Introduction
Today’s plan, intentionally a little less ambitious than Tuesday’s, concentrated on the district of Chiang Mai in which our hotel stood: Chang Moi. Even so, we weren’t intent on achieving comprehensive coverage of this substantial area; rather, we would look at the section between the hotel and the Ping River, spend some time on the opposite bank of the river, and return by a different route.
Wat Upakhut
We began by walking up Changklan Road, with the intention of proceeding directly to the Chinatown markets. Barely ten minutes in, however, another Buddhist temple attracted our attention. Wat Upakhut is a relatively modest site that does not feature on most tourist agendas. What drew us in was the standard of presentation, with most surfaces looking like they had just been given a fresh coat of paint. The place was very quiet, but highly photogenic.
Chinatown Markets
On leaving the temple, the first of the markets were only steps away. Better still, they weren’t overly busy. We walked the Chinatown streets for a bit, our main objective being the Chinese Welcome Gate on Chang Moi Road. We then sampled another market where the sheer amount of stock was almost overwhelming.
Ping River & Left Bank
Next, it was time to head towards the Ping River and in particular the Chansom Memorial Bridge (Khuakhaek). The first pedestrian bridge at this spot was built in 1965 and demolished in 2013. The current, wider bridge opened in August 2016. It leads to the Wat Ket neighbourhood and its eponymous temple. While crossing the bridge, it was interesting to think that the water underneath was destined to join the Chao Phraya River and thus would eventually flow through Bangkok.
After a brief visit to the temple, we walked southwards along the riverbank, first to the Nawarat Bridge and the to then Iron Bridge (Khua Lek). We used this to return to our own side of the Ping, but not before calling at a local hostelry for a much needed refreshment.
Final Night Market
After enjoying some poolside relaxation back at base, it was soon time to head out once more for our final experience of Chiang Mai’s celebrated night markets. Tonight’s location was the Chang Phuak Gate night market, located just outside the Old City walls and the northern moat. We gave the ‘meat on a stick’ concept a night off this time, and instead sampled local speciality Chicken Khao Soi, together with Roast Duck Rice and Stir-fried Water Spinach with Pork – a truly delicious note on which to end our final full day in Chiang Mai.
