LANNA IS A FANCY WAY for show off like me to say “northern Thailand”.
The Lanna kingdoms ruled an area across what is now Burma to Laos, exerting influence through Siam to Cambodia and down the Malay peninsula, from the 13th century through to the 18th.
Much of the area is mountainous, but it is also fertile, and Lanna means, “Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields”.
Capitals were built in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai as well as Lampang, and a great number of towns and cities have remnants of the past worth visiting.
Lanna cuisine is also distinct from other parts of the country, showing its Mon (Burmese) heritage, for example. Regrettably, I don’t have much in the way of Lanna food pics!
MUANG CHIANG MAI: The big city.
