been the most colourful state we’ve been to. All around you is a kaleidoscope of colour.
Rajasthani ladies wear the most beautiful and brightly coloured saris, accessorised with the jingle sound of anklets and the clanking sound of ten or more bracelets lining their arms.
he market stalls look so appealing, displaying an array of tropical fruits, coloured powders, spices and stacks of brightly patterned fabric.
Forts
Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur
There’s something mysterious and mystical about old forts. We’ve been to a few in Rajasthan- Bundi Fort, Jaisalmer Fort and Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur.
Bundi Fort
I think Bundi Fort was the most fun to explore, as we were the only people there and there was lots to see. The most impressive to look at was Mehrangarh Fort, which took dominance over the blue city of Jodhpur.
Blue Cities
Jodhpur, the blue city!
I’d dreamed of visiting Jodhpur, the blue city ever since I saw a photograph in a travel magazine. I wanted to see that image of the pastel blue painted houses, tiered like a wedding cake with the soft sun light shinning on the city.
Views over the blue city of Bundi
My dream came true and was made even better when we visited Bundi, another a blue city.
Turbans
Turbans are worn by men as part of the Sikh religion. In India, Punjab is the main Sikh state and on our visit to Amritsar, most men we saw were wearing a turban.
During our time in India in December, the wedding season was in full swing. Whenever we saw a wedding congregation (almost every day), the groom was sat up on his high horse, looking like a king and sporting a special wedding turban. The groom would also be joined by a young boy, who would also be wearing a special wedding turban.
Deserts
The most famous desert in Rajasthan is the Thar Desert, situated in the north west of India, bordering Pakistan. The nearest and most popular town to visit here is Jaisalmer. It’s common for tourists to venture out to the Thar Desert on a camel safari and sleep overnight under the stars.
We went to Jaisalmer to see the desert, the great fort and roll down some sand dunes. Our plan was not to go on a camel safari tour, as we disagree with the use of animals in tourism. However our wish for rolling down sand dunes came true, when we hired a motor bike and rode out to Sam Sand Dunes. It was like seeing the sea for the first time- amazing!
I soon became disappointed and upset when we saw how the whole place was a tourist trap for holiday makers to ride camels and be entertained by the local children performing dance routines for them. I’d say that the Thar Desert is not the best desert to go to for solitude and tranquility…
Camels
The Camel and Rajasthan go hand-in-hand, especially in Pushkar. Every November hundreds of tourists gather in Pushkar to attend the chaos of the camel fair. As well as buying and selling the livestock, there is also camel races, fair rides, cricket matches and Rajasthani women selling jewellery and clothes.
Classical Indian Architecture
If you want to see classical Indian architecture, like we see so often in magazines and films, go to Rajasthan! The architecture blew me away and made me fall in love with India all over again.
My favourite piece of classical Indian architecture was Hawa Mahal in Jaipur’s pink city. It’s commonly known as the honey comb building for it’s distinctive bee hive look.
It’s been a bit of a whirlwind since we left India at the end of December and we’ve been struggling to keep up! As mentioned in our Round up of 2012, we’d arranged to meet up with friends from home when we arrived in Bangkok!
Christmas doesn’t feel right when it’s 30 degrees, and Bangkok didn’t disappoint. After the festivities faded, we headed north to Chiang Mai, Thailand‘s popular northern university town.
We arrived in Chiang Mai on the 31st with no real plans for New Years Eve – So in the evening I did what any wannabe photographer does and set out with my camera, tripod and a bottle of whisky! Check out the Travel Photo of the Day effort!
It was truely spectacular to see hundreds of sky lanterns floating up into the night sky. The streets were filled with Thais and farang all enjoying the celebrations together. Groups of people were making wishes and letting their sky lanterns go with the dramatic backdrop of fireworks and firecrackers!
