Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Th Chaiyaphum; 5pm-2am)
The popular late-night spot has recently moved from its riverside
location to this convenient spot near Pratu Tha Phae. Devotees come to hear local guitarist
Took pay homage to all the rock and blues legends.
BOXING
Thapae Boxing Stadium
( 08 6187 7655; Th Moon Muang; tickets 400-600B; 9pm-midnight)
Right in the heart of the back-
packer scene, this stadium hosts
moo·ay tai
matches for entertainment rather than as prov-
ing grounds for the sport. There's also a cabaret to add to the spectacle.
Shopping
Chiang Mai is Thailand's handicraft centre, or at least it used to be. There are still some
small cottage factories and workshops dotting the outskirts of town, though modernisation
is taking its toll. Despite the economic tides, shopping continues to thrive with corridors
and markets sprinkled throughout the city: the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar, Saturday Walk-
ing Street on Th Wualai, Sunday Walking Street on Th Ratchadamnoen, Th Tha Phae and
Th Charoenrat. Th Nimmanhaemin, west of the old city near Chiang Mai University, has a
handful of contemporary boutiques visited by trend-conscious Thais. Handicraft 'vil-
lages', more a marketing term, lie just outside of the city to the south and to the east.
CHIANG MAI'S SHOPPING BOOM
Chiang Mai is fast becoming an alternative to Bangkok for global brand names, and the city is in the middle of a
mall invasion that is capitalising on two major societal changes: expansion of the city's middle-class suburbs and
growth of Chinese tourists on shopping holidays. During mid-2013 there were three major shopping centre pro-
jects in a town that has mostly kept faith with two low-key, provincial shopping centres (Kad Suan Kaew and
Central Airport Plaza). The new projects are big, modern and heavily marketed as 'lifestyle' malls, a concept
popular in Bangkok.
The most ambitious project is the
Promenada Resort Mall
, 5km east of town just off the Superhighway near
the Don Chan intersection. Its anchor tenant is the discount fashion house Uniqlo, and it is located near new hous-
ing estates and condominiums that have moved middle-class families out of the central city. On weekends, the
mall is packed with families enjoying a clean air-conditioned space, eating at the ever-popular Fuji Japanese res-
taurant and window shopping. Nearby, the
Central Festival
is touted as a 'happiness hub' intended to replicate
the success of Central Festival in Pattaya.
In town there are several small arcade malls that have replaced ageing shophouses. The old city now hosts two
such centres that have ushered in gentrification of the area. The Frank Gehry-style building at the corner of Th
Nimmanhaemin and Th Huay Kaew is the new
Maya Mall
, another concept mall. The growth in retail represents
the city's new-found affluence, be it home-grown or imported.
