UPCOUNTRY: NAN & LAMPANG
PREFERRED MODES OF TRANSPORTATION:
1. There is no train service to the Nan Valley, although you could take the train as far as Den Chai and then catch a bus.
2. Travel by rental car is very pleasant, allows you to stop as wanted, and the highways are very well maintained.
3. Buses are readily availalbe.
HOTELS: In Lampang there are a number of modern choices, and there are also a couple of good hotels in Nan. Make reservations in advance.
RESTAURANTS: Not the widest selection for a western, but you'll do fine and can always stick to the hotel restaurants, if needed.
The single engine, two-seater sea plane dipped down from the clouds. Below was only the dark green of pristine jungle. After our plane skimmed the treetops a ribbon of gray-blue water streamed out ahead of us. We set down and the pontoons glided across the shimmering liquid landing strip. On the shore natives suspiciously peered out of their thatched huts and then cautiously approached the river bank. We had arrived at Thailand's last frontier -- the Nan Valley.
Alright. Alright! It was a regularly scheduled Thai Airways flight with a handful of tourists, a dozen Thai businessmen, three monks, and myself. But, it was the first prop plane (two propellers) in which I had flown since I was a child! And no, it wasn't a sea plane; we landed at the Nan Airport, not on the Nan River. There were no thatched huts and no suspicious natives. Excuuuuse me! After all these chapters I was just attempting to inject a little more excitement into my tale!
While Nan may not be a frontier, the area didn't come under full control of the Bangkok government until 1931. Founded in 1368, it was first a semiautonomous principality with close relations to the Sukhothai kingdom. By 1450, as Sukhothai waned, King Mengrai's Lanna Kingdom influenced the Nan monarchy. By 1558 the Burmese had conquered the area and were not expelled until 1786. The ruling Nan dynasty pledged allegiance to the new Bangkok government in 1788, though distance and intervening jungle made the pledge one on paper, rather than in reality. Only today is Nan really coming into the twentieth century. It was not long ago the Tourist Authority Of Thailand advised against tourism in the area -- there were still Communist insurgents in the region. Today, that threat has passed.
There are a number of interesting wats in the small city. Wat Suan Tan has the only Khmer-style chedi in the region. The Phra Chao Thong Tip Buddha, a four meter bronze image made in 1449 is there, ordered built by a conquering Chiang Mai ruler who had given the villagers just seven days to collect the metal and a hundred days to have Sukhothai artisans cast the statue. Wat Phaya Phu is a simple temple with two bronze Buddhas cast in 1426. They flank a huge seated Buddha. The Nan Museum is quite good in comparison to other small Thai museums. Housed in a former palace (1903), there is a famous black (well, sort of) elephant tusk, as well as some cultural displays which go beyond the typical Buddha displays and tackle the cultural history of the area. Wat Phumin is fascinating. The small, exquisite temple was founded in 1596 and renovated in 1867. The wiharn is an unusual cruciform shape with attractive Naga handrails leading up the steps at each cardinal point. The impressive interior includes 4 huge Buddhas, which sit back-to-back, facing the doors to the wiharn, thereby dominating one's impression of the inside. There are huge, decorative columns. The ceilings are impressive, as are the lively murals which depict life in northern Thailand at the turn of the twentieth century. The village's lak muang is rather interesting, and decidedly different from any I had seen in Thailand. It was designed almost like a small bandstand. The pillars supporting the roof were brightly painted with dozens of oriental mythical features, more Chinese than Thai in appearance. The ceiling was a colorful depiction of the universe -- Thai style, of course.
One day I took a VERY long walking tour. Wat Chang Kham Vora Viharn has an unimpressive elephant buttressed chedi built in 1406. Like other wats in Thailand, the temple claims a plaster Buddha broke open and revealed solid gold -- this one a 145 centimeter walking Buddha that was commissioned by a Nan ruler in 1426. It is not on display since parts of two other Buddhas made at the same casting were stolen in 1981. As a result, there's little to impress one at this temple. Don't walk, as I did to Wat Phayawat and Wat Phra That Khao Noi! Way too far! There's little to distinguish the former, except for an impressive pyramidal chedi like the ones seen near Chiang Mai. It is thought to be the oldest structure in the region. Beyond Wat Phayawat the road continues through rice paddies to the steps to Wat Phra That Khao Noi. I didn't count the steps, but there were too many! It is an interesting climb, though. All along are unusual features -- a brilliantly decorated Chinese altar, simple but colorful and imaginative statues of Thai kings (was that King Chulalongkorn in the top hat?), and so forth. Apparently the monks had spent all their time and money on the trip up, at the top there is little of interest besides a great view of the Nan Valley.
Wat Phra That Chae Haeng is SW of town on a small hill beside the Nan river. Sturdy walls protect the temple and a royal staircase leads to the elevated courtyard. There are three old chapels and a 55 meter golden chedi with golden umbrellas.
On my second visit to Nan I had driven from Chiang Mai to Lampang. It is quite a scenic route. As one leaves Lampang, you drive over quite a hill toward the NE and follow picturesque valleys surrounded by rugged hills and small mountains, which you sometimes must cross over via switchbacks. The most scenic part of the journey is as you turn west toward Nan, where the rice paddies are as beautiful as any I've seen. From Lampang to Nan are several worthwhile stopovers. Phra Muang Phii (“holy ghost town" is referred to as Thailand's Grand Canyon (how many do they have?). It isn't. It's off the main road down a dirt lane. You will find unusual erosion patterns in the red earth that are, in America, called hoodoos (I'm not joking about this). It's a pleasant little park with some food stands. You can see the entire "Grand Canyon" in about ten minutes!
Half way to Nan is the small city of Phrae -- an excellent place to break your journey, although it could be made in a day (but why rush when the countryside is so pleasant?). Phrae has one modern hotel, complete with a nice restaurant and pool. On a long walking tour you can visit several temples, each so quiet and calm you'd be tempted to lay beneath a palm and nap. The most impressive is on the verge of collapse, yet it is exquisite. Wat Luang is a Burmese temple which was built during the 12th or 13th century. The wiharn is of ancient wood. Monks will happily turn on the lights for you. Despite the heat, its very cool. The wooden floors creak ominously. There's not much special inside (except for a few interesting old photos), but the atmosphere is ethereal. There's a 16th century sitting Buddha. The front gate -- Pratu Khong -- once the entrance to the city, includes a statue of Jao Pu, an early Lanna ruler. Wat Phra That Cho Mae sits on a hillside E of town. Several flights of stairs lead up the wooded hillside. The interior is spectacular, with some of the most impressive murals you'll see in northern Thailand. They accentuate the beauty of the Phra Chao Tan Chai Buddha, which is believed to have great powers to grant wishes, including fertility to women. Down a dirt lane in front of the temple is a sign for another wat -- Phra That Cho Mae. It's fun with gaudy Buddhist statues all over the quaint courtyard.
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