Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [285]
Drinking
The strip of Th Thip Chang near Riverside Bar & Restaurant (above) is Lampang’s nightlife district, and includes a few friendly open-air restaurant/pubs such as Relax Pub (Th Thip Chang; dishes 50-150B; 6pm-midnight) and the curiously named Gibbon (Th Thip Chang; 7pm-midnight).
Getting There & Away
AIR
Several agents around town, such as Lampang Holidays Co (0 5431 0403; 260/17 Th Chatchai; 9am-7pm) can arrange air tickets, saving you the trouble of a trip to the airport.
Nok Air (nationwide call centre 1318; www.nokair.co.th; Lampang airport) and PB Air (0 5422 6238, Bangkok 0 2261 0220; www.pbair.com; Lampang airport) conduct code-share daily flights between Lampang and Bangkok (3025B, one hour, three times daily).
BUS
The bus terminal in Lampang is some way out of town, at the corner of Asia 1 Hwy and Th Chantarasurin – 15B by shared srng·ta·ou.
There are frequent buses to Chiang Mai (ordinary/2nd class air-con/1st class/VIP 56/76/97/150B, two hours, every 45 minutes from 6am to 4pm) and Phrae (2nd class/1st class/VIP 88/113/175B, two hours).
To Chiang Rai, there are three daily departures (162B, four hours, 6.30am, 9am and 3pm). There are also relatively frequent buses to Nan (2nd class air-con/1st class/VIP 169/218/335B, four hours) and Phitsanulok (2nd class air-con/1st class/VIP 176/227/265B, four hours). Buses to other destinations in northern Thailand generally depart from 8am to 6pm.
To Bangkok, most buses depart around 8pm (2nd class air-con/1st class/VIP 399/513/710B, eight to nine hours). Thongtae Travel & Service (0 5432 2813; 250/2 Th Thip Chang; 9am-7pm) can arrange bus tickets to Bangkok.
TRAIN
Lampang’s historic train station (0 5421 7024; Th Phahonyothin) dates back to 1916 and is located a fair hike from most accommodation.
The train is a relatively slow but comfortable way to get to/from Chiang Mai (3rd/2nd class 23/50B, two to three hours, six times daily), and there are several trains every day that stop in Lampang en route to/from Bangkok (3rd class fan 256B, 2nd class air-con/fan 574/394B, 2nd class fan sleeper upper/lower 494/544B, 2nd class air-con sleeper upper/lower 754/844B, 1st class sleeper 1272B, 12 hours, six times daily), the majority reaching the city between 5pm and 11pm. To check the most up-to-date timetables and prices in advance call the State Railway of Thailand (free 24hr hotline 1690; www.railway.co.th) or look at their website.
AROUND LAMPANG
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Wat Phra That Lampang Luang
This ancient temple compound houses several interesting religious structures, including what is arguably the most beautiful wooden Lanna temple in northern Thailand, the open-sided Wihan Luang. Dating back to 1476, and thought to be the oldest standing wooden structure in the country, the impressive wí·hhn features a triple-tiered wooden roof supported by immense teak pillars and early 19th-century jataka murals (stories of the Buddha’s previous lives) painted on wooden panels around the inside upper perimeter. A huge, gilded mon·dòp in the back of the wí·hhn contains a Buddha image cast in 1563.
The small and simple Wihan Ton Kaew, to the north of the main wí·hhn, was built in 1476.
The tall Lanna-style chedi behind the main wí·hhn, raised in 1449 and restored in 1496, is 45m high.
The wí·hhn to the north of the chedi, Wihan Nam Taem, was built in the early 16th century and, amazingly, still contains traces of the original murals, making them among the oldest in the country.
Wihan Phra Phut (admission 20B), which is south of the main chedi, dates back to the 13th century and is the oldest structure in the compound.
Unfortunately, only men are allowed to see a camera obscura image of the wí·hhn and chedi in the Haw Phra Phutthabaht, a small white building behind the chedi. The image is projected (upside down) onto a white cloth, and clearly depicts the colours of the structures.
The lintel over the entrance to the compound features an impressive dragon relief – once