Isaan road trip: Searching for normalcy in Thailand's northeast

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From CNN Travel

(CNN) — An overweight dog naps by an open-air som tam (papaya salad) shop. The scent of chicken grilling over charcoal fills the lane. A chorus of children's voices rings out from a schoolhouse. No one is wearing a mask, though an old man dons a straw hat on his bicycle.

Here in the village of Ban Nong Doen Tha on the Mekong River in northeast Thailand, it's almost like the pandemic never happened.

A week earlier, as our first chance to travel beyond Bangkok in six months approached, my partner and I asked ourselves questions that never would have crossed our minds before the pandemic.

 

Where can we go that will relax, excite and uplift us in ways that we used to take for granted when traveling?

We wanted to help businesses that have struggled under Thailand's ban on foreign tourist entries, which began in late March and remains in place, save for those who are willing to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks before entering the country.

Thailand's Covid-19 control measures have worked so far, but the drastic reduction in tourists from abroad is sinking the economy in a country that drew 39.8 million of them last year.

 

But before shoving off for popular destinations like Koh Samui or Phuket, we realized we longed for something very simple: normalcy. At the last minute, we set off on an 850-mile road trip around the northeastern region, also known as Isaan.

 

Despite delivering an intensely flavorful cuisine to go with serene Mekong valley scenery and a strong list of natural and historical attractions, Isaan drew only a small fraction of the numbers of foreign tourists who flocked to other Thai regions before the pandemic.

It is not on the "banana pancake trail."

 

The lack of interest from foreign tourists may partly explain why the coronavirus barely touched Isaan, when infections surfaced frequently in provinces like Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket back in April. Despite being in Thailand's most populous region with more than 22 million residents, Isaan's 20 provinces have reported just over 100 infections since the pandemic began.

 

A young boy shows off his catch one morning on the riverfront in Khong Chiam, the easternmost

district of Ubon Ratchathani province. David Luekens/CNN

 

Most of the region's tourism industry now relies on Thai travelers, who reemerged after a nationwide lockdown and restrictions on domestic travel were lifted in June. Several hotel managers in Isaan tell us that occupancy rates are almost as high nowadays as they were over the same period last year.

Of course, the northeast has not been spared entirely. Before the pandemic, many households relied on money sent from family members working as tour guides, tuk tuk drivers, receptionists, chefs and sex workers in areas that are popular with foreign tourists.

 

Everyone knows someone, it seems, who returned home to Isaan after losing a job in the tourism industry.

 

"Life here is pretty much pre-pandemic normal for most people, but we haven't done a tour since mid-February," says Tim Bewer of Khon Kaen-based Isan Explorer, one of the few tour companies that focuses on sharing the region with a foreign clientele.

 

"Over the years we've had a few Thai guests and school trips, but they're a very small part of our business."

 

The situation is similarly dire for guesthouse owners who used to earn modest incomes from accommodating foreign travelers in some of Isaan's cities.

Beloved backpacker spots like Mut Mee Guesthouse in Nong Khai, The Outside Inn in Ubon Ratchathani and Moon River Resort in Phimai are all missing the revenue that foreign tourists used to bring in.

 

Unlike in Thailand's big-name destinations, however, the streets throughout Isaan are not plastered with "For Rent" signs.

 

And the region is not without its businesses that depend on the small yet reliable numbers of foreign travelers who visited before the pandemic.

 

Continues with photo gallery

 

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/isaan-thailand-northeast-road-trip/index.html