Chasing craft & crunchy critters in Chiang Mai

Right next to the red stall with its ‘Mr Salmon’ board and sushi in tidy rows, is a lopsided cart piled with critters. Silkworm, grasshopper, short-tailed cricket, giant waterbug, all fried to a crisp, with tourists and locals jostling for a paper plate. I am soon clutching a flimsy bag of insects and side-stepping the family bargaining over paper lanterns, while two little girls with guitars sing a Thai pop song into a mike. It is the Saturday Wualai Walking Street Market, and the loud hum of good-natured haggling is in direct contrast to the quiet surrounds of Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai, where I will be spending the night.

A 20-minute drive from downtown Chiang Mai and frequented by industrialists on holiday, this Four Seasons comes with terraced paddy fields and tropical gardens. The latter, packed with heliconias, red pineapple, tropical greens and gingers, from Cape York lily to pink torch, can be a trial to maintain, I learn later. Not because they need extra love, but because some guests, often Chinese, like nothing better than a spot of daybreak ‘grazing’. “We try not to point out all the edible flowers on our tour of the property,” a staffer winks conspiratorially. In any case, there are many distractions spread across 20 acres, from plunge pools to a yoga barn and a very addictive spa. Honeymooners swear by the Royal Lanna signature treatment, featuring anti-ageing mangosteen and a royal rose (₹20,500 approx). But the biggest attraction at this property is the bespoke art tour that gets you into the finest galleries in Four Seasons style.

The country’s art capital, Chiang Mai has a host of galleries that require the right contacts and smart navigation. The rich Lanna craft heritage (the Lanna kingdom used to be what is now Northern Thailand seven centuries ago) includes basketry, weaving, wood carving and silver work. This is still seen across the temple-studded province, attracting the very tourists who help preserve Chiang Mai’s past, also turning it into a magnet for creative types.

Where to buy

While Four Seasons will take you to Phempracha Collection, a leading ceramics factory in the country, make time for museums like Maiiam, in a renovated warehouse, or Vichit studio, where former businessman Vichit Chaiwong opens up his private collection of paintings and sculptures for viewing. There are umbrella units where custom-painting is popular and wood carving and lacquerware tours. Bengaluru-based interiors specialist Hemant Reddy, a frequent visitor, says his favourite is the family-owned terracotta studio, Bann Phor Liang Meun. He brings back labour-intensive terracotta statues, wall mirrors and tiles from here, for leading interior designers and gallerists. “There is a waiting period of three to six months for most of the sculptures and I have just imported Cambodian-style apsaras for a beach house in Chennai,” he says.

A fan of their handcrafted traditional etching and wood block relief printing techniques, he says you should take home hand-printed fans, too. “Mount them on black raw silk, with a natural frame, and they are stunning.” He has a couple of terracotta tiles or tablets that, if you get to him in time, is yours for ₹2.5 lakh each. Are you now convinced that Chiang Mai deserves a visit? Meanwhile, if food, not craft, takes precedence, make space in your bags for packets of Nam phrig noom, the smoky and spicy Northern Thai dip. And Thai shortbread cookies, shaped like the lamduan flower. Unfortunately, my protein-filled substitute for potato crisps — the fried grasshopper and water bugs — does not travel well. I will remember this blogger tip, though, when I next visit: bring a toothpick because yes, having a leg stuck between your teeth does happen!