A trip to Isaan

[musgrave]

After Songkran, my man and I travelled to Roi et by bus - we departed on an evening bus from Mo Chit Bus Station Bangkok.  This place is massive but lots of people on hand to direct you to the right ticket counter and find the right bus - not so sure how easy it would have been without my man!!!  An 8 hour bus ride and we arrived in Roi et around 5.00am.  The ever-present tuk tuks were waiting and we were taken to the Petcharat Hotel - on advice it was the biggest and best in the town.

 

Roi et was hot - very hot!!! 40 degrees during the day but we managed to eat,shop,sleep and sight see.  I thought Roi et was a nice town but the heat was overwhelming.  The hotel had a pool but it looked like it was open to the public because it was very crowded.  When we booked in the receptionist advised that there were no one-bed rooms left - we solved this problem by hastily re-arranging the furniture

 

My man likes eating a dish that consists of uncooked shrimp on a bed of salad - served with lime and a green spicy dipping sauce ( maybe someone can help with the name).  I soon established chicken larp as my staple.

 

After 2days in Roi et we hired a car to takes us to Suwannaphum - a smaller town to the south.  Accommodation was scarce and we settled on a small cottage at the Red Resort - it was great and the nearby restaurant provided good food.  About 20 minutes from Suwannaphum was my man's home village.  The purpose of the trip was to see his Father who he hadn't seen for 3 years - his Mum works in Bangkok.

 

It was strange to see the connection between Father and son after this period of time - as others have mentioned there was no great outward sign of affection - more a polite greeting.  However my man did tell me that in private his Father told him how happy he was to see him again.  The days at the village saw a constant stream of friends and family members coming to see my man.  I was treated in a friendly manner - still not sure how our relationship was perceived - although my man told me that people only worried about the kindness and care shown to each other and that they liked me

 

Some impressions about village life - the local whisky could power the next moon mission, the large number of young men, the number of women who leave children behind in the village with the husband and grandma and go to work in Bangkok, the way in which my man was seen as being successful, the way time of the day doesn't seem to matter, curiosity didn't lead to inquisitiveness and nosiness, the strong family bond

 

One day after a meal my man told me we were going to visit a wat in his uncle's car - 3 in the front and 6 in the back tray.  I thought it would be nearby but after 2.5 hours driving we arrived at the wat at 8.30pm.  After visiting 3-4 altars within the wat grounds and walking crouch-style 9 times under a stand housing the body of a mummified monk, we all piled into the vehicle and set off an the return trip.

 

We returned to Bangkok by bus from Suwannaphum (VIP bus departed around 8.30pm)

 

Looking back I wouldn't have missed the trip for the world - gave me a chance to be close to my man, talk to him about the future, understand him, and for him to understand me.  Now sitting at home, going through all my photos, remembering and thinking about the next move.

[Guest anonone]

It is an entirely different world up in Isan.  Glad you made the trip and it was successful on all fronts.  

 

And yeah, 40 degrees would sap the energy pretty quick.

 

Thanks for posting about your trip.  Very good stuff.

[traveller123]

I live in a village near to Surin and I think it has been 40 degrees + for going on 6 weeks.

It is not my favourite time of the year and this year the heat has been exceptional.

My partner and I had a 6 day trip to Koh Chang at the end of April and it was wonderful about 8 degrees cooler than Surin, but unfortunately I don't think there were any gay bars.

[Smiles]

I live in a village near to Surin and I think it has been 40 degrees + for going on 6 weeks.

It is not my favourite time of the year and this year the heat has been exceptional.

My partner and I had a 6 day trip to Koh Chang at the end of April and it was wonderful about 8 degrees cooler than Surin, but unfortunately I don't think there were any gay bars.

I'm assuming you are saying you live "near to Surin", i.e. the town, not the province.

Another assumption:  you mean Koh Chang has no gay bars. If that is correct then your sentence above seems to be implying that Surin does?

 

We go to Surin (both province and town) all the time ~ my old man's home village is there ~ and I have never seen, or heard of, a gay bar in Surin Town (forget the villages  ). If you know of any there, could you please post a name, and/or a location. I'd to know.

I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of gay bars exist in Surin Town, certainly the place is big enough to support a couple of holes-in-the-wall host bars. I've looked around quite often but never have had any luck stumbling over one yet. 

 

There is a couple of blocks in Surin town which serve as the main 'Entertainment Zone' (basically around the area dominated by the Thong Tharin Hotel). It's pretty vibrant on most nights with quite a number of discos, karaoke (one being vaguely gay ... I think) as well as a very large Tawan Daeng (morlum) music hall. I would think that any gay bar in town would probably be nestled into that area. But, not necessarily of course.

[witty]

Musgrave,

 

thanks for a good story.

 

the name of the shrimp salad is 'kung ten' - dancing shrimp.

 

I'm not sure what they call the dip though.

[traveller123]

I'm assuming you are saying you live "near to Surin", i.e. the town, not the province.

Another assumption:  you mean Koh Chang has no gay bars. If that is correct then your sentence above seems to be implying that Surin does?

 

We go to Surin (both province and town) all the time ~ my old man's home village is there ~ and I have never seen, or heard of, a gay bar in Surin Town (forget the villages  ). If you know of any there, could you please post a name, and/or a location. I'd to know.

I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of gay bars exist in Surin Town, certainly the place is big enough to support a couple of holes-in-the-wall host bars. I've looked around quite often but never have had any luck stumbling over one yet. 

 

There is a couple of blocks in Surin town which serve as the main 'Entertainment Zone' (basically around the area dominated by the Thong Tharin Hotel). It's pretty vibrant on most nights with quite a number of discos, karaoke (one being vaguely gay ... I think) as well as a very large Tawan Daeng (morlum) music hall. I would think that any gay bar in town would probably be nestled into that area. But, not necessarily of course.

Yes I live 9 km from Surin Town.

No I am not implying there are any gay bars in Surin.

There was some talk on Surinfarang which is a forum for expats (straight and myself and one other gay guy) about a gay bar opening on the entertainment street called "Mens Bar", we have driven past it a few times and seen one guy sat outside with approx 6 girls.

If there is an out and out gay bar I am unaware of it.

Incidentally although my partner is straight looking but open about being gay, I am pretty sure that he wouldn't visit a gay bar in Surin if one existed although he enjoys visiting the bars in Pattaya and Bangkok.

When you visit Surin if you fancy meeting up for dinner let me know

[Smiles]

When you visit Surin if you fancy meeting up for dinner let me know

I'd be OK with that. Fire off your email address by PM.

I'm in Canada right now but back to Thailand around June 20 ... then off to Surin a few days later for probably 5 or 6 days.

[ChristianPFC]

Suwannaphum district in Roi Et province, same spelling as Suwannaphum airport.

 

the name of the shrimp salad is 'kung ten' - dancing shrimp.

 

The op didn't say if the shrimp were alive, in that case kung ten is the name of the dish. I tried it once in 2013 and found it not so much my taste.

 

 

walking crouch-style 9 times under a stand housing the body of a mummified monk

 

Do you remember the name of the wat?

 

There are no gay bars* that I know of in Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, I would be very surprised if there was one in Surin or any other smaller town in Isan (smaller than KK, UT, UR and Nakon Ratchasima).

*but gay saunas in KK, UT and UR

[musgrave]

Sorry Christian no luck as yet with the name of the wat - but we passed by Sisaket to get there and apparently not too far to the Laos border - the name of the dish made with green shrimp is Goong (Kung) Chae Num Pla- cheers

 

ps always found your blog informative

[traveller123]

Sorry Christian no luck as yet with the name of the wat - but we passed by Sisaket to get there and apparently not too far to the Laos border - the name of the dish made with green shrimp is Goong (Kung) Chae Num Pla- cheers

 

ps always found your blog informative

Was it this temple/wat.

I visited it a couple of years ago and it was very impressive, I don't know if the information was correct but I was told it had been financed by the Thai Royal Family.

 

https://www.renown-travel.com/temples/phra-maha-chedi-chai-mongkol.html

[ChristianPFC]

Sisaket and Lao border make no sense.

 

It cannot be Phra Maha Chedi Chai Mongkol, the op would have noticed the giant chedi. (I have been twice, 2014 and last month, worth the trip from Bangkok.)