Chiang Mai: These Streets Were Made For Walking

We arrived in Chiang Mai Sunday early evening. After checking into our hotel and deciding on dinner plans, we were reminded that it was Sunday. Sunday! Sunday evening in Chiang Mai can only mean one thing: the Sunday Walking Market is open for business!

The Sunday Walking Market draws crowds of locals and tourists alike. This market closes down the main street, Ratchadamnoen Road, to all traffic within the walled city. So many people flood the area for street food, trinket shopping and good ol' people watching. The sides of the road are lined with vendors selling their specialty items, while the temples are teeming with food stalls. If I'm being honest, it was a bit overwhelming and extremely hard to shop when you feel like you are part of a cattle herd, but it was a once in a life time experience that's for sure.

After ducking into a side street to get out of the herd, we had our first taste of Khao Soi soup, a local specialty of Chiang Mai, and officially Cameron's Thailand obsession. This dish consists of crunchy noodles, diced shallots and what can be assumed to be chicken all swimming in a rich curry-based broth with a side of lime. De-lish! This was served up curbside in a plastic dish with spoon and once finished, the empty bowl is re-filled and handed to the next hungry visitor. Sanitary? Probably not. Would I do it again? Hell yes!

Our next side street adventure led us to... drum roll please...bracelets! Now, this may not seem like an exciting trinket, but let me tell you, they are everywhere and we cannot get enough! We bought our first set at this market. We opted for the braided string variety. Cameron's is red and mine is black and white. I know, we are getting wild!

Our evening continued this way: wander with the herd, stop to try a new tasty dish, take time to trinket shop, people watch. Repeat.