Chiang Mai pt.2

With another free water and snack, our bus ride back to Chiang Mai was another decent one! We had timed our return for Sunday because Chiang Mai has a well know walking street and Sunday Night Market.

Side note, we went in search of used bookstores because I finally got Michael doing some reading, and I found this genre really amusing! 

Onto the night market!

I tried to take lots of photos because it’s hard to describe - it’s so popular that hordes of people are roaming the streets, which are lined with vendors selling everything - clothing, jewellery, home wares, artwork, souvenirs and food (of course). This market was super busy but also great as there were lots of little detours into side streets, which included basic seating. 

We had quite the market feast here:

1. Phat kaphrao (stir fried pork with basil)
2. Dumplings
3. Passion fruit juice
4. Skewers
5. Sweet potato and coconut pancakes 

I think the most expensive thing we bought was about $3.50.

Our first non-Thai or 7 Eleven breakfast - quite a treat!

The next day we headed for the Wat Pha Lat hike, also known as the Monk’s Trail. Wat Pha Lat is a hidden jungle temple, on the hills on the outskirts of Chiang Mai. 

We hiked on a pretty well maintained path for about 30-40 mins. 

Wat Pha Lat is not the biggest or most ornate temple complex but I loved that it was embedded into the mountain and surrounded by greenery. Michael particularly liked this little statue (so much so that it’s now his phone background). 

On our way back down Monk’s trail, Michael saw a little track heading to another temple and suggested we head up it. The sign reading 500m / 30 minutes should’ve been a bit of a giveaway because it was steep and we were not dressed for heavy duty hiking!

This was the small temple at the top.

Randomly, there was a cute cafe at the top for the few brave (or foolish) adventurers who decided to do this add on. 

Once we made out way back down the add on and back down Monk’s trail, we then got a songthaew back to Chiang Mai. They’re little shared trucks essentially. You’ve got to agree on a price, then jump in and they’ll take you anywhere. In Northern Thailand they’re red and have benches in the back for passengers. 

We felt like we were in and out of Chiang Mai a lot, but we really loved it! It was busy but not jam packed with tourists, it was warm but not hot, easy to get around and with plenty of delicious and affordable Thai food!