Thailand Chronicles: Lampang

It's hard to not consider Tom an instant friend. And no, I'm not talking about Tom from MySpace. I'm talking about Tom, the owner of the TT&T Guesthouse in Lampang who was our gracious host during the 36 or so hours we stayed in Lampang. Donning a fluffy pink scarf, an over-sized US ARMY military jacket, and flip flips, Tom was incredibly friendly and made us feel instantly welcome. A town of about 150,000 people, Lampang offered instant charm and it was hard not to find yourself immediately at peace with the quaint, little place. Tom owns a small guesthouse on the river and was kind enough to give us not only free bottled water (nothing is free in Thailand including public bathrooms) but also free use of two rusted bikes to travel around town with. Since we only had 1 full day in Lampang, having traveled via an overnight 8-hour VIP bus and arriving at 5am, we were excited to navigate the town on our own. We spent the day biking around exploring, visiting some local temples, and chatting with those that call Lampang home. Apparently Lampang is the oldest town still employing horse-drawn carriages as a means of transportation and though we did not take a tour via horse (a bit too expensive), seeing them share the road with bicycles, motobikes, and cars was a sight to behold. So foreign to me!

Overall, our stay in Lampang was just enough time to explore the town and relax after the crazy of Bangkok. I found the people to be more genuine, more laid back, and more communal than those in Bangkok. It was a last minute decision to stop there and I am glad we did!

Some Lampang highlights...

Exploring the town courtesy of Tom's rusted, old, bicycles.

Oh, Riverside restaurant. You fed us well both times we dined there!

Stumbled upon the monks' clothesline while visiting a Wat.

We got a kick enjoying the free exercise equipment by the river...