Why Lampang in Thailand is worth a visit (and it's best kept secret)

The third stop on our travels was Lampang - a quick 9 hour train ride away from Ayutthaya. It's not the most touristy of places, but it's got a lot of natural beauty around it as it's nestled right in the heart of Northern Thailand.

This post covers:

• how we got to Lampang from Ayutthaya
• where we stayed
• Kad Kong Ta street market
• day trips we took
• how much we spent
• overall impressions

Psst, this is the secret place

Getting there

We booked a special express train from Ayutthaya that cost 504 baht each. You do go around the houses a bit, but the views are really worth it. You go through a few national parks, which I think were called Wiang Kosai and Mae Wa, where you pass beautiful lush green mountains and rivers.

You actually get a free meal on the train too, like you would on a plane, but it wasn't my cup of tea. It was some kind fish in curry sauce - so that made the loo smell very pleasant for the rest of journey. Still for a £11.00 journey, you can't really go wrong with taking the train. Just stock up on some snacks from 7-Eleven before you get on, have a good book to hand and enjoy the views.

Where we stayed

We stayed at an absolutely stunning hostel called Memmoth Hostel. It appealed to us because it has a coffee shop attached to it, and it was cheap. For the same price as a dorm, you could get a private room (with a shared bathroom).

Although it's a bit of out of the centre of town and not really near anything but the train station, it's the type of place where you can just recoup and chill for a few days.

It's a pity the place only did chips and meatballs though - because you do have to rent a moped to get into town as it was way too hot to walk anywhere. You can rent them from the hostel for 250 baht for the day (you pay for the fuel you used after).

Someone went to Ikea...

We hired our first moped in Thailand whilst in Lampang. At first it was absolutely terrifying, then after a bit it became mildly terrifying. If you get out of town on the back roads towards the mountains it's really nice and feel less like you're going to die.

Kad Kong Ta street market

We were lucky to catch this market as it's only open on the weekends  - it's also probably the best thing to do in town as there's not much else going on.

Kad Kong Ta street market

The market stretches about 2kms and spills out onto the neighbouring streets. It's known for its homemade crafts and arts - we got a cute little homemade purse from the Lampang Arts Centre. They did entice us in though with a really sweet children’s orchestra outside of it - good selling technique lads.

The prices were reasonable around the market, probably because you don't get many tourists here. It also meant that there were no taxis around either as everyone was local and had their own transportation. We ended up having a 30 minute Google translate conversation in a 7-Eleven to try and get someone to order us taxi - so think ahead if you go out at night.

Day trips

We did got a day trip deal with our hostel, which included:

• Wat Chalemprakiat mountain temple
• Chae Son National Park (hot springs, waterfalls)
• Wat Phra That

The transport cost us 1,2000 baht for 2 people. It's good to go as a group, then you can split the cost.

Wat Chalermprakiat (Lampang's best kept secret)

After you've got over the heart attack you encountered by climbing up the mountain via a 4x4 truck and then walking the 700 steps to the top, you are greeted with one of the most breathtaking (if you have breathe left) views ever!

This is me trying to hide the fact that there's a massive bee near my hand

You can also get to the bottom of the mountain by moped, but you must take the 4x4 truck up to where you can climb the stairs because it's impossible to do it any other way. This costs 200 baht for both ways.

The temple is only 20 years old and stands at the top of a mountain that overlooks Lampang's beautiful green pastures.

You can go up onto a platform where there's a beautiful buddha shrine that overlooks the white temples scattered across the mountain. It amazed me how peaceful and calm it was up there.

For a person who is terrified of heights, I am also amazed that my knees weren't shaking, but I was completely fine - Buddha must have been sending me some chill vibes.

One of the platforms on top of the moutain

Beware of the bees that are the size of an index finger, they seem to be attracted to tourists and I think they hand an agenda to push us over the edge.

We were extremely lucky because our guide knew the housekeeper that looked after the monks' homestay up the mountain. They have this accommodation because it's such a trek up the mountain that they have to stay for a few days so they can pray. The lady made up some noodles and coffee for us for free - she was such a cute and generous person. It was an amazing experience to see where the monk chilled.

I kind of don't want to brag about this place too much because I don't want it to get too popular - so forget everything you've just read.

Chae son National Park

200 baht for foreigners
47 miles from Lampang

Attractions:

• Hot springs - you can boil an egg in it, literally
• Jungle trekking
• Gorgeous waterfalls
• Caves

Our tour guide nearly got us in for a discounted price (the normal price), until the park attendant looked at us in the backseat and said "Foreigners, 200 baht." Damn my pasty skin and ginger hair giving me away!

We first went to the hot springs - here you can enjoy soaking in the hot water whilst admiring the beautiful greenery, or you can buy some eggs from the shop in the park and boil them for your lunch!

Beats a saucepan any day!

Whilst the eggs did their thing, we went on a supposed '40 min' trek around the park, which actually turned into an hour of jungle trekking. The park is very dense like a jungle, with beautiful hanging bamboo branches, gushing waterfalls and a wide variety of plants and creatures. This meant there were also a wide variety of massive spiders - so you have to be careful where you stand or you'll have something very unwelcoming on your face.

Me being Bear Grylls

In all, the park is definitely worth a visit for a taste of some of Northern Thailand's natural beauty.

Catch of the day

Wat Phra That

Free - donation
12 miles from Lampang

In the backstreets of nowhere it seemed, suddenly Wat Phra That appears in all its glory.

Walking up Wat Phra That

The fortress like temple is rustic and hasn't really be renovated much like the rest of the temples you see around Lampang and Chiang Mai.  It also has a lot to it - with a few temples in its grounds including a little museum housing old buddha shrines.

It also had theses very large bamboo sticks perched rather precariously on a tree.

Bamboo sticks at Wat Phra That

This is a tradition in Thailand, the bigger the bamboo stick the more stable your life will be. Not sure you'd be that stable carrying it here mind!

How much we spent

Over 4 nights in Lampang, we spent:

• Accommodation: £49
• Food and drink: £67
• Day tour + entry fees: £41

Overall impressions

There's not much to do in Lampang itself, but the surrounding area is a thing of beauty. Great if you like trekking. It's also a good place to break up the journey if you're travelling from Bangkok to Chiang Mai as it's on the train route.

If you're going to stop here than I'd highly recommend Memmoth Hostel, you can't really go wrong with it.

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