Published in Good Morning Chiangmai News, Thailand – February 2003

Royalty Returns to Wieng Kum Kam
HM Queen Sirikit opens new Visitor’s Centre

WIENG KUM KAM, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 19 Jan 2003 – Almost 700 hundred years after King Mengrai moved from the Royal City he built before Chiangmai, Royalty returned to visit amid celebrations and festivities.

HM Queen Sirikit, the Crown Prince, and Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra presided over the closing night of the “Enchanted Wieng Kum Kam” Sound & Light show, which ran from 17th to 19th January, the start of a major promotional push to bring the recovered archaeological park into mainstream tourism.  On each night, over 1,500 people attended the open-air theatre, built in a mixed orchard and woodland demolished for the occasion.

Outside of the temporary amphitheatre, a “traditional” Wieng Kum Kam market was held, which will be repeated each Sunday from 2nd February to 6th April.  The market has been specially created in a small wooded arena to promote handicrafts local to Wieng Kum Kam, as was demonstrated by the traders, from neighbouring Loei, Nan, and Phitsanulok provinces, who were selling traditional natural fibre clothes and woodcarvings.

That market is to be part of ongoing celebrations and further mini Sound and Light presentations on each of the ten Sundays, all with a different festival theme.  Visitors and locals alike therefore have an alternative to the Sunday Walking Street and its attendant traffic chaos – go south 5km and into the peaceful lanes of this ancient city’s ruins.

Also opened on Saturday 18th January, and graced by Her Majesty on the Sunday, is the official Wieng Kum Kam Visitor’s Centre & Museum. Situated at the southern limit of the area, next to the new outer ring road, this beautifully designed complex is currently free to enter (like the city ruins) and includes many exhibits and a multimedia system.

Unfortunately, the museum displays many mistakes in its English version of history (including stating King Chulalongkorn was Rama IV).  The courtyard of the complex has around a dozen high class crafts shops, representing many local businesses, and their staffs cheerfully demonstrate English language skills, unlike the government officials employed by the museum, who ran for cover when I talked with them – maybe it was my appalling Thai pronunciation?

Another smaller market, truly run by Wieng Kum Kam residents, is to be held in front of Wat Chang Kham – the newer name for Wat Kan Thom built over 700 years ago by King Mengrai, and which, until a few weeks ago, was on all the direction signs (now replaced by the new name).  From there, you can also join elephant rides around the ruins (now 300 baht per hour).

The Visitors Centre and Museum is to open every day, as are all the ruins, active temples, and the elephant rides.  The markets will be on Sundays. As there are neither English nor Thai signs directing you to the medieval city at any road junctions, you’ll need to drop by the Good Morning Chiangmai office (or major bookshops) and buy a copy of “Wieng Kum Kam – Atlantis of Lan Na“, the only English guide of any type available.  The full colour map and historical contexts will prove invaluable to any visitor.