Handicraft shopping around Chiang Mai
By Kirsty Turner
Umbrellas are typical of Borsang Village
The gateway to northern Thailand, the vibrant city of Chiang Mai is a great place to use as a base while exploring this part of the country. The city is famed for its vibrant nightlife scene and entertainment options come in all shapes and sizes, while those who like to dine in style will really be in their element.
Chiang Mai is also a great place to indulge in a spot of shopping, as the people of the hilltribes that surround the city are renowned for their unique and colourful handicraft creations. Many of these people travel to the city of Chiang Mai to sell their wares, and handicrafts make excellent souvenirs as well as gifts to take back home to friends and family.
One of the most popular places to browse for bargains is the Night Bazaar, which is located along Chang Klan Road, in between Tha Phae Road and Si Donchai Road. This enormous outdoor market runs along both sides of the street and sells just about everything imaginable under the sun.
One of the main advantages of shopping here is that the market opens at 17:00, just when temperatures are starting to cool, closing at around 23:00. However, the traders at the Night Bazaar are used to dealing with tourists who have money to burn, and getting a good deal here can be rather difficult. But is it is still better value than many Bangkok night markets.
One of the things that makes this a good place to shop is that the selection of handicrafts that can be found at the Night Bazaar is probably the largest in the whole of Chiang Mai. However, visitors who are keen to get the most for their money can always use this as a place to get an idea of what is available before making their purchases at one of the more traditionally Thai shopping zones, where prices are sure to be lower.
There is also an extensive collection of handicraft items to be found at the Sunday Walking Market, which runs along Ratchdamnoen Road all the way from the east side of Tapae Gate. The street is blocked to traffic between 16:00 and 23:00, and this is a great place to hunt for all manner of handicrafts. Shopping here is much more relaxing that pushing through the crowds at the Night Bazaar.
Artists carve delicate flowers from soap
Some of the most popular types of handicrafts that can be found in Chiang Mai include colourful fabric bags, skirts, shirts and shoes. There are several different groups of hill tribes that live in the hills to the north of Chiang Mai, and each of these groups are known for their special fabric patterns. While those of one tribe feature intricate patterns in red, another tribe create woven and embroidered fabrics that they then dye a dark blue colour.
Woodcarved items are also popular in this part of the world, and clever craftsmen can create a wide range of items out of wood, such as ashtrays, bowls, plates and cooking utensils. Leather items such as belts, bags and shoes carved with intricate designs are also good buys.
Shoppers who want to purchase jewellery crafted for silver should head on over to the Saturday Walking Street, which is located on Wualai Road in the south of Chiang Mai. A large number of talented silversmiths set up stalls here, and visitors who want to have unique items created to their own special designs can also negotiate directly with the artisans who sell their wares here.
However, those who are serious about hunting for handicrafts will want to embark on a daytrip to one of the special handicraft villages that surround Chiang Mai. Established in order to preserve certain skills, these villages usually feature several workshops, where visitors can watch the artisans at work before purchasing the finished products. There are plenty of options of sourcing handicrafts wholesale for export.
One of the most popular of these villages is San Kamphaeng, which is situated just 13kms to the east of central Chiang Mai. This is one of the best places in the world to shop for Thai silk, which comes in a wide range of colours and can either be purchased as a large piece of cloth or transformed into items such as bedspreads, shawls, bags and clothing. The village also offers high quality handicrafts such as woodcarving, ceramics and lacquerware.
No trip to this part of the world would be complete without visiting the village of Bo Sang, where traditional colourful umbrellas and parasols are created. Visitors have their own special designs painted onto the umbrella of their choice here, or even paint their own image onto the umbrella for a small fee. More on Borsang.
