Saturday, November 14, 2009

Street Markets in Chiang Mai

There are several Street Markets in Chiang Mai where you can find a variety of things. You have to be prepared to haggle for the best price and actually they expect it.
When they have these markets they block off the streets and you see all kinds of vendors. The first two that I went to was the Sunday Street Market and the Night Bazaar. All I did was checked it out. There were a few items just for the fun of it did some bargaining with the merchant but end up not purchasing anything. Both of these are well worth checking out and a great opportunity for people watching.
But you cannot miss the Saturday market. I went last night and found it the best. It is not as well know as the previous two but you find the best deals. I think the reason for this is because it is more gear to the Thai people. I would say about 80-90% of the people were Thai. I like it better too because the prices are already lower so you don't have to negotiate as much. I end up getting a shirt (which I really like) and 3 pair of the Thailand pants all for 500baht ($15 USD). The merchant was a cool soft spoken Thai man. The energy here was welcoming and made it comfortable. The street is much more crowded I would say but what a wonderful way to connect to folks. I had fun talking to all kinds of people and they were receptive.
The other two are much closer to me but the Saturday one is my favorite.

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