Lampang

Lampang is located about 100 km south of Chiang Mai. You can get there by bus, train or plane. Long time ago we already wanted to go to Lampang, because it is not as crowded as Chiang Mai, but definitly Northern-Thailand. For some reason, we waited to 2001 to go. (That's not quite true, we have been there two times before, just one hour to have breakfast after 12 hours in the back of a pick-up truck with 10 people. Not the best circumstances to see a city.)

Lampang is very quiet, not as crowded as Chiang Mai. In the center of the town, you'll find the Mae Nam Wang, Mea Nam means river. It's a good place to be, along the river. There are a couple of nice restaurants. The Riverside is rather crowded, and three bands play every night. The owner is Italian, so you can eat both Thai and Italian food. We tried the Thai food, and it was really very good.
On the night we arrived in Lampang, we had dinner in another restaurant along the river. Sorry, we forgot the name. At the entrance, in a very narrow alley, were lots of flowers, fresh flowers every day; the owner loves to grow flowers. A very quit restaurant, good service and excelent food. From the Riverside you can see this restaurant. And after diner, just take a walk along Thanon Thip Chang, you will find a very small bar with good live music and e very relaxing atmosphere.

The streets near the river are worth a visit, especially near the center of town. Beautiful houses, often made of wood, and a lot of plants and flowers, small shops and restaurants. And not much cars, too narrow. A lot of motorcycles, but they ar not in a hurry. A few bridges cross the river, some only for pedestrians and motorcycles. The other side of the river is newer, bigger, modern houses, but a nice place to see.

Of cource, Lampang has its temples. We visited two, Wat Phra Kaew Don Tao and Wat Pongsanuk Tai. Both very beautifull.

Wat Phra Kaew Don Tao used to house the famous Emerald Buddha. The stone buildings are well maintained and glittering with gold leaves. There are a lot of visitors, but that's no problem.

Wat Pongsanuk Tai is very different, wooden buildings, Northern-Thaise Lanna style, not much visitors, very quite.

The real reason for us to go to Lampang is traditional Thai massage. The Lonely Planet, yes we use it, mentions the Samakorn Samunphrai Phaak Neua (Northern Herbal Medicin Society). It's very difficult to find. Only after a few taxi's and a lot of asking we found it. Not a fancy place, an ordinary Thai house, in the back, outside, a few beds and a sauna. We even wondered if this was the right place and if should go back to our hotel. But it was the right place. We went in, stayed, and were very happy after the massage.

The institute is managed by a 62-year old lady, Mrs. Lamduan Kurpunngern, and she is assisted by a number of part-time employees. Before a massage, it's wise to go to the herbal sauna. It may seem terrible with the temperature in Thailand, but it's very relaxing. Once you have paid, you can use the sauna as long as you like. We had a two-hour massage, painfull sometimes, but afterwards it was like you were walking on air.
Because we ourselves followed tradional Thai massage courses, Mrs Lamduan gave us a lot of information, and extra massage. Normally a massage is 1 to 1,5 hour. Mrs. Lamduan, who is very friendly and doesn't speak English, had a few accidents and afterwards couldn't walk anymore. Traditional massage made her walk again, and she started to study in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Certainly a place to visit, ask the taxi-driver to Wat Hua Khuang, the massage institute is next to this temple. And if you also have a Lonely Planet, the rates mentioned there may be outdated.