Lamphun is another charming town, not so far from Chiang Mai; around 45 minutes easy motorcy ride; and built in the same style, with moat and City walls.
Wat Phra That Haripunchai sits just inside the city walls and is a very historic Royal Lanna Temple.
Legend has it that in The Buddhas lifetime, The Buddha actually came to the Lamphun area to gather alms and was given samor fruit by some Lua tribesmen.
The Lord Buddha predicted that there would be a city erected on this site and that it would be named Hariphunchai Nakhon.
In the Buddha year 1204(661AD), two hermits, named Wasuthep and Sukkatanta, did indeed build a city at the spot and named it Hariphunchai Nakhon, meaning a City where the Lord Buddha used to eat
Samor fruit.
Hari means Samor Fruit, punchai means to consume and Nakhon means City.
There are two Chedi’s on the site, one of which was constructed by a Lanna King, King Athitayaraja, over 1000 years ago.
The more modern round Chedi is presently under refurbishment.
There is also an impressive Buddhist manuscripts hall and several other buildings surrounding the main Temple.
One of my personal favourites was the red stone bell tower.
The artwork and craftsmanship decorating the various constructions are of the highest quality.
Also worth a note is the very grand Gateway that certainly gives that air of Royalty.
For many more photos of this Temple please visit our photobucket album here.
The lady Jennifer, made a generous donation;in honor of her father; to The Stratton ABC Foundation, in the process and although a refund was offered she wouldnt hear of it, and I’m glad to report that she is now in contact with the correct John.
We had arranged to meet at the point where we had parted company last week.
Ally had promised more hills, lakes and a Cave Temple this week, so off we went heading out towards San Kampaeng Hot springs but almost immediately turning off onto a dirt track that follows the irrigation canal there.
Whereas the terrain along this canal route was not especially exciting , sometimes it is enough just to be away from the main drags, surrounded by trees and passing through genuine rural communities, and then out of nowhere coming across…a Temple.
With no English translations we had to photograph the Temple name sign for translation later to Wat Doi Zill.
Reaching our first planned destination was delayed a little when we took a diversion, turning right, across a small bridge over the canal, to another reservoir, that appeared on Allys GPS, as Thi Reservoir; not to be mistaken for the Thi reservoir we visited last week, a few miles away at Banthi.
The track ended up veering off into the forest, and although we continued into the trees a ways we turned back when it was clear that there were no other visible motorbike tracks.
Heading back to the canal and soon returning to tarmac we headed right,up to Huai Hong Khai 7 , a huge reservoir. Riding into the government buildings there, Ally pointed out the restaurant. Food at last!
The coach party were clearly late and the caterers took pity on us and promptly laid out 4 different dishes plus rice and water. A much nicer lunch than we would likely have bought elsewhere. The chef and waiter were very friendly and chatted with us for a while and refused to let us pay, although we did insist on leaving a tip.
It was not so far then to the 3005 where we went to the 196 Coffee Corner. Ally is now good friends with the proprietors, Khun Keung and Khun Chai, a lovely Thai couple. Whilst we chatted and drank our coffee they handed us bananas from their own trees, deliciously sweet and great with the coffee.
Be warned, the steps here are deceptively steep, especially if you’re an out of shape smoker. Luckily there are not so many. But still, by the time we got to the viewing platform I did wonder how on earth I made it up the 
The bigger problem for me was more steep steps to the lower levels.
We detoured on the route home, through San Kampaeng, navigating our way through the Saturday Street Market and on to a Coffee shop on the way to Bo Sang.
Once at the Montri Hotel, at the top of Ratchadamnoen Rd, opposite Thapae Gate, we took a table outside, ordered drinks and waited for Jonathan. By 4.45 I decided I should check inside and sure enough spotted Jonathan who had been sitting there for about 20 minutes unaware that we had arrived already.
On the way we first called at Chiang Mai Gate food stalls to get stuff to take home with us.
We had seen the start of a local ‘rocket competition’,
It had apparently been going on for two days.
Hopefully I’ve finally given my long suffering mother a bit more peace of mind by finally getting to Lamphun Post Office and posting a letter to my UK bank and closing my account, they’ve been bugging my Mum for months.
I love being there, seeing what goes on. Although I’m dubious about the need for it , there is a different uniform for everyday. I’ll list them in the future. The main one that sticks out is Wednesdays being Scouts day. It’s easy for me to remember that one because the days activities often disrupt my schedule.
Two weeks ago saw another bar-b-q sunday at a local childrens home, with obligatory trip to the lake.
Last weekend saw us attend a Temple Party at Roz’s, Mums village , further down the road to Nikom. There were many fair stalls and foods stalls. With Glen, Roz and Mark, Boon and I sat for a beer or three and enjoyed the entertainment on the stage nearby. It was very well attended by the locals. Again I was a bit lax in not getting either the name of the village or the name of the Temple.
This weekend there was yet another Party at our local, Wat this time.
Other highlights were yesterdays 
Our start point was Wat Pang Yuu, which you will find by taking the Hang Dong turn off Highway 11, the one that actually carries on to Samoeng. The Temple is on the left with the entry road being just before the river bridge.
Ally informed me that, although it was not the first time she had visited , she was very impressed with what is clearly a relatively recent facelift. On her previous visit it had apparently been a very run down and neglected place.
Also, don’t miss the ancient looking Buddha scene, under the trees to the left of the pond. Though not lavishly painted like the newer statues you see from the road, for me this image has the real Buddha spirit about it somehow.
And very nice it was to. The River Ping, away from the city centre, certainly on this stretch towards Lamphun, has a wonderfully relaxing effect and a look that belies its size and strength. With the many ancient overhanging trees, floating water plants and its many twists and turns it feels more like a beautiful winding stream.
Didn’t actually get the name of the place but it appears to be a Thai concern, that, the lady who served us our coffee informed us, specializes in fish dishes along with other common Thai options. It is right on the river bank, looking towards the large weir we would visit shortly after. A lovely quiet place for coffee and a very likely meal out place in the future, being not so far from home.
after coffee it was just a couple of minutes ride before we reached the impressive looking weir, which looks to be a fairly new addition, or has at least been recently refurbished and acts also as a river crossing for pedestrians and motorcys. It is at this point that the canal system for Lamphun starts. The surrounding area is quiet lovely, with a nice size gazebo on the banks of the canal, which was occupied by a friendly bunch of local youngsters at the time.
All along the way, apart from the river there are several amazing buildings, from lavish homes to ‘wild shacks’ as Ally calls them.
On the way back to Chiang Mai we spotted a few fishermen in the water hauling nets; stopped for lunch at a local Thai outlet, very tasty food and only 20 baht!;
and shortly before parting at 1.30 , took a short detour to a very nice coffee shop just off the super highway.
So if you didn’t know already, there is still time to go and check out the festivities at Wat Chedi Luang, that have apparently been going on all week.
What I can say is that these events are always very colourful and well worth a visit, for a taste of local culture. And I would like to point out that this is indeed very much part of the local Chiang Mai culture, and not just some show put on for tourists.
