Scenes from Lampang

Based on the recommendation of Akila and Patrick from The Road Forks, we decided to make a stop in Lampang. Lampang is a city with Lanna and teak architecture, where locals far outnumber tourists, a rarity in Thailand, especially since Lonely Planet marks it as a highlight. Sadly, we missed the weekend market, which I hear is the real highlight, but we enjoyed our little stopover en route from Sukhothai to Chiang Mai.

Little Moments in Sukhothai

Stopping in Sukhothai to break up the trip between Bangkok to Chiang Mai turned out to be an excellent decision. Had we not stopped, we never would have gotten to…

…watch a Thai toddler with a full-blown mullet rock it out to Michael Jackson concert footage in a biker bar called Choppers…

…see that Thai school kids are just like their Western counterparts… (We watched them dilly-dallying before getting on the “school bus” they shared with tourists returning from Old Sukhothai – i.e. a truck with a roof and benches in its bed. While the driver honked impatiently, they took their time stuffing themselves full of sugary Thai soft drinks and french fries and making sure they got in the truck with the cool kids.)

…finally, after months of saying let’s rent a bike!, feeling the sun on my face and wind in my hair as we pedaled around the ruins left behind by the ruling class in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Little moments like these are what make travel memories that make you smile.

Bangkok Bonus: Pak Khlong Talat

As I mentioned earlier today, my absolute favorite thing about Bangkok was the Pak Khlong Talat nightly market and its kaleidescope of colors.  So, because I couldn’t choose just one to show you what it is like to be surrounded by flowers, here’s a bonus post for your Monday: