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Vintage ride Blessed with mountain scenery, peaceful Lampang offers not only a taste of northern urban ambience, but it is also the only place in the country where visitors can ride horse-drawn carriages, play the mahout or visit Burmese temples. Lampang has the largest number of Burmese temples in Thailand. According to Akarin Pichayakul, president of Lampang Carriage Association, the carriages were introduced in 1916 during the reign of King Rama VI when the train route was extend to Lampang. "At the time, Lampang was the transport and trading hub of the North and a transit point for goods moving in and out of Laos and Burma. People needed something to haul goods from the train. It was done in horse-drawn carriages," he said. Before automobiles became the norm, Thais used horse carts in daily life, such as going to schools, temples or markets. However, their purpose has completely changed today. The carriages are now used for tourism. To gain visitors' attention, owners park the carriages next to popular tourist spots and in front of hotels. They charge 150 baht for a 15-minute ride, 200 baht for 30 minutes, and 300 baht for an hour, with stops at tourist attractions. There are about 200 carriages in Lampang town. They share the roads with automobiles, sometimes causing traffic jam. "We're used to them. I've seen the carriages since I was born," said a street vendor, noting that they are the logo of Lampang. "I drive my carriage every day from early morning until late night. Some days, especially during the rainy season, I hardly earn even a baht," said Somluck, who operates a horse-drawn carriage. However, there is one thing he and the people of Lampang are proud of: the province is the only place in Thailand where these carriages can be seen and they have been around more than 90 years. In addition to the vintage carriages, visitors to Lampang can enjoy daily performances, each lasting 45 minutes, by elephants at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre in Ban Thung Kwien in Hang Chat district, around 30 kilometres from Lampang town. The centre, set on 800 rai, also offers mahout training courses lasting three days during which you can ride the animals into mountains, learn the 10 basic elephant commands and also how to bathe them in a pond or stream. The courses are conducted by professional mahouts. The performance has elephants hauling logs, just as they were used in the past, playing musical instruments, painting, as well as a performance to show that the animals understand commands from newly trained mahouts. After the end of the show, visitors reward elephants by feeding them sugarcane and the way the animals respond, especially the innocent look in their eyes, endears them to their audience. Elephants played a great part in transporting logs between 1887-97 when foreign companies obtained concessions to fell teak trees in Lampang which boasted vast tracts of forest in those days. The companies also brought in Burmese logging experts. As a result, Burmese communities sprang up in the province and they built temples. Lampang today boasts the largest collection of Burmese temples in Thailand. Take Wat Si Chum on Tipwan Road for example. It is the biggest of the 31 Burmese temples in Thailand. It was built by Kyuang Daga U Yo, a Burmese tycoon, during the reign of King Rama V. The temple is constructed in layered Burmese style with tin roofs gabled by intricate woodcarvings. The temple also has a Buddhist relic from Burma. Other Burmese temples include Wat Jongka on Sanambin Road and has a few Burmese monks in resident, Wat Mon Pu Yak which has a mixed Burmese and Western art and architecture, and Wat Phra Kaew Don Tao on Phra Kaew Road. The temple once housed the image of the Emerald Buddha, the guardian angel of Thailand. It is a 45-centimetre tall figurine of Buddha in a sitting posture. Lampang also has a couple of hot springs. The more well-known one, and more professionally managed, is in Jae Son National Park in Muang Pan district. It has some 40 private spa rooms as well as indoor and open-air hot spring pools. The other hot spring is in Ko Kha district. Run by the district administration, it has 10 private bathrooms, each with a tub. Both places offer Thai message, but the national park also has accommodations, an area for pitching tents, beautiful environment as well as good food. Before leaving Lampang, don't forget to check out Lampang's ceramics in Kad Thung Kwien. A snack called "Khao Taen Nam Taengmo" (watermelon-flavoured crispy sticky rice) is a nice souvenir to bring for friends back home. MORE INFO Lampang is 599 kilometres from Bangkok by road. Use Highway 1 and drive through Sing Buri, Chainat, Nakhon Sawan, and Tak to get there. The drive is about seven hours long. Buses leave the Northern Bus Terminal at Mor Chit daily. Call 02-936-3666 for more information. Trains leave daily; call 1690 and 02-220-4444 for reservation. Thai Airways International ( www.thaiairways.com and 02-356-1111) and PB Air ( www.pbair.com and 02-261-0220/5) connect Bangkok and Lampang by air. - Lampang town has a weekend night market that opened last year. Called Kad Kong Ta, it is on Talad Kao Road. It opens from 5pm to 10pm. On sale are a choice of food, gifts, clothes and accessories. - Thai Elephant Conservation Centre has elephant shows daily at 10am, 11am and one more round at 1:30pm on weekends and public holidays. At 9:45am daily, elephants are taken for a scrub in a stream nearby. The entrance fee is 50 baht. The centre also offers homestay where visitors can learn how to train, feed and work with elephants. The three-day package costs 8,000 baht. For more information, visit www.thailandelephant.org or call to 054-228-108 and 054-321-949. - Jae Son National Park is about 68 kilometres from Muang district of Lampang. Take route No. 1035 past Jae Hom and move on to route No.1252 and drive for another 11 kilometres. The park headquarters is on the left. From Chiang Mai, it is about 120 kilometres. Take route No.1006 past San Kamphaeng. Then take the road to Ban Mae Kampong, Ban Pa Mieng and drive for another 18 kilometres to the park headquarters. Where to stay: Lampang has a choice of hotels and guest houses such as the Riverside Guest House (300-800 baht/night; tel: 054-227-005), Wienglakor Hotel (1,100 baht/night including breakfast; tel: 054-224-470/1), Lampang Wiengthong Hotel (1,100 baht/night including breakfast; tel: 054-225-801/2), Pin Hotel (500-950 baht/night; tel: 054-221-509), Regent Hotel and Apartments (490 baht/night including breakfast; tel: 054-323-388) and Asia Lampang Hotel (490 baht/night including breakfast; tel: 054-227-844-7). Where to eat: - Khao Tom Aroy Bath Diew (Tel: 089-7009444 and 081-594-8333) on Tipchang Road opens from 4pm until midnight. It serves delicious dishes at affordable prices. - Roasted duck, noodles at Ped Yang Hong Kong (tel: 054-221-217) on Boonyawat Road. - Ban Kam Wan (tel: 054-222-399) on Suan Dok Road serves northern style food. - Khong Kin Ban Hao on Jamthawee Road (tel: 054-226-514) serves northern style dishes. |