One of my favourite things to do: Take a stroll through Yarowat!
(Otherwise known as the China-town of Chiang Mai.) Many Thais have Chinese ancestry, especially in Northern Thailand where Chiang Mai is. This culture of Thai-Chinese is known as Lanna, or Lan Na.
It was the Lanna kingdom that ruled here between the 18th-20th centuries, but there is still so much history to be learned about the rule of Lanna, its people and its traditions which are still being lived out today by some locals.
!Yarowat is always a colorful place to be. It may not be for everyone (much like everything else), but for some, the beauty is easy to see. The sights, sounds, and smells are mesmerizing for the backpacker searching for a cultural mecca; people from every country, speaking every language, an abundance of traditional Thai and Lanna clothing, delicious foods lining every street and every alley, the chaos of cars, motorbikes, tuk-tuks and song taews, the smell of curries, deep-fried pastries, and the mountains of merchandise which can be found retail or wholesale (and of course there is no tax). This market area operates 365 days a year, and is open from daylight to sundown!  |
| A man cutting up some Jack fruit. (This is not rare to see: a man selling childrens backpacks and hats on the side of the road is also selling Jack fruit!) |
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| Turning off the main road you will find what seems like winding tunnels full of vendors of every sort. |
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| For Sale: touques, flowers and potatoes! |
