The first full day in Chiang Mai starts with a walk around the old city, revisiting the famous wats that lie around the centre. That was pretty much how i spent the morning. Lunch was pork with fresh green peppercorns in a side soi sat in a leafy garden.

Then I grabbed a tut tut to take me south of the city to ban tawai, a small village that is now a center for craft production, specifically wooden items. The scale is unbelievable, row upon row of shops, showrooms and stalls selling a bewildering array of items. It reminded me of some of the villages in Bali around ubud in which every place seems to sell umbrellas or carvings etc.
Such was the scale that I didn't get back to the city until 6.30. After refreshment I went out with my camera to the north gate just a 5 minute walk away from where I'm staying. There is a stand of loy Krathong paper elephants there, illuminated at night, see cover image, so cute and the area is busy with Thai families having their pictures taken.

Then from the gate I walked south to the three kings monument and city hall where the square is decorated with hundreds of lanterns forming a canopy of coloured light. Food stalls are set up around the edge and the place is alive with people having fun in this magical place. The smell of grilling squid and Chiang Mai sausages fill the air.

After enjoying the atmosphere for a while, I dropped back into my apartment just round the corner to drop off the camera and headed off to the night Market. Decided to walk rather than take a tut tut as I couldn't face bargaining and it meant I could walk via the Ta phae gate to see the lanterns being released. Still two days before Loy Krathong on Sunday but plenty of people letting lanterns off into the nights sky... it really is as magical as I remember it.
Wandered the night Market and grabbed a bite to eat there too... seems quiet, far fewer tourists about.