While riding down the highway I noticed Wat Phra That Suthon Mongkhon Khiri(วัดพระธาตุสุโทนมงคลคีรี) and stopped and took some pictures. I found the golden chicken with an elephant trunk rather interesting.
After my scare that I was going to run out of gas I seem to start looking for gas at a half tank. I took a picture of the gas pump I used after a short detour off Route 11 for fuel and thank you Google Translate to allow me to read the note on the pump. The note was coins don't work.
The ride between Uttaradit and Lampang was another pretty and fun ride.
I first went to Wat Prathat Doi Prachan (วัดพระธาตุดอยพระฌาน) a bit south of the city. I stopped on a bridge and took a picture of the temple up above and then pictures of lotus on the river below.
I went on up the road to a parking lot for this temple and paid 40 baht to take a pickup truck the rest of the way up to the temple.
I guess I could have saved the 40 baht and climbed these stairs but I think that was money well spent.
My next stop was at Wat Phrathat Chom Ping (วัดพระธาตุจอมปิง).
I didn't think this temple was anything special but for some reason I thought this would be a good place to tighten my phone holder. I just managed to make things worse. I got it so I had to make a choice to have the mirror in a place I could use it or the phone holder in a place I could use it. I decided I could go without a left mirror until I could figure out how to adjust this setup.
I rode on into Lampang through a downpour and arrived at the hotel I planned on staying at for 3 nights but they only had the room for 1 night. I booked for the one night rather than look for a room in a downpour I booked the room for 1 night.
I put my bags in the room and again tried to adjust the mirror and phone holder while it was still pouring. Again I failed and decided to give up until it stopped raining.
When the rain stopped I went out and got some food and then took the mirror off the bike and sat in my hotel room with the mirror and the wrench and figured out I was turning the bolt the wrong way and needed to turn the bolt in the direction to tighten it so the bolt would be loose. I got it all figured out sitting in a nice dry hotel room and then was able to return to the bike and get it setup again where I could use both the mirror and the phone holder at the same time and it seemed to be held firmly in place.
I booked a hotel online for the following few days and then in the morning rode out and visited the temple Wat Lai Hin Luang (วัดไหล่หินหลวง). Following are a couple of pictures I took while at the temple. I don't always get what is so special about some of the temples I visit and felt that way about this one.
My next stop was at the busy temple of Wat Phra That Lampang Luang (วัดพระธาตุลำปางหลวง).
I was a bit confused at Wat Phra That Lampang Luang. The guide book I have on my phone talked about a Wihan Ton Kaew being a small and simple temple at this site that I should check out but I could not figure out which of these buildings was the one described in the book. I did a number of internet searches for the name Wihan Ton Kaew and the only responses I got were from the site of the guide book. I ran every sign in Thai through google translate including the map of the complex and nothing I found was close to Wihan Ton Kaew.
I gave up looking for a specific building and just tried to enjoy the temple complex and not worry about missing something I was supposed to be seeing.
I didn't do much else this day other than getting checked into a different hotel and going to the local market and buying some food and fruit. It is nice when I am staying in a place for a few days to put some food and drinks in the fridge and being able to buy a bag of ice knowing I will not have to waste half the bag since I will be leaving the following morning.
I started the following day at Wat Si Rongmuang (วัดศรีรองเมือง). This temple asked for a small entrance fee that I am not use to paying to visit most temples but once paid the lady turned on the lights in the temple. I uploaded a short to YouTube while at this temple.
When I first arrived at Wat Si Rongmuang I noticed that I was being followed around whenever I was not inside one of the temple buildings. I don't think I have encountered this before and just before leaving the temple grounds I think I saw the cause for all my chicken followers.
My next stop was at Wat Pong Sanuk Tai (วัดปงสนุกใต้) and Wat Pong Sanuk Nua (วัดปงสนุกเหนือ). These two temples are next to each other and I am not really sure where one ends and the other one starts.
After the dual temples I rode on to Wat Phra Kaew Don Tao Suchadaram (วัดพระแก้วดอนเต้าสุชาดาราม พระอารามหลวง).
My last temple near the center of Lampang was Wat Phra Chedi Sao Lang (วัดพระเจดีย์ซาวหลังพระอารามหลวง).
I had the temple of Wat Phutthabat Sutthawat (วัดพุทธบาทสุทธาวาส) on my list of places to visit in Lampang but there is a fee to visit this temple and you also have to pay for a truck to take you up to this temple. Most of the really pretty pictures I have seen of this temple area seem to have been done with a drone. Because of these two things I had decided I would not go up to this temple but decided I would take the 60 KM or 40 mile ride out to see what the temple looked like form below and see if the area around it was pretty.
Maybe I should not be the Cheap Charlie that is my true nature but I enjoyed the ride and the view from far below the temple. You can not see the pagodas on the top of these rock outcrops from my photos.
When I was doing some of the little planning I did do for this trip I had made a note of some of route on the YouTube page Thailand Top Riding Routes. I still had time in the day was about 50 KM or 30 miles from the Route 120 described on this YouTube playlist.
I headed north on Route 1035 to where it hit Route 120. I rode through the mountains on the recommended route to Phayao and Route 1. I will visit Phayao later on this trip but did not enter the city on this ride and just took Route 1 back to Lampang.
All 3 of the routes I was on were nice to ride and I can understand why Route 120 was recommended. It was the long way back to Lampang from Wat Phutthabat Sutthawat of about a 225 KM or 140 miles but a fun ride even if it rained on me a lot of the ride. I didn't stop at all to take pictures on this ride.
After riding back to Lampang I decided to stop at Kad Kong Ta walking street in Lampang to get a bite to eat and see what the street had to offer. Following is the picture I took just before the sky opened up and completely cleared out this tourist street.
I found a place on the street that sold beer and had a chair and enjoyed a couple of beers waiting for the worst of the rain to pass. Once the rain slowed I found something to eat and headed back to the hotel after a busy day.
My last day in Lampang I didn't do much of anything. I had planned on going to Lampang Culture Street but at least according to google maps it was only open one day a week and I had missed the one day. I always feel a bit guilty when I take one of these lazy days while traveling but have found that they often improve my outlook and are just required for my mental well being.
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