Hooked on Chiang Mai
It wasn’t as easy as I thought, but eventually (and to be honest, without that much difficulty), I found them.
The in-flight magazine of a regional airline had just featured gorgeous and eye-catching street art that, supposedly, had become a hallmark of Chiang Mai, this younger sister of Bangkok. The photos were arresting, and since I am admittedly an art junkie, I thought, “Why not”?
So there I was, winging it to Chiang Mai. It was right after Christmas day, and Don Mueang airport was packed with holidaymakers. But the flight was only an hour or so from Bangkok, and armed with a book, it wasn’t long before I was checking in at my hotel, a lovely colonial three- storey building that had been converted to a stunning modern abode. Thus, I was safely sheltered at The Gallery 99, to the task at hand – prospecting for the best examples of Thai street art!
Chiang Mai’s traditional center is the Old City, a square block of temples and hostels surrounded by walls and a formidable moat. (I peeked into its murky waters, and there were black creepy fish lurking in it. I wouldn’t recommend swimming across.) As this fortified center was meant to repel Mongol invaders and Burmese occupiers, there are limited routes to access the Old City.
The most dramatic of these access points is at Ratchadamnoen Road, where the brick walls of Tha Phae gate rise up to block entry. I thought this would be a good start for the hunt, because this would also lead me to the night market. Walking down the length of this main road, however, I got diverted by the gorgeous gilded spires of the many temples that dominate the old town. So much history of worship packed into this thoroughfare!
As I snapped away at Wat Bupparam and Wat Indrakin Sadue Muang, two temples that are easily stumbled across while strolling leisurely (my preferred pace), one invariably encounters Europeans, intent on proving that Buddhism was a far superior religion, meandering through the wats. Nearby, numerous stalls selling them t-shirts, flowers, massages, and bottled water bear proof that commerce is, after all, the superior god. There are delightful souvenirs that can be purchased at the night market, including carved wooden toys, delicate silks, and ornamental flowers.
Hardly any sign announces their existence, but at the basement of a crumbling structure at Changklan Road called the Night Bazaar, more than a dozen galleries and studios of Chiang Mai artists reside. The place is rough, but creativity is in the air, as artists live-sketch and paint artworks in situ. What luck to witness the creative process!