Lampang Entry "Milestone"—Lampang City, Thailand - Milestones on Waymarking.com

Lampang is one of the many provinces of northern Thailand. A quiet land of rice fields, light industry, pleasant people, and not a huge number of tourists. On the southern approach to the city of Lampang, the provincial capital, is this large distance marker.

This is a major inter-provincial highway intersection, thus no parking spots, deliberately designed that way to prevent gawkers doing what I wanted to do, stop and take photos. However, I was able to circle around and come back to take the photos that are shown here.

I would estimate the marker to be 5m high, and 2m across. On one side, facing into the intersection, is written in Thai: "Gateway to Lanna", the name of the highway "1", and the distance to Bangkok (the centre of Thai transportation), 597kms. On the adjacent side is the distance to a number of destinations in northern Thailand.

The reference to "Lanna" refers to the ancient Thai kingdom (~13th-~18th centuries), which once dominated this region of what is now northern Thailand. Lampang is on the southern border of this former Kingdom.

The first two cities listed on the second side, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, were both major cities of the Lanna Kingdom (at one time both were capitals thereof) and are still major cities of modern Thailand, the other cities are now minor towns and districts on the far borders of the former Kingdom, adjacent to Laos and Myanmar.

The marker is an impressive sight coming into the city.

Condition: Immaculate Material: Other Inscription: Main side of marker: 597 Gateway to Lanna. Minor side of marker: Chiang Mai 92 Chiang Rai 225 Chiang Khong 458 Chiang Toong 554 Chiang Rung Name of road: Highway 1. Date placed: Not listed

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