Chiang Mai, which quickly became popular because of the movie "Thai 囧", is a must-have city for most Chinese tourists to travel to Thailand. Indeed, Chiang Mai is a small city with many stories, and the cafes and internet celebrity shops here attract a lot of tourists to punch in. And because of the low prices and slow pace of life, it has become the first choice for many foreigners to live. But 100 kilometres from Chiang Mai, there is a small city that is even more special, unlike other cities in Thailand, which uses horse-drawn carriages as a means of transportation in addition to double carriages and cars – this small city is called Lampang.
If you like Chiang Mai, you will not reject Lampang. A 1.5-hour drive from Chiang Mai is all about the small town of Lampang, which is like a little Chiang Mai and is also known as Thailand's "Last Paradise".
Lampang, because it has been colonized by Burma before, is home to Burmese-style temples and is the only provincial capital in Thailand that still retains horse-drawn carriages as a means of transportation. Walking down Lampang Street, horse-drawn carriages can be seen crossing the road everywhere. Today, a horse-drawn carriage ride to Lampang has become a must-experience here. There are many temples in Lampang City, and it is easy to visit by horse-drawn carriage.
Lampang preserves the complete Thai traditional culture, architecture, cuisine and folk crafts, maintaining a unique style that is very different from south-central Thailand. Kad Kong Ta Avenue is one of the most unmissable pedestrian streets in lampang Old Town.
It was the most important commercial street in Lampang 100 years ago, but because of the completion of the railway, everyone moved to the new city near the railway station, and Kad Kong Ta Street slowly became deserted. But walking on this street is like walking into Chiang Mai ten years ago, and the faces of the people living here can feel the most primitive simplicity and kindness. The tailor shops, barbershops, restaurants, grocery stores, etc. along the street seem to tell the glory of 100 years ago. Maybe they only speak Thai, but they still do their best to help passing tourists.
Of course, on this Kad Kong Ta Street, there are also many precious historical buildings and temples, such as the very Nanyang style of fonglee building, komson building, maedang building Wat goah wanigaram and so on.
For Chinese tourists, Lampang also has a very special place, about one-third of the resident population here is overseas Chinese, and most of the overseas Chinese ancestors are Chaoshan people. So, you may see a lot of familiar faces when you visit here, although they speak a lot of Thai.
Have you ever been to Chiang Mai? Have you ever been to this quiet and simple city of Nambang near Chiang Mai? What is your impression of this small city? Feel free to communicate in the comments section.