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Shopping in Chiang Mai (2 hrs)
There are many shopping options in Chiang Mai, but there are a few you definitely should not miss. A little bit out of the city centre along the Ping River is Muang Mai market. You will find all fresh foods here. If you don’t want to buy something, at least it’s wonderful for some Kodak moments.
A little bit down Ping River you will find Warorot market. At this indoor market you can buy spices, herbs, tea, decoration and sweets. Next to Warorot is a beautiful flower market.
At night you have to go to the famous Night Bazaar. At this market you can buy nearly anything and it is one of the cheapest markets in Thailand. It is situated along three blocks stretch of Chan Klan Road in the heart of the city, but not inside the wall. Many of the big hotels are here in walking distance, so you don’t need to walk far at night with all your bargains.
Baan Tawai (2-3 hrs)
Only twenty minutes by taxi outside Chiangmai is a village called Baan Tawai. It has been known as a great place to buy the best quality handicraft in Chiangmai.
A wide variety of woodcarvings, souvenirs, furniture and other decorative items can be found at Baan Tawai handicraft Centre. It’s the same stuff you will find at Chatuchak market in Bangkok, but here you will definitely get a better bargain.
There is a market in the centre and several shops outside Baan Tawai where you can buy big pieces. If it’s too big to bring it yourself, they can ship it overseas. You can buy a single piece, but most shops do wholesale as well.
Restaurant ThaNam (2 hrs)
If you like to try typical northern Thai cuisine, you should go to restaurant Thanam (the pier). It’s on the riverside of Ping River. The old traditional teak building is beautiful and you have a nice river view. The food in this place is really delicious. No wonder it’s a favourite restaurant for locals as well.
By taxi it’s only a few minutes away from the centre of town. If you like to make a reservation: +66 053-275125.
Khum Phaya Resort (1 - ? days)
There are many places to stay overnight in Chiangmai. You will find a lot of cheap guesthouses in the olde centre. Around the centre are a lot of high end hotels located, but if u can spend some more and like luxury, visit Khum Phaya Resort. This is a boutique hotel from Centara, a Thai chain with excellent Thai hospitality. They have two places in and around Chaingmai, but Khum Phaya is something really special.
The design and architecture of Khum Phaya Resort & Spa are based on Northern-Thai Lanna traditions and customs, distinctively for the art of teakwood carving used in the majority of the decorations including the 80-year-old teak wooden roof topping. Plus, in-room furniture and facilities are in Lanna style. The pleasant landscape, conceived from traditional Thai style, which is an assembly of Thai mythological trees and flowers, which some age more than a hundred years, make Khum Phaya an unique place to stay.
It is located about twenty minutes drive from downtown Chiangmai. More information can be found here.
San Kamphaeng, silk village (2 hrs)
If you like real Thai silk, you should go to San Kamphaeng, 13 kilometres east of Chiangmai. Best way to go there is by taxi. It is approximately 30 minutes drive. Silk produced in this village is considered the best quality in the world. Shops and mini factories line both sides of the Chiang Mai-San Kamphaeng Road
You will find many beautiful clothes here and you can buy them made to order. Select your silk and your design, they will measure you and when it’s done, they will send it to your hotel. The quality is the same as you will find in the famous Jim Thompson shops, but it’s much cheaper. (For example: a shirt made to order at San Kamphaeng is: 2190 Baht, at Jim Thompson this will cost you approximately 8000 Baht and then it’s not made to order.)
Some of the shops have a small museum as well. Here you can learn about the history of silk producing and you can see how they produce silk and how they do the weaving.
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Language of the world
Of course you like to speak a few words of the local language onboard the plane or at your destination. Here you find some simple basics of the main language spoken in Chiangmai.