Local traditions and culture in Chiang Mai

There was this chinese mosque in the middle of Chiang Mai town, which we chanced upon while exploring the town on a sunday morning.

Interestingly while most people spoke Thai, they made attempts to speak to us in chinese when they found out we were from Singapore. The shops around this mosque were run by chinese businessmen, not necessarily muslim.

There was muslim food around the area too. Excellent teh tarik (malaysian style!) :)

These archways are frequently found spanning the streets of Chiang Mai. This one is near the Chang Moi footbridge over the Ping River, next to a flower market. When we got close, we could see that it was partially made from styrofoam.

While walking around Chiang Mai, I think on Tapae Road, we came across this store that sold pedal-powered sewing machines. It makes sense, since there is probably no electricity in many areas of Northern Thailand, but I didn't think for a minute that any companies actually manufactured them still.

Scooters are an efficient way of getting around town, you can rent them by the hour or half day or full day. Just watch out for the other traffic and don't go so fast.