Shopping for bags in Chiang Mai

Mrs Herbivore wanted to buy a bag while we were in Chiang Mai.  She was keen to support local products and the local community economy, so we shunned the tourist boutiques and the Night Market and set off to visit the local stalls at the Hmong Market in Chiang Moi, Mueang Chiang Mai.    The Hmong is a local tribe that is known for its colourful fabrics.

The market was a bit difficult to spot.  We crossed the river and had to duck down an alleyway between two stalls visible from the road.  But once inside, we were overwhelmed with choice.

The colours were vibrant and rich.  Everything from pink and green to turquoise and orange.

Most of those shopping at this market appeared to be locals.  There weren't many foreigners evident - but despite this, we found it hard to negotiate.  The stallholders had very much a take it or leave it attitude to pricing.

That said, the Hmong market was certainly much better value than the more touristy Night Market and the high street boutiques.  Mrs Herbivore stocked up on several bags as gifts for friends at home.

The Hmong Market was a family affair.  We hope that supporting these local shops helped the families prosper.

Our rating?  Well, if you want to buy Hmong bags at a reasonable price, it was definitely the place to go: 9/10.

What Wat..?, Wandering Around The Thousand Temples of Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is full of temples - or wats. Many are very old and the most famous is the Wat Chedi Luang on Phrapokklao Road - the construction of which started in the 14th century.  There are in fact several buildings in the complex, some much more recent.

Buddha, of course, was everywhere.

The chedi itself is a magnificent structure.  It's incredible to think that construction began 700 years ago.  We were particularly fond of the large stone elephants that adorn its walls, but sad that tourists aren't permitted to climb it.  

We were keen to soak up the history of the place and think what it must have been like when it was the centre of Chiang Mai.

The more modern structures were well-kept and full of locals, as well as visitors.

As in other parts of Thailand, the authorities put up helpful signs to let the tourists know what you should and shouldn't do in the temples. 

It boils down to treating the wat with respect, as you would any other place of worship - but in the heat of the day, Mr Herbivore was wishing he could have worn shorts.

We didn't meet any overly friendly strangers who offered to show us around town!

At Wat Chedi Luang, each sign of the Chinese Zodiac was represented with a statue.  Mrs Herbivore sign was represented by this cute wee thing.  

These monks were amazing.  They sat so still in the evening at prayer time that they could have been statues.  The chanting made the atmosphere here vibrant but relaxing at the same time.  The cute dog was an added extra!.

Some of the temples are really dog friendly. The Monks take care and allow the dogs to stay inside the temple, two thumbs up for them. 

The wat above was a little off the beaten track.  Close to Wat Chedi Luang, but without the crowds.  It was a good place for a selfie!

At the older sites around Chiang Mai, there was an interesting mix of building materials.  As at Chedi Luang, we liked the elephants here.

We were glad that the Thais let you take photos inside the wats. There were some great shots of Mrs Herbivores and Buddha.

The history of Chiang Mai's many wats continued to amaze us as we toured the city.  We loved the traditional architecture of the wats.

Chiang Mai is an amazing place to visit.  If you visit the wats, your trip to the city can be an intensely spiritual one.  Most wats are free to visit, although donations are sought at some.  As elsewhere in Thailand, the Thais are a very helpful and friendly people (at many of the wats, the Monks even make themselves for Monk Chat on a regular basis!).

Mrs Herbivore has visited many temples in India and Nepal, and found the experience of visiting Chiang Mai's temples to be much easier and friendlier.  We rate the wats 9/10 and strongly urge visitors to Chiang Mai to tour as many as possible.

Chiang Mai, we miss you.

Our search for the Warorot Market, Chiang Mai

Mrs.Herbivore wanted to go shopping, and to see a traditional Thai market in full swing. So, the decision was made, we would get up early the next morning, and walk from our hotel in the old city to the Wararot Market to the Wararot Market, Chiang Mai's traditional-style market for food and other goods. And it was early.  We left about 5am ("come on dear, we need to see the city before it gets busy," cried Mrs H, the Morning Bird).  And so, armed with an imprecise tourist map, and some bleary eyes, we set off in search of Wararot. 5am turned out to be an interesting time to walk around Chiang Mai.  For a start, the Monks are up early, and it's a good time to see them strolling to and from their wats. Our map wasn't helpful.  We didn't know exactly where we were going, except that we were headed for Warorot Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai.  While it was vaguely indicated on our map, we found it hard to match the map to the streets down which we were walking.   This wasn't so much an issue with our navigation skills, as that the map didn't actually show the streets properly! We ended up by the River Ping at sunrise.  An opportunity for a spot of yoga to relax after the headaches of the map, before heading off again. After our diversion at the river, we kept walking.  We asked directions a couple of times, getting contradictory advice from the locals.  It seemed either that nobody knew where Wararot was, or it was a broader description of the area, not just the actual market. We eventually found the market.  We ventured indoors into a kind of food hall. We saw a large array of dried fruits, nuts, spices and herbs.  It was a world of vibrant colour, interesting products, and chillis. Mr Herbivore was getting pretty excited by the potential for cooking exciting dishes, but alas our hotel didn't have cooking facilities, so we limited our purchases to a large bag of cashew nuts to munch on over the next couple of days (they were delicious!) We liked the dried foods section most of all.  There was a lot more to the market area though, including a fresh fruit and vegetable area, and a meat and dish area.  We didn't linger in the latter, which was slightly disturbing for herbivores.  Instead, we much preferred the array of wooden goods and handicrafts on display. We're glad we made the effort to go to Wararot.  It was a great opportunity to see a more traditional Thai market, and to get away from the throngs of tourists at the Night Market.  We recommend an early start to get there before things get busy - and also recommend a decent map!

Fancy a flying carpet ride at the Art in Paradise 3D Art Museum, Chiang Mai

One of the slightly peculiar - but worth visiting - places we stumbled across in Chiang Mai was the Art In Paradise 3D Art Museum, where you can "be part of the exhibit and create your own story".

We walked there from our hotel in the old city - it was a good walk, and quite doable, but when we stopped to ask for directions a couple of times, the locals thought we were mad to be walking. It really wasn't that far, but it seemed to be unusual for tourists to be walking.  If you are staying in the Old City though, and have kids in tow, we'd suggest a tuktuk.

The idea of the Museum is that visitors can immerse themselves into the 3D artwork and use it to tell a creative story.  You can, for example, pat a dolphin, get eaten by a shark, take a flying carpet ride, or transform yourself into a flying angel.

The Museum (more of an interactive gallery really) is located at 199/9 Chang Klan Rd, Chiang Mai.

Anyway, we found the Museum and, not quite knowing what to expect, we paid our entry fee (THB 300)  and went in. It was both kind of odd, and pretty cool.

You need a camera to make the most of it, as you are able to insert yourself into a myriad of 3D scenes that have been created within the gallery. You can ride on a flying carpet, appear as a flying angel, take a romantic gondola ride in Venice, fight a rampaging tiger, or do a spot of deep sea diving.

We enjoyed our trip to the Museum.  We'd rank it a 7/10 on the list of things to do in Chiang Mai.  If we'd had kids with us, it would have been a 10/10.  There are lots of cool pictures for snap-happy children to take.

We finished our trip with an ice cream from a cafe at the Museum.  The ice cream was good after a long afternoon of illusion art - but was pricey at THB 80 each.

Our helpful hint: take a tripod for your camera.

Care for Dogs Foundation Chiangmai

"Petting, scratching, and cuddling a dog could be as soothing to the mind and heart as deep meditation and almost as good for the soul as prayer..." 

In Chiang Mai, there are lots of dogs on the street.  They're pretty even-tempered and good-natured. Maybe it comes from having many vegetarian restaurants around, or maybe it's the proximity of so many Buddhist temples. 

Either way, while there are lots of dogs around the city, there's no need to be alarmed - they are pretty friendly (and unlike the hawkers at the night market, they are not trying to sell you stuff!)

During our time in Chiang Mai, we met three kinds of dog.  The first kind was the well-cared for family pet.  We met a few of these from the street - like those that lived opposite Lamphu House - but we also met a fair few on the street.

Many of the temples have adopted dogs too.  Temple dogs are soi or street dogs that have ended up being looked after by the monks. You can find them around many of the temples, where they are given food, water and shelter - and a zen-like attitude to life.

And then, there are the soi dogs themselves: stray dogs wandering the alleys and streets of the city.  Homeless and unloved, these dogs risk their lives on a daily basis:  Chiang Mai traffic can be pretty dangerous for pedestrians to navigate - so it can end up being lethal for dogs that don't stop, look and listen.

Mrs Herbivore knew about the Care for Dogs shelter, and had determined that we would visit it during our trip.  The shelter itself is located about 9 miles (15 kilometres) from the centre of town - so it's a bit of a hike, and you need a driver to get there.

The Shelter is located at 12 Moo 11, Wiang Dong, Nam Prae, Hang Dong, Chiang Mai - but before you trek out there, it's good to know that you need to make an appointment by email - and that it's not open on Sundays. 

The people at the shelter were happy to have us visit, and really helpful - recommending some drivers to us who are regular visitors and know the way.  It cost us THB 250 each way, and our driver, Mr Neng accommodated our wish to go to a pet shop en route to stock up on a donation of food for the canines.  

We stopped off at a pet supplies store and bought a couple of large bags of dried food. We bought local brands which cost about THB 180 each - but there were more expensive foreign brands available.

When we got to the shelter, we were welcomed with open arms by the friendly volunteers who were helping out.  They showed us around, and introduced us to the dogs. 

Many of the dogs we met had been destined for the Vietnamese dog meat trade (imagine eating these cuties!) or had been rescued from the accidents in and around Chiang Mai (why, we wondered, don't people keep their dogs behind fences?).

The shelter actively rehomes its animals.  We were surprised to learn that some of its dogs are, in fact, exported abroad, and we met a couple of lucky dogs destined for families in the US.  We hope they have travelled well and are happy with their new families.

There were some really lovely dogs at the shelter and we really wished we could have taken a couple home with us.

Care for Dogs does great work - but does rely on donations to keep operating.  Why not buy a t-shirt or make a donation?  We bought t-shirts during our visit, but you can do either at the website www.carefordogs.org.

We left with a happy feeling having met such lovely dogs and we hope that many people choose to adopt from the shelter.  The dogs there were beautiful and friendly, and they deserve happy homes.

We give Care for Dogs Foundation 10/10 score.  We think it is a must-visit when you are travelling around Chiang Mai.