Lampang, Worth A Visit?

[kevbap]

hi everybody, just thought i would pick your brains again, regarding places to visit around Chiang Mai? thinking of looking at Lampang? any other suggestions would be most welcome!

Cheers Kevin

[Thaifan2]

No ! and its a long drive from CM .

[CMSteve]

Elephant camp and "jungle market" just before Lampang. Horse and buggy rides through the center of town. Wats, bridges, bars and guest houses around the river area. Shopping malls, night market and "entertainment center" in the middle of the city.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Never been too fond of Lampang, but will say the following:

* The area near the river is kind of nice-ish.

* If you take a train then you pass some of the most scenic stuff that can be seen from a train window in Thailand.

* Lampang is famous among Thais for the horse carriages. To anyone else in the world, they're pretty depressing.

* The Elephant Hospital is okay if you've never seen an elephant before. They do (fairly tasteful) shows and rides too. It's quite a hike from the main road though, so you would want your own wheels for that.

* There's a famous temple a bit South of town; if you're with a Thai friend or significant other then that would be a good place to go.

Overall though I think there are more interesting places in the North.

[harrry]

The elephant place is definitely worth a long visit....walk around see the elephants. Sit and eat some noce food at reasonable prices at the small restaurants in the fresh air. Lampang also has not destroyed all of the old wooden houses and there are some nice examples if you look above the street level views. Horse and carriage....well I prefer a few more horsepower.

[elektrified]

No. Boring.

[Tywais]

Virtualtourist - Lampang

I've been there dozens of times years ago when I had a girlfriend that lived there, pretty much every weekend. Ok, she was the main reason for the visit. However having her as a local guide I was able to see a lot of things that the normal tourist would probably miss and was always interesting to me. The town itself is not much though a couple of clubs we would go to. Usually the only 'farang' in the place but was never uncomfortable.

Guess the bottom line is, if you can find a local Thai to take you around then it can be quite a good experience. By yourself perhaps not so much.

//edit - in partial disagreement with those who are emphatically 'no'.

[slapout]

The last I heard, Bosida still lives there so it must be a pleasant experience.

[JeffreyMcCollum]

Maybe it's just me ? I just don't get this bored thing. SO much to see and do, so little time.

When I was living in Hawaii, 20+ years I had a list and when I moved it was only about half done.

Here too so much to see and explore and do. I check 1 thing off my list but find 5 more to add in doing it.

life is an adventure, Have fun !

[ARISTIDE]

There are some good ceramics other than that is just a boring version of CM

[Drew Aitch]

Hi Kevin

Only a fool would not visit some place based on the views of strangers, unless of course it was a public announcement warning people to stay away for safety or legal reasons. If you think Lampang might be worth a trip, just go and have a gander.

With information technology at your fingertips, you can soon create a quick list of things to do an see and then base your own decisions on those findings.

A Barstool Bob type of character would most likely warn others of the sheer monotony of trekking in the Himalayas. He may inform them that there is nothing but uninteresting peaks in every direction, tiresome walks, and mind-numbingly dull evenings to endure in them there foothills.

Another type of person, i.e. someone far removed from being an armchair traveller and critique, would not be able to recommend such a wonderful adventure strongly enough. Get the picture?

You see, it's all about demographics. So when anyone posts a question, such as the one you've posted here seeking advice on the attractions of a certain place of potential interest, then the real question you need to be asking is this;

Who am I asking?

Aitch

[hellodolly]

We recently spent two days there. It was a family get together. (Songkran) So I did not get to see a lot. It struck me that there must be a large English speaking population there what with all the signs and businesses using English. It struck me as a place to defiantly spend some time and look around.

I enjoyed the ride in the horse carriage and thought take the top down and just tour the city in that. It would give me the opportunity to see what is there and if I was interested stop and look around. I find touring in a vehicle for me is more like a point A to point B experience and I miss what is in between.

If you go let us know your thoughts on the subject.

By the way one of the main characters in Arthur C Clark Rama series was from there and she talked in the book of the famous temple mentioned in a earlier post.

[kevbap]

Hi Kevin

Only a fool would not visit some place based on the views of strangers, unless of course it was a public announcement warning people to stay away for safety or legal reasons. If you think Lampang might be worth a trip, just go and have a gander.

With information technology at your fingertips, you can soon create a quick list of things to do an see and then base your own decisions on those findings.

A Barstool Bob type of character would most likely warn others of the sheer monotony of trekking in the Himalayas. He may inform them that there is nothing but uninteresting peaks in every direction, tiresome walks, and mind-numbingly dull evenings to endure in them there foothills.

Another type of person, i.e. someone far removed from being an armchair traveller and critique, would not be able to recommend such a wonderful adventure strongly enough. Get the picture?

You see, it's all about demographics. So when anyone posts a question, such as the one you've posted here seeking advice on the attractions of a certain place of potential interest, then the real question you need to be asking is this;

Who am I asking?

Aitch

nice reply ! i only wanted a view on why i should go ! any bars there??

[taff33]

No ! and its a long drive from CM .

Thaifan 2, C.M.to lampang 100 k I think you are missing Pattaya

[LJW]

Here is information about a trip through Khun Tan National Park in Lampoon.....great trip

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Good point about the ceramics.. There are some ceramics factories around there that will sell at wholesale prices, which is incredibly low.

So.. to wrap this one up: While it's no Vegas, there is definitely enough to keep you busy for a day or two.

[jackr]

The Riverside GH and the restaurant of the same name nearby are ok (good house band at the latter). Btw, the elephant camp has a tram system for getting about; no need to walk. After CM, though, the town itself is very ordinary, if a little down-at-heel. Better off taking a look at Chiang Rai.

When I was living in Hawaii, 20+ years I had a list and when I moved it was only about half done.

Were you comatose for 19yrs 10mnths? Spent two weeks there and saw everything... in fact, cut the trip from three weeks to two as that was all that was needed. The volcanoes and islands naturally fantastic, but the towns, and in particular Honolulu, were such a disappointment. Too bad the good ole USA branded the place me thinks.

[hml367]

The Riverside GH and the restaurant of the same name nearby are ok (good house band at the latter). Btw, the elephant camp has a tram system for getting about; no need to walk. After CM, though, the town itself is very ordinary, if a little down-at-heel. Better off taking a look at Chiang Rai.

When I was living in Hawaii, 20+ years I had a list and when I moved it was only about half done.

Were you comatose for 19yrs 10mnths? Spent two weeks there and saw everything... in fact, cut the trip from three weeks to two as that was all that was needed. The volcanoes and islands naturally fantastic, but the towns, and in particular Honolulu, were such a disappointment. Too bad the good ole USA branded the place me thinks.

In 2 weeks you couldn't even hear about everything that is in Hawaii. Maybe what is on offer didn't interest you.

Then again, it doesn't really matter since the original question was about Lampang.

MSPain

[heybruce]

Elephant camp and "jungle market" just before Lampang. Horse and buggy rides through the center of town. Wats, bridges, bars and guest houses around the river area. Shopping malls, night market and "entertainment center" in the middle of the city.

What is a jungle market?

[daoyai]

Like the district, dont like the city. Lots of beautiful scenery and small villages but mueng Lampang is strangely, depressingly boring.

[NancyL]

There's a huge lake reservoir created by a dam very close to the city. We've been fortunate to be invited to cruise that lake a couple of times on what the Thai people call a "houseboat", but they seem more like party boats to me. The lake was full of them on New Years eve day. All Thai people having a good time. Very few out on the lake during a visit a couple weeks ago. The lake appears to be undeveloped. We cruised for several hours and didn't see any signs of human activity on the shore. The scenery was beautiful.

The elephant camp on the way to Lampang is definitely worth a visit. Plan to spend 4 or 5 hours seeing the show, riding the elephants, looking at the stuff in the shops and eating at the pleasant restaurant.

[kevbap]

Hi Kevin

Only a fool would not visit some place based on the views of strangers, unless of course it was a public announcement warning people to stay away for safety or legal reasons. If you think Lampang might be worth a trip, just go and have a gander.

With information technology at your fingertips, you can soon create a quick list of things to do an see and then base your own decisions on those findings.

A Barstool Bob type of character would most likely warn others of the sheer monotony of trekking in the Himalayas. He may inform them that there is nothing but uninteresting peaks in every direction, tiresome walks, and mind-numbingly dull evenings to endure in them there foothills.

Another type of person, i.e. someone far removed from being an armchair traveller and critique, would not be able to recommend such a wonderful adventure strongly enough. Get the picture?

You see, it's all about demographics. So when anyone posts a question, such as the one you've posted here seeking advice on the attractions of a certain place of potential interest, then the real question you need to be asking is this;

Who am I asking?

Aitch

not being a wealthy man i look to this forum for some constructive advice, i have sworn by what the people here have had to say and will continue to do so until i receive bad advice, it seems a few people on this forum, forget the basics of having a forum, i always assumed, wrongly it seems that its to help people become better informed !

Am i wrong to think this, Drew?

[Viking7113]

There is a fascinating temple--- I believe it is "That Luang" outside of Lampang. its about a 30minute drive to the south of the city. Its very unique as it has kept the old decor in the inner compound. It dates back 100's of years. there are horse carts to take a tour in the surrounding village. there is a museum at the temple too.. the area around the train station has interesting architecture. there is a INdra ceramic factory on the highway heading toward Densai where they have a huge showroom and good prices.

[montrii]

Maybe it's just me ? I just don't get this bored thing. SO much to see and do, so little time.

When I was living in Hawaii, 20+ years I had a list and when I moved it was only about half done.

Here too so much to see and explore and do. I check 1 thing off my list but find 5 more to add in doing it.

life is an adventure, Have fun !

No, it's not just you, and I'm so glad to see someone say this. Right on. There are areas 5 blocks square right in Bangkok that I could never learn enough about. One of the reasons I'm retired here is that I'm quite sure in all the rest of my years I'll never have reason to be bored. Unless I'm crippled, and flat on my back, and can't pee, arrrggghh! Help me, help me! Yes pullin yer wick, so far so good, but how could anyone say any town here could be boring? But watch out for the tiger-striped mosquitoes that come out in the daytime, they're liable to give you Dengue, as one did to me . . . . arrrggghh!

[wolf5370]

About 12 years ago I spent a month and half in Theorn (a tiny village outside of Lampang) - minibus trips to Lampang city was all that kept me sane! (that and chasing chickens with the village kids).

[Tywais]

About 12 years ago I spent a month and half in Theorn (a tiny village outside of Lampang) - minibus trips to Lampang city was all that kept me sane! (that and chasing chickens with the village kids).

I know what you mean. Spent a bit of time in Mae Moh myself.

[thaibeachlovers]

I'm sure I saw a temple with monkeys from the train as we passed out of Lampang. Was I wrong, or are they not an attraction?

[thaibeachlovers]

About 12 years ago I spent a month and half in Theorn (a tiny village outside of Lampang) - minibus trips to Lampang city was all that kept me sane! (that and chasing chickens with the village kids).

I know what you mean. Spent a bit of time in Mae Moh myself.

I'm in a tiny village near Uttaradit. Only been here a week, but expecting to need to travel to somewhere larger any time soon!

[CMSteve]

There is a market about 10 mins past the elephant hospital going towards Lampang. It was known for selling various animal meats(snake, wild boar, etc etc...). There was a fire there last year and I've heard its been redone. Might not have the same feeling it had before.

Elephant camp and "jungle market" just before Lampang. Horse and buggy rides through the center of town. Wats, bridges, bars and guest houses around the river area. Shopping malls, night market and "entertainment center" in the middle of the city.

What is a jungle market?

[elektrified]

I'm sure I saw a temple with monkeys from the train as we passed out of Lampang. Was I wrong, or are they not an attraction?

Are you sure you weren't pulling out of Lopburi on the train?