What the bloody hell is there to do in Lampang anyway?

And more to the point, where is it? Unless you have spent a significant amount of time in Thailand, Lampang probably isn’t a town that is on your radar. I’m not the biggest fan of long bus journeys and instead of doing a hellish overnighter from Chiang Mai into the Isaan region, I decided to stop at some smaller Thai towns on the way. Post Chiang Mai, Lampang was my first stop. It’s super cheap and super quick to get there by bus (about a two hour bus journey) and is well worth a stop for a couple of days. But what is there to actually do in Lampang?

Take a horse and carriage ride

A quick stroll through the streets of Lampang and you won’t fail to notice a glaring difference between this place and other Thai towns – there are horses everywhere! The horses and their carriages about town make for quite a pretty scene, and for not too hefty of a price, you can have your own Lampang horse and carriage tour around the area. I didn’t do this because it was so hot and I wasn’t sure the horses were all that happy carting people around in that hot Thai weather.

Visit the UNESCO recognized temple, Wat Pongsanuk

I may not be the greatest fan of visiting temples, but there are worse ways to spend a couple of hours than paying a visit to Wat Pongsanuk. The temple has received UNESCO recognition because the local community places it in such high esteem, and places a great importance on its preservation. The temple is decorated in a combination of Lanna and Burmese styles (like I know what they are), and y’know, there’s lots of temple-y stuff – Buddha images, lots of gold. All that.

Visit the weekend walking street market

Another town in Thailand, another walking street market. But I actually really liked this one. The tat on sale seemed to be marginally better quality than the tat on sale in other markets I’ve been to, which I think is because of the young clientele. I guess there must be a few universities in the area because the people visiting the market all seemed to be little over 18. I also noticed an astounding number of well dressed gays and ladyboys. I’m talking more than I saw the whole time I was in Bangkok.

Have a few beers by the river

The Wang river is basically a bit gross. But wait until sunset when the river is submerged into darkness and the river can be a nice spot to have a few relaxing evening drinks. You’ll be able to find a few decent places to drink just by walking along the main road by the river. I personally chose to have my beers on the terrace of the guesthouse I stayed in, R-Lampang – a lovely spot and I didn’t see *anyone* else there for the two nights that I stayed.

So there you have it – Lampang. Will Lampang be on your Thailand travel itinerary?

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