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Chiang Mai’s ever-expanding Night Bazaar The Night Bazaar is one of Chiang Mai’s must-sees on the city’s tourist trail, and this fact is made all too clear the moment you step into the cramped havoc of it all. Every night thousands of tourists flock to this bizarre bazaar to bargain over throw-away trinkets, junk-pile kitsch and token memorabilia including a Singha singlet or a garden fan fashioned out of old Chang beer cans. One must call into question the degree of authenticity of the place, with shopkeepers turning ploys so garish as to retard the inquisitive mind and sicken the weathered globetrotter. Thus the question remains: what good is the place if you’re not shopping for your great aunt who keeps her sofa covered in plastic and leaves space in a display case for googly-eyed walnut shells or die-cast figurines? For many, a perfunctory amble down the closed-in sidewalks through this partitioned artifice is the only mental residue the Night Bazaar will leave behind. But for the keen-nosed nocturnal hunters of commerce, there are worthwhile things to be sought. The Night Bazaar is largely made up of a stall speckled sprawl of Chang Klan road, running from Thapae road to Sridonchai. The building that started it all is on the south side of Chang Klan, almost imperceptible until you’re upon it and identifiable by its sign: Chiang Mai Night Bazaar. If you choose to take the stairs downward, a stunning display of craftsmanship can be seen including intricate wood carvings along the left wall from the entrance. In the area skirting the interior of the entrance you’ll find artists who reproduce famous portraits of Axl Rose and Marilyn Monroe, and even you and the brood, for a fee. Their talent is unmistakable and the only difficult choice will be which one to choose.
Just when you thought you’d covered the whole market, it just keeps getting bigger. Across the street from the main building is the Kalare Night Bazaar, which came into full operation last year. The quasi-Lanna aluminum roof leads to a small stage where the caterwauling of Northern Thai folk music accompanies amateur dancers swirling and flexing their incredibly bendy fingers. The decidedly trendier, clean and more upmarket Kalare is part and parcel for the upward clamourings of Chiang Mai, and when seen in this light, you realise that this could very well be a market in London. This shiny new stalls coupled with the mammoth construction site outside (where the new Le Meridien Hotel will eventually open its doors) allows the observer a glimpse into the future Chaing Mai and its prized Night Bazaar have in store for themselves. The most recent expansion sees the Night Bazaar oozing across Sri Donchai road, where the scent of incense supplants the diesel fumes and the lanes between shops are a little wider. The little girl with her violin segues from a Bach fugue to Polly Wolly Doodle, to assure the lightening of wallets from the largest cross-section of farangs as possible. You might even find local market delicacies here like insects! No matter how you envisage the place, after a few tours, you’ll need a drink; and thankfully, they’ve thought of that too. With places like the Hofbrahaus and the Red Lion serving Weisenstaphen, Leffe and Guinness, homesick wanderers are well catered for. And for a place this geared for tourists, it goes without saying there are the ubiquitous long-stays of culturally challenged sites: McDonalds, Burger King and Starbucks. Whichever way you view the famous Chiang Mai Night Bazaar, it’s a tourist spectacle that has value for all, be it bargains, entertainment, people-watching, fun haggling or last-minute souvenir shopping. |
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