I wandered around the souvenir shops and stalls outside the
temple walls that sell specialist, hand-made local cloth, wood carving items, postcards, Buddha images and amulets.
``Good luck to you, mister! Do you want to win the first prize?
60 million Baht!'' cried a woman sitting near the entrance, trying to sell me a big set of lottery tickets, just like at many
other famous temples in the country.
I passed over the town moat just two kilometres from Wat Chamthewee,
situated on the Chiang Mai-Sanpatong Road. Commonly known as Wat Ku Kut, this temple was built in 1298 B.E. The stupa is a square structure similar to the one at Buddhagaya in India; around the stupa are levels
of arches holding a total of 60 Buddha statues.
Queen Chamthewee was the first ruler of Lamphun and her ashes
are enshrined within. A monk there told me that she was the longest living ruler in the Lanna Kingdom's history, she was over
100 years old when she passed away.
Just 10 kilometres from Lamphun is Pa-Sang, a small village
and on both sides of the district road I noticed sign-boards saying: ``Wanted to buy longan at good prices'', posted in front
of several dealer's houses. The fruit is in season during July-August and there are several species which are popular among
consumers.
Today, 60 percent of the longans produced in Lamphun are exported
to Europe and other countries in Asia.
Over two decades ago, the district of Ban Pa-Sang was a handicraft
centre, famous for its hand-made cotton materials, mainly produced in Ban Nong Nguak village.
A restaurant owner in Pa-Sang market told me, after I had
treated myself to a delicious bowl of stewed beef and noodles soup, that in the past, Pa-Sang used to be a very jolly place.
Most of the shops were crowded with people _ tourists, both
Thais and foreigners, because it was the main stopping point and the only access road to Chiang Mai. Since the construction
of Highway No.11 linking Chiang Mai with Lampang, Pa-Sang has been by-passed. It has now become quiet and sleepy.
``Ten years ago it used to be busy and crowded but now, no
one visits. I am certain that ten years from now there will still be no one visiting,'' said the noodle shop owner once served
noodle soup with stewed beef to General Prem Tinsulanonda, president of the Privy Council and former Prime Minister of Thailand.
After filling myself up with his tasty meal, I said thanks
to the middle-aged Chineseman. He had come from Bangkok's Chinatown 30 years ago with his father's stewed beef recipe, to
settle down in Pa-Sang.
I left Pa-Sang on the route to Li district, then turned right
after about 4 kilometres, following the sign to Ban Nong Nguak, a peaceful cotton weaving village.
Passing through several houses with in-house showrooms that
displayed their products, I stopped and talked with a housewives group who were delicately weaving hand-made fabric at wooden
looms.
One of them said that the cotton fabric of Ban Nong Nguak
is moderately priced and of designs and colours that have been improved, yet retain an indigenous feel and tradition. It is
generally made into tablecloths, plate rests, drapes, cushions and other decorative items.
Many items are made to order and sell in big department stores
in London.
About seven kilometres from the cotton village is the temple
named Wat Phra Phutthabat Tak Pha. Legend has it that the Lord Buddha once stayed here.
I ended my nice trip in Ban Hong district, the site of a 1,400
years old community dating back to the Hariphunchai Kingdom, located 40 kilometres south of Lamphun. It has some beautiful
scenery and a delightful vista of green fields and mountains.
Even though Pa-Sang and Lamphun have largely been forgotten
and overlooked as tourist destinations, the locals of Lamphun still hope that one day visitors will come back.
This is a lovely, warm and welcoming area I had a delightful
trip and hope to return some day.
Story and photographs by Gomase Theenanon
