Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
However, many Thai alliances declined in the 16th century. This weakness led to
the Burmese capturing Chiang Mai in 1556 and their control of Lanna for the next
two centuries. The Thais regrouped after the Burmese took Ayuthaya in 1767, and
under King Kawila, Chiang Mai was recaptured in 1774 and the Burmese were
pushed north.
In the late 19th century Rama V of Bangkok made efforts to integrate the north-
ern region with the centre to ward off the colonial threat. The completion of the
northern railway to Chiang Mai in 1921 strengthened those links until the northern
provinces finally became part of the kingdom of Siam in this early period of the 20th
century.
Language
Thailand's regional dialects vary greatly and can even be unintelligible to native
speakers of Thai who aren't familiar with the vernacular being spoken.
Găm
méuang,
the northern Thai dialect, is no exception and, in addition to an entirely dif-
ferent set of tones to master, possesses a wealth of vocabulary specific to the
north. The northern dialect also has a slower rhythm than Thailand's three other
main dialects, an attribute reflected in the relaxed, easygoing manner of the people
who speak it.
Northern Thai also has its own writing system, based on an old Mon script that
was originally used only for Buddhist scripture.
LAMPANG PROVINCE
Lampang
POP 59,000
Boasting lumbering elephants, the elegant mansions of former lumber barons and
impressive (and in many cases, lumber-based) Lanna-era temples, Lampang
seems to unite every northern Thai cliché - but in a good way.
History
Although Lampang Province was inhabited as far back as the 7th century in the
Dvaravati period, legend has it that Lampang city was founded by the son of
