Tha Phae Gate and the moat

Tha Phae Gate is the east gate of Chiang Mai's old city: a stretch of red-brick rampart with the moat in front of it, reconstructed in the 1980s on the site of the old gate, and the only gate of the inner wall that still has its wooden doors. Early in the morning the low sun comes from behind the camera and lights the face of the wall, and the square in front is empty before the traffic starts circling the moat. It is the frame that says Chiang Mai in one picture, and it is gone by mid-morning, when the square fills.

The moat corners and the remaining stretches of wall make quieter frames along the same circuit, and the temples inside the walls are a short walk away. On Sunday afternoons and evenings the walking-street market runs from the gate to Wat Phra Singh, which makes that half of the old city crowded and slow — keep a session to the morning, or to another day.

In April the moat and the old-city streets are where Chiang Mai celebrates Songkran, the Thai New Year: water is thrown everywhere, and nobody stays dry, cameras included. On the full moon of Loy Krathong, usually in November, the square fills for Yi Peng; sky lanterns are banned in much of the city and near the airport, and releases happen only at organised events, so check the current year's rules and the date — and never release a lantern outside an authorised event. The airport is also why a drone is out of the question here without approval.