Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [279]
Rental prices in Chiang Mai start at about 150B per day for a 125cc Honda Wave/Dream, all the way to 1200B per day for a Honda CB1000. For general renting information and safety considerations, Click here.
A good introduction to motorcycle touring in northern Thailand is the 100km Samoeng loop, which can be tackled in half a day. The route extends north from Chiang Mai and follows Rtes 107, 1096 and 1269, passing through excellent scenery and ample curves, providing a taste of what a longer ride up north will be like. The 470km Chiang Rai loop, which passes through scenic Fang and Tha Ton along Rtes 107, 1089 and 118, is another popular ride that can be broken up with a stay in Chiang Rai. The classic northern route is the Mae Hong Son loop (Click here), a 950km ride that begins in Chiang Mai and takes in Rte 1095’s 1864 curves with possible stays in Pai, Mae Hong Son and Mae Sariang, before looping back to Chiang Mai via Rte 108. And a lesser known but equally fun ride is to follow Rtes 1155 and 1093 from Chiang Khong in Chiang Rai province to the little-visited city of Phayao (Click here), a day trip that passes through some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the country.
The best source of information on motorcycle travelling in the north, not to mention publishers of a series of terrific motorcycle touring–based maps, is Golden Triangle Rider (GT Rider; www.gt-rider.com). Their website includes heaps of information on renting bikes (including recommended hire shops in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai) and bike insurance, plus a variety of suggested tours with maps and an interactive forum.
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Behind the temple is Kad Khau Moon Tha Singh, a small souvenir market on a covered bridge selling local OTOP (One Tambon, One Product) items such as dried lam yai (longan) and silk.
HARIPHUNCHAI NATIONAL MUSEUM
Across the street from Wat Phra That Hariphunchai is the informative Hariphunchai National Museum (0 5351 1186; Th Inthayongyot; admission 100B; 9am-4pm Wed-Sun). Run by the national Fine Arts Department, this museum has a collection of Mon and Lanna artefacts and Buddhas from the Dvaravati kingdom, as well as a stone inscription gallery with Mon and Thai Lanna scripts. The curator’s passion for the museum and Lamphun’s heritage is infectious. The temporary exhibitions are also interesting, focusing on more contemporary subjects like the settlement of the Yong in Lamphun. There is a small bookshop with some English titles.
WAT CHAMA THEWI
A more unusual Hariphunchai chedi can be seen at Wat Chama Thewi (popularly called Wat Kukut) and dates to around the 13th century. Known as Chedi Suwan Chang Kot, it has been restored many times since then, so it is now a mixture of several schools of architecture but is widely regarded as one of the most recent examples of Dvaravati architecture. The stepped profile bears a remarkable resemblance to the 12th-century Satmahal Prasada at Polonnaruwa in Sri Lanka. Each side of the chedi has five rows of three Buddha figures, diminishing in size on each higher level. The standing Buddhas, although made recently, are in Dvaravati style.
The temple is bout 1.5km from Wat Phra That Hariphunchai; you can take a motorcycle taxi (30B) from in front of the museum.
Festivals
During the second week of August, Lamphun hosts the annual Lam Yai Festival, spotlighting its primary agricultural product. The festival features floats made of fruit and, of course, a Miss Lam Yai contest. Songkran (mid-April) is a milder, more traditional affair in Lamphun should Chiang Mai’s water fight be too wet and wild.
Sleeping & Eating
You’re unlikely to stay overnight as Lamphun is so close to Chiang