I have traveled to some fairly obscure and off the beaten path places in Northern Thailand, none more so than Uttaradit. Unknown to most Westerners, Uttaradit is a very pleasant and laid-back city with a very rich and interesting history as well as many beautiful places in the countryside.

Spared from excesses of tourism, Uttaradit offers the visitor a genuine
opportunity to experience Thai life and culture. Because the tourism infrastructure is somewhat rudimentary, finding a knowledgeable tour guide who speaks decent English can be a real challenge, although recruiting a capable driver for touring is relatively easy.

Visiting Uttaradit for the first time, I had the manager of my hotel set me up with a driver so I could tour and explore the area at my leisure. While I was able to take in the “Highlights of Uttaradit”, my experience would have been 200% better if the driver had some facility with English. Needless to say, an English-speaking driver/tour guide is a real luxury in this region of Thailand.

Highlights included the very impressive Sirikit Dam and Reservoir (located about 1 hour outside the city), the largest earthen dam in Thailand as well as nearby Lab Lae, an historic village surrounded by gardens and temples – sort of a throwback to the Thailand of olden days. Entering Lab Lae District – only 7 Km from the city of Uttaradit - there is a beautiful golden archway above the road. The crafts complex and the local museum at Lab Lae were very well done, and the gals who worked there were gracious enough to pose for series of very unique pictures.

In addition to Sirikit Dam and Lab Lae, we also stopped at the Uttaradit Municipality Museum. Inside were many detailed and colorful paintings and murals which depicted Uttaradit during the 18th and early 19th century when the city was very important trading center and the site of many important battles between the Kingdom of Siam and the Burmese.

Standing in front of nearby city hall, is a very unique monument of Phraya Phichai , a fearless Siamese general from Uttaradit province who fought valiantly against the hated Burmese in latter half of the 18th century. Because of his heroic deeds in battle, he earned the nickname of the Thai Superman.