Following the old road to San Kampaeng leads through the craft area of Chiang Mai where factories co-exist with the shops. This gives visitors the chance to see how the items are made, before making their purchases.
Products include teak and bamboo furniture; the distinctive pottery of Thai Celadon, silverware, parasols and hand held fans, to mention a few.
In the Lanna period San Kampaeng was famous for its pottery kilns; today modern kilns operate nearby. The small market town is prosperous and there are several handicraft shops.
Take H1006 to the Hot springs (18 km.) from the road junction in the middle of town. A quiet and scenic 40-acre park, beautifully landscaped and containing a range of flowers, mineral baths, a camping area and many picnic spots. The hot spring water comes from a deep source and is 100 degrees at the surface. You can even boil an egg in the water, at your own risk! A research station nearby provides more information. Admission is THB20
Borsang Umbrella and Thai Handicraft Village offers a wide range of Thai handicrafts but is most famed for its parasol umbrellas. These umbrellas have made the small village of Borsang famous and in many respects the umbrellas have become iconic – one of the ‘postcard’ images of Thailand. Made of bamboo cane and rice paper, they are skillfully decorated with colour pictures and patterns. It is thought the practice of umbrella making was brought to the village by a Thai Buddhist monk who returned home from Burma generations ago. The village itself is only a small group of shop-houses and with a constant flow of tourists it can become a bit crowded at times. Despite this, it is worth a visit if you have the time. These are the same products that are on sale at Chiang Mai’s night bazaar, but here you are dealing with the manufacturers. They are much cheaper, so there’s no real need to haggle – their margins are probably narrow enough anyway