Train Bangkok - Chiang Mai ( Sunday Market , Wat pan won )

Train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.....15 hrs.

The Sunday Market (or Walking Street) is a large market located right in the centre of the old walled city area of Chiang Mai. Starting at the Tha Phae Gate at one end the Sunday Market extends for roughly 1km down the full length of Ratchadamnoen Road. You can go to the Market every Sunday from 4pm till midnight.

Ratchadamnoen Road is always closed to traffic while the Sunday Market is open. This allows shoppers to browse the goods on display, bargain with vendors for a good price and wander freely all around without watching over their shoulder for a motor bike zipping past.

At the Sunday Market you will find lots of tourists and Thai locals all gathered together having a good time looking for bargains. The Sunday Market is growing bigger every year and has now started to spread down many of the side streets off the main road, as well as the big open area around the Tha Phae Gate itself.

Unlike the Night Bazaar which is filled with imitation designer labels, the Sunday Market is a showcase of the art and craftsmanship of the Northern Thai people. Many of the stall vendors make and sell their own products and the quality of craftsmanship is superb. The goods available are made from a wide variety of materials such as silk, paper, fabric, wood, metal, glass, ceramic etc.
The whole place has a very festive nature which makes the Sunday Market a must see thing to do on any visit to Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Next to the well known temple of Wat Chedi Luang is a small interesting temple called Wat Pan Tao, which means "to increase 1,000 times." The temple was built around the same time as Wat Chedi Luang, in the late fourteenth century. It was one of four monastic temples serving the royal temple next door.
The temple's most interesting feature is its wooden wiharn, a chapel for lay people to pray in. The teak building was moved to the temple grounds in 1875 by King Inthawichayanon. It was formerly a royal residence, but the practice in Lanna was for each new king to built a new palace. The old palaces were often 'recycled' into other uses, especially in temples.
Over the main entry door on the east end of the chapel is a large gilded wood carving depicting a peacock flanked by several other animals, some of which are mythical. The peacock was the symbol of the kings of Chiang Mai; this carving has appeared on stamps and other materials celebrating Chiang Mai's 700th anniversary.