Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [230]
Another way to reach Wiang Kum Kam is to hire a bicycle; follow Th Chiang Mai-Lamphun (Rte 106) southeast for approximately 3km and look for a sign to the ruins on the right. From this junction it’s another 2km. You could also hire a túk-túk or red srng·ta·ou for around 100B (one way). If you’ve got your own transport, Wiang Kum Kam is on the way to Lamphun to complete a thematic day of sightseeing.
South of the Old City
The southern part of the city is a mix of quaint antique districts and impersonal modern spaces. In olden times, the settlements outside of the city walls were usually the domain of foreigners. Some came willingly, like the Chinese merchants and the Western missionaries who settled on the eastern bank of the river, while others were forced from their homelands to help rebuild the destroyed city after the end of the Burmese occupation. Roughly 200 years ago the Tai Khoen people from what is known today as Kengtung in the Shan state of Myanmar were captured by the Siamese-Lanna army and resettled in this area. The Tai Khoen, who were silver- and blacksmiths, stonemasons and other skilled craftspeople, provided technical artistry to the great reconstruction efforts.
Today Th Wualai is renowned for its silver shops and is often filled with the tapping sound of a decorative pattern being imprinted on to a plate of silver (or, more often, aluminium). One of the best ways to observe Th Wualai is to come at the start of the Saturday Walking Street when traffic is blocked off for pedestrians.
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RIVER CRUISES
The Mae Ping is rural and rustic in most parts with grassy banks and small stilted houses crouching alongside. There are several day and evening boat tours that explore this waterway.
Scorpion Tailed River Cruise (Map; 08 1960 9308, 0 5324 5888; www.scorpiontailed.com; Th Charoenrat; fare 500B) focuses on the history of the river using traditional-style craft, known as scorpion-tailed boats. Informative cruises (five daily) last one to 1½ hours. They depart from Wat Srikhong pier near Rim Ping Condo and stop for a snack at the affiliated Scorpion Tailed Boat Village.
Mae Ping River Cruises (Map; 0 5327 4822; www.maepingrivercruise.com; Wat Chaimongkhon, Th Charoen Prathet) offers daytime cruises (450B, two hours) in roofed long-tail boats. The boats stop at a small farm for fruit snacks after touring the countryside. The Thai dinner cruise (550B, two hours, daily at 7pm) offers a set menu.
Riverside Bar & Restaurant (Click here) also has a post-dinner cruise.
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SATURDAY WALKING STREET
The Saturday Walking Street (pp284-5; Th Wualai; 4pm-midnight Sat) is developing a reputation of having more authentic handicrafts and being less commercial than the Sunday Walking Street. This might be a bit of an exaggeration as most vendors work both markets without exclusion. But the atmospheric old neighbourhood with its silver shops and old ladies wrapped up in Thai silk does impart a time-warp feeling.
WAT SISUPHAN
This wát (Map; 0 5320 0332; Soi 2, Th Wualai; donations appreciated) was founded in 1502, but little remains of the original structures except for some teak pillars and roof beams in the wí·hhn. The murals inside show an interesting mix of Taoist, Zen and Theravada Buddhist elements. The ubosòht next door was undergoing a renovation at the time of writing, and is allegedly the only silver ordination hall in Thailand (although technically they were using a mix of aluminium, compounded silver and pure silver). The temple hosts a monk chat and meditation instruction (Click here). Wat Sisuphan is one of the few wáts in Chiang Mai where you can see the Poy Luang (also known as Poy Sang Long) Festival, a Shan-style group ordination of young boys as Buddhist novices, in late March.
SBUN-NGA TEXTILE MUSEUM
A surprisingly wonderful museum, Sbun-Nga Textile Museum (Map; 0 5320 0655; www.sbun-nga.com;