In the city of roosters

The symbol of Lampang is the white cock, and it is noticeable all around town. The town is not extremely busy like most popular destinations; nor is it entirely quiet or boring. Every corner tells a story.

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The symbol of Lampang is the white cock, and it is noticeable all around town. Photos by Peerawat Jariyasombat.

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In the city of roosters

Peerawat Jariyasombot

For motorists heading to Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai, Lampang may be just a pit stop. However, if you linger a bit longer, you will notice that the town has a lot to offer.

The symbol of Lampang is the white cock, and it is noticeable all around town. Legend says that Lord Indra was afraid that people may not get up early enough to prepare food for Lord Buddha, when he travelled to Lampang. Hence, Indra disguised himself as a rooster to act as a morning alarm.

"Lampang people are wealthy," a friend once told me. "In other northern cities, you may notice the beautiful roads. In Lampang you notice the wealth."

I did not understand what she meant till I spent a few days exploring Lampang.

Though the town is not beautiful, but rather chaotic with businesses lining narrow roads, there are many houses, particularly those built a century ago, that mirror the town's prosperity.

The Kanchanawong Building originally belonged to Bua Phad Kanchanawong, a merchant from Myanmar. It is now owned by a Lampang local. The gingerbread carved (elaborate woodwork that decorates the trim of a house) building was first built by workers from Mandalay, in Myanmar, to be a tailor shop on the ground floor with a living space on the upper floor.

From teak houses built in traditional Lanna style, with gingerbread carvings to elegant concrete buildings with stucco works, there are remarkable properties that are scattered around town.

Elegant houses in Lampang tell of the town's glory days when the logging business was in full boom in northern Thailand, a bit over a century ago.

Maung Ngae Zin’s house is a landmark on Thanon Talat Kao.

Maung Ngae Zin’s house is a landmark on Thanon Talat Kao. Left unattended for years, the house has been refurbished to showcase some of the best craftsmanship in town. Maung Ngae Zin is the son of Suay At, the first Myanmar headman of a logging company in Lampang, an ancestor of the Suwanna-at family who made their fortunes from trading wood. The house was first turned into a grocery shop, then a bar and guesthouse for tourists, and finally into a coffee house. Only a part of the house is in use.

In those days, Lampang was a significant log centre of the North. Teak logs were stockpiled in the Wang River and transported downstream along the Chao Phraya River to Bangkok.

Logging companies from the West, who had obtained concessions from the Siamese government, brought in labour from Myanmar.

Thanon Talat Kao, or the Old Market Road, mirrors the past glory of Lampang. It is lined with beautiful houses of wealthy people and shops.

After making a fortune in the logging business, the people from Myanmar built houses and Buddhist temples, bringing their art to Lampang. That is why a number of temples in Lampang are constructed in the Myanmar style. Chinese merchants were also not far behind. The Chinese district and market were set up by the Wang River. Beautiful shop houses on Thanon Talat Kao or the Old Market Road is evidence of this past glory.

As the northern railway was developed from Bangkok and extended to Chiang Mai, Lampang and the Wang River lost their roles as major transportation routes.

With the advent of the road system, which allows motorists to travel faster today, Lampang became a pit stop for travellers to the North.

Lampang is not extremely busy like most popular destinations; nor is it entirely quiet or boring. Every corner tells a story.

Stroll along the back roads or drive around, and you may discover its unique charm.

For more information and many more photos, you can find the full story here: http://bit.ly/RXBpt7

symbol – someone or something that represents a particular idea or quality สัญลักษณ์
pit stop – a short stop during a long trip for a rest, a meal, etc.
linger – to stay somewhere longer than is necessary or required อ้อยอิ่ง
legend – a story from ancient times about people and events, that may or may not be true; this type of story ตำนาน
disguised –  wearing or doing somethiing to change the way that you look so that people will not recognise you ปลอมตัว
alarm – a loud noise or a signal that warns people or wakes them in the morning สัญญาณ
wealthy – having a large amount of money, land, and other valuable things   ที่มั่งคั่ง ร่ำรวย
chaotic – happening in a confused way and without any order or organisation ยุ่งเหยิง วุ่นวาย
line – to form lines or rows along something  เรียงเป็นแนว
narrow – not wide; having a small distance from one side to the other, especially in comparison with the length แคบ
century – a period of one hundred years ศตวรรษ
mirror – to match or express the qualities, features, or feelings of someone or something  สะท้อน
prosperity – the situation of being successful and having a lot of money ความมั่งคั่ง
merchant – a person or business that buys and sells goods, especially one that trades with other countries พ่อค้า, ผู้จำหน่าย, คนขาย
carved – cut from wood or stone แกะสลัก
elaborate – containing a lot of careful detail or many detailed parts ที่ประณีต, ซับซ้อน,ละเอียด
decorate – to make something look more attractive by putting nice things on it or in it ประดับ, ตกแต่ง
trim – material that is used to decorate clothes, furniture, cars, etc, especially along the edges, by being a different colour, etc
tailor – a person whose job is to make men's clothes, especially somebody who makes suits, etc. for individual customers  ช่างตัดเสื้อ
teak – a large tree with hard yellow-brown wood and white flowers ต้นสัก, ไม้สัก
traditional – of a custom, a way of life or a way of doing things that has not changed for a long time เป็นประเพณี,  ตามธรรมเนียม
gingerbread – a sweet cake or soft biscuit/cookie flavoured with ginger, often made into a gingerbread biscuit/cookie in the shape of a person ขนมรสขิง
elegant – attractive and showing a good sense of style สวยงาม, งดงาม, สละสลวย
stucco – a type of plaster that is used for covering ceilings and the outside walls of buildings ปูนฉาบผนัง
remarkable – unusual or special and therefore surprising and worth mentioning ไม่ธรรมดา
property – a building or buildings and the surrounding land
scattered – spread over a large area กระจัดกระจาย
glory – admiration and praise that you get because you have done something impressive ความมีชื่อเสียง, ความรุ่งเรือง
logging – the work of cutting down trees for wood อาชีพการตัดไม้
boom – a sudden increase in trade and economic activity; a period of wealth and success ความเจริญรุ่งเรืองทางเศรษฐกิจ
landmark – a building or place that is easily recognised สถานที่ที่เป็นจุดสังเกต
unattended – left without being looked after or dealt with
refurbish – to clean and decorate a room, building, etc. in order to make it more attractive, more useful, etc ตกแต่งใหม่, ขัดสีขัดเงาให้ดูใหม่,
showcase – to show the best qualities or parts of something  แสดง,ทำให้เห็นจุดเด่น
craftsmanship – skill at making things ฝีมือ
logging – the work of cutting down trees for wood อาชีพการตัดไม้
ancestor – a person, plant, animal or object that is related to one existing at a later point in time บรรพบุรุษ
fortune – a large amount of money เงินมากมาย
grocery store – a shop/store that sells food and other things used in the home ร้านขายของชำ
stockpile – to collect large amounts of things that may be needed เก็บสะสมไว้ใน
transport – to move people or things from one place to another   ขนส่ง
obtain – to get something that you want or need, especially by going through a process that is difficult ได้มา, ได้รับ
concession – a right that is given to a person or group to do a particular activity, in this case, to operate a market สัมปทาน
labour – people whose job involves hard physical work that is not skilled, especially work that is done outdoors กรรมกร, ผู้ใช้แรงงาน
merchant – a person or business that buys and sells goods, especially one that trades with other countries พ่อค้า, ผู้จำหน่าย, คนขาย
evidence – facts, signs or objects that make you believe that something is true หลักฐาน,ข้อแสดง
extend – to continue for a particular distance or in a particular direction ยืดออก
role – the position or purpose that someone or something has in a situation, organisation, society or relationship บทบาท
advent – the introduction of a new product, idea, custom etc  การปรากฎ, การกำเนิด, การมาถึง
destination – the place where someone or something is going  จุดหมายปลายทาง
stroll - walk in a slow relaxed manner, especially for pleasure เดินเล่น
unique – being the only one of its kind  ซึ่งเป็นหนึ่งเดียว
charm – a feature or quality that is pleasing or attractive ความดึงดูดใจ,ความจับใจ