Lampang, Worth A Visit?

[kevbap 1]

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 4]

No ! and its a long drive from CM .

[CMSteve 220]

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 7,117]

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.

Edited July 9, 2011 by WinnieTheKhwai

[harrry 4,896]

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.

Edited July 9, 2011 by harrry

[elektrified 3,011]

No. Boring.

[Tywais 12,104]

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 2,832]

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

[JeffreyMcCollum 208]

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 236]

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

[Drew Aitch 6]

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

Edited July 9, 2011 by Drew Aitch

[hellodolly 4,442]

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 1]

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 460]

No ! and its a long drive from CM .

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

[LJW 7]

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