Trip Report: Isan for New Years plus Wat Kham Pramong

[Guest anonone]

I flew into Udon Thani via Thai Airways, arriving about 1900 hours.  Larger airport than I would have expected.  

I had pre-arranged a rental car with Lek Car Rental.  Due to the holiday, it was 1,950 baht per day for a Mitsubishi Triton Plus (pickup truck with double cab), plus a 2000 baht deposit.  It was the last vehicle they had available, and only because of a cancellation.  (I should have made these arrangements sooner.)  They also provided a portable GPS unit, which was very important for me.  http://www.lekcarrentaludonthani.com/index.html.  Rate included full insurance.  

Their staff was waiting for me at the airport exit with my name on a sign.  Filled out some paperwork in the parking lot, got a brief overview of the vehicle, and more importantly the gps.  My first experience driving something beside a motorbike in Thailand, and my first experience with driving on the left side of the road.  Took a bit of concentration and never got comfortable driving around...but not a terribly difficult transition....or so I thought.  More on that later.  

A bit of difficulty with the GPS.  I was using English, and like most translations from Thai, it took a couple of attempts to figure out the right spelling of things so that it would be recognized.  It was actually easier to search around the "points of interest" for something close to where I wanted to go then to attempt addresses.  

I headed towards the city of Sakon Nakhon along route 22 / AH15.  BF lives on the route to the city, in a smaller village / town type of place.  He was waiting for me at the driveway of a local hospital, just because the GPS recognized the location and it was close to his house.   I was not about to try and navigate the dirt roads back off the main drag trying to find his place.   LOL

After visiting with the family for a bit, we headed out to the first of our rooms (resort).  There are several of these places in the area.  BF says they are used as short time rooms for the locals, as well as falang visiting their significant others. This matches with what I observed of our fellow guests coming and going.  The resorts consist of 20 or so small bungalow type structures around a common driveway.  Air conditioned, free wifi (which worked very well), small refrigerator, modern shower/toilet, Satellite TV.  No safe box. 500 baht nightly.  


1st resort room

For New Year's Eve, we went to the local club and invited a group of BF's friends to party with us for the night.  I had met many of them during previous visits.  It was nice to see everyone again.  All are very friendly and a lot of fun to party with.  The club had live music most of the night, including band and multiple singers and a dance troupe.   A mix of scantily dressed females for the straights...and overly dressed guys for the gays and girls.  


A rather blury picture of the club...and this was before any drinking


Holiday wishes


A very familiar sight in either Pattaya or Isan


After posting this, it seems that you cannot make the videos any larger when embedded into this site.
If you click on the "watch on youtube" button, you can make the video larger, as well as switch it to high definition.

Some of the guy performers do a little dance.  
I was told that one of these dancers used to work in Pattaya, but I didn't recognize him.  Anyone?

 

Moments before the stroke of midnight

Before the night was over, we had a group of 12 at the table.  We went through 2 bottles of JWR, the various mixers and ice, several rounds of food including a whole fish on a hot pot skillet.  Total bill for the evening was about 4500 baht, which I thought was pretty expensive for Isan.  Not sure if there was a holiday surcharge, a falang surcharge, or just the way it was that night.  But no regrets...we had a great time.

The next day we decided to move to a different resort, which was closer to the family home.  It was not quite as new, but we had stayed there before and it was comfortable and easy to get to, right off the main drag.  Pretty much the same type of setup and the same price.  

Interestingly, neither place had any paperwork for us to fill out.  It was really informal, just stop by the reception desk, pay a night's fee and you get a key.  No ID checks, no signing anything.  If you want to stay another night, just stop by and pay again.  Ah...the simple country life.  










Next came a family trip to a remote temple - Wat Kham Pramong.  It was rather touching...both Mom and Dad dressed up for the outing to the wat and were clearly happy to be tooling around in the car to a far off temple.  The BF, not so impressed.  

From the tourismthailand.org website:  The temple is the meditation centre of the famous monk Luang Pu Sim.

BF indicated adjacent to the wat, and somehow affiliated with it, was a sort of hospice facility.  I believe it is mostly for cancer patients who go there to be cared for both spiritually and medically until their death.  BF's sister was involved in some fund raising for it, I think.  Sometimes difficult to translate what the BF says into reliable information. LOL

I will post some photos and provide some brief captions, but if you don't really care about temple stuff, feel free to scroll on through....


Pedestrian entrance.  Gate closed, but side opening allowed entry.


It was in a very rural location with a fairly large lake on the property.  Lake was full of BIG fish.


I was sorely tempted to ring the bell, but resisted the urge






The inside of this building really reminded me of a western church...a lot of stained glass windows


This is what I feel like when I am stuck at work  LOL




Not sure why one guy is facing away...


Monkey and elephant get into the act


Typical offering of flowers and Fanta

I can't seem to find a picture of the exterior of the largest building.  It was pretty nondescript from the outside, but very ornate inside.
BF, Mom, and Dad all spent some time "praying" in here (is that what it is called?).  I joined in for a bit.  BF had me lift a small budha statue to my head as it brings a lot of good luck.






The small, cement-looking budha on a pillow on the floor, just to the right of the red stool, is what you lift to your head for luck.




OK...Enough of the Wat.  
Time for one of my favorite things...Thai English translations
From the menu at a restaurant in town...












Next, a trip out to the large lake in the area, created by a dam.  BF says there was much talk last year during the heavy rains that the dam may fail and the resulting flood would wipe out many housing areas.  The lake is HUGE, no doubt it would be calamitous if the dam totally fails.  

As a local note, the wooded area adjacent to the dam is a hangout for the local teens.  A place to drink, party, and in the words of BF "lose your virgin".   HeHeHe  

 

It has some waterfalls in the area as well, though we didn't venture to far.  And the story would prove to be true as we came across a group of about 10 teen boys and girls hanging out in the back area.  They were very friendly, and quite amused to have a falang visit their turf.  We chatted with them for a bit, but I think they were anxious to get on with their "activities"...so BF and I headed on out.   


Irrigation system alongside the road leading up to the lake.
As would be expected, BF indicated land more expensive around here due to available water supply
Farmers can plant their land year round...


A lot of green crops in this area, contrasted to the brown land away from the lake.


A shot of a portion of the lake, taken from the raised road/berm that is on top of the earthen dam.


I am not very knowledgeable about dams, but I believe the large pipe is an overflow of sorts, letting a small amount of water out of the lake
when the level gets too high.


This was on the opposite side of the road from the pipe and I assume where the overflow water would come out.
This is also part of the wooded area "hang out"


Small waterfall back in the hang out area...notice evidence of the parties?


This type of stuff was all over in the area.  Shame really.


Roadside stalls on the way back to the house.  We stopped to buy Mom some melon and Dad some Thai whiskey.
Melon was all over the place...everyone out of Thai whiskey. Sorry Dad. 

Next, a visit to the market to gather some supplies for the family....


The meat department


Isan has the same obsession with white skin...not just a Pattaya thing.


Almost enough to make you homesick...NOT.  
BF told me what this actually means (not at all related to the USA), but I forget now.  
It was on some type of soap...either laundry or dish.

EDIT: Have since been advised the word translates to "Breeze" and is a Thai brand of laundry soap.


And now, for some random pictures from around town.


The local song taew.  Looks funny to me in red instead of blue


A typical stretch of route 22


Thai engineering


A main intersection in the area between Udon Thani and Sakon Nakhon.  I think it is route 22 at route 222.
typical wires strung everywhere

Finally time to leave Isan.  BF and I packed our bags and piled into the truck for the trip to Udon Thani Airport.
And here is where I ran into some driving difficulty....

First, the GPS went a bit nuts.  I found Udon Thani airport in the points of interest, selected it, and after computing the route....
"The destination is in an unreachable area"...WTF?     But then indicated we should drive down route 22.
So, off we go.

Well, how bad could it be.  We were on a major route into the city...there would certainly be signs directed us to the airport....NOT.

Anyway, we get into Udon Thani.  It is the middle of the afternoon, traffic is heavy, and my days of driving out in the country had lulled me into
thinking I had the hang of driving in Thailand.  And the damn GPS has me going in circles in the center of the city, including going back and forth between 2 round-a-bouts...
Insidious traffic devices created to torment unsuspecting falang.

I then see an airplane taking off in the distance, so I know in which general direction to head.  Feeling better, I am maneuvering in that direction, still mired in heavy traffic.

And then it happens, I cut it too close and clip the side mirror of the truck on the side mirror of a vehicle stopped in traffic.  SHIT !
Anyway, I stop the truck.  BF and I both hop out and run back to the other vehicle.  I am wai-ing, BF is wai-ing, Thai driver looks mildly amused, to my great relief.
I later learn the BF was saying "so sorry, my friend not drive too good"...or words to that effect.   LOL

After a short bit, the Thai guy indicates all is OK.  We pile back into the truck, me feeling very chagrined, and I slowly putter away from the scene.

I finally get out of the heavy traffic and we find a friendly passerby to ask directions.  Turns out we were not too far off the track, and in 10 minutes we were parking at the airport.  

In a rather surprising development, the car rental guy appeared next to the truck and asked me how everything was.  We were about 30 minutes earlier than expected and it is not like we were the only car pulling into the airport...so either they have a locator on that thing, or the guy was just hanging out at the airport waiting for our eventual return. If they were tracking us on some type of system, I am sure they got a good laugh at our circular tour of downtown Udon Thani.  

Anyway, we turned in the vehicle and received the 2000 baht deposit back.  I had purchased one-way tickets for myself and BF with Thai Airways, business class, for 4000 baht each.  Udon Thani has an interesting setup, where they xray your checked luggage before you go to the check in counter.  They put a sticker / label across the zipper when it is x-ray, then you go up to the counter.  Took a bit to figure that one out.  


Public area (before security)

Anyway, checked in without problem.  We each received a voucher for Eighty baht for use in any of the restaurants as they do not have a business class lounge in the airport.  We went upstairs to the only sit-down restaurant in the place.  Pretty basic place offering what had to be the saddest looking buffet lunch I have ever seen (140 baht).  Anyway, BF got a small plate of made-to-order food and I got a large beer to nurse during our wait.  



Flight was eventually boarded and we jetted off to Bangkok airport (BKK) and a Mr T taxi to Pattaya...which did not go well (Driver almost falling asleep at 1900 hours while driving).

Anyway, that is a short visit in Isan.  Hopefully someone found it of interest as this takes a long time to put together...i never realized how much work goes into these things.
If you have any questions, post away.

[Guest fountainhall]

Great report! Many thanks for posting. I love those mis-translation classics –

 

“Cook habitually drunk”

 

“Uncle cooking shellfish oil”

 

“A chicken cooks the cashew nuts”

 

Priceless!

 

Did you have a chance to see any of Udon? I was only there once about 4 years ago. I found it pretty boring, although there were quite a few guys on gay romeo very anxious to meet up.

[TotallyOz]

Amazing report. Thank you for the great words and the amazing photos!

[Guest anonone]

Thanks guys.  Before my first trip to Isan, I was wondering how things would go...so when I took a quick visit this time, I decided to put the effort into a trip report.  Hopefully it will be of help to other members who decide to head up that way.  Definately a different experience from Bangkok and Pattaya.

 

FH:  I spent no time in Udon.  Left straight away upon the plane's arrival, and just drove through town (many times LOL) trying to find my way back to the airport.  It was bigger than I expected, but can't really comment on anything else.

 

I was surprised at the amount of fellow air travellers to and from Udon Thani.  Thai has 3 flights each way daily, 2 scheduled on 737s and 1 on A300 widebody.  They actually switched out a 737 for another widebody run on my travel day due to the number of passengers.  Air Asia and Nok Air also had flights. 

[Rogie]

I have always enjoyed my road trips in Thailand, either in a friend's car or hirecar. I am lucky being a Brit in that we drive on the left too, so that's one less thing to watch out for. I find driving in the Isaan and the north mostly straightforward, but as you say Anonone, once you hit a town you really have to concentrate. That's great your little 'accident' passed off without mishap, I shudder to think what could happen . . . especially if the police become involved!

 

I don't know Udon too well, I have stayed there 3 times but mostly just for the odd night. There are quite a few girly bars not far from the bus station - yes, Udon is quite large, so I'd guess there would be some boy bars too, but I haven't come across any in my short visits.

 

If you have your own transport, I can recommend the Crystal Hill Garden Resort, owned by a good friend. It's situated about 40 km south-east of Udon.

 

http://www.inspiring-isaan.blogspot.co.uk/

[Guest timmberty]

one of the things i am most looking forward to when i come to either live 12 or 6 months at a time is thailand is just jumping in a can with a bag of clothes and driving.

i'm not sure i'll even bother with a map.

sometimes you find amazing gems in places you might never have visited if you had'nt of gotton lost.

spending a week in small towns etc with no english spoken will either be great fun or a total mare.

[Guest globalwanderer]

Great report Anonone.

 

And thanks for the mention Rogie.  The staff at Crystal Hill all speak some English and are happy to help out.

 

There are always lots of travellers to Udon.  It is also the gateway to Laos.  If you compare fares to Udon on Vientiane then there is a big difference that outweighs the cost and inconvenience of land transport to the border.

 

Udon is expanding rapidly with new developments everywhere.  (We now have two McDonalds and two Starbucks!

 

I rarely spend a night in town, so can't comment on the bar scene.  There used to be two or three Farang orientated places but I have not heard anything about them recently.  The long time bar behind the bus station closed a few years ago.

 

Udon even boasts it's own World Heritage site at Ban Chiang.  And if you are mobile a trip to Phu Prabat is well worth it.

[Guest fountainhall]

Globalwanderer, when I went to Udon I had intended going to Nong Khai to visit a Thai friend, but then he had to go to Bangkok! He said it was much nicer than Udon. Would you - or anyone - agree?

[Guest]

Flying to Udon is certainly cheaper than flying to Vientiane.  I've done it twice.

 

First time, I flew to Udon with NOK, on time.  Found a minivan directly by the terminal exit, which swiftly left for the Nong Khai border. As  per my plan, I spent 2 nights in Nong Khai at the lovely Mut Mee on the river. 

Then I took a tuk tuk to the border, crossed it and joined a group on a pickup into Vientiane. 

Going directly from Udon to Vientiane, via minivan to the border, then negotiating a ride to Vientiane on a shared pickup could possibly be done in as little as 2 hours.  Which is a good way to save $100 or so.

 

Second time, I booked the Nok fly and drive from Vientiane. So NOK arrange transport from Vientiane to Udon.

Meeting time was 7:15 am at the designated travel office in Vientiane.

This all went very badly. 

The day before, I just got an e-mail with a revised flight schedule -about a 2 hour delay.  

No mention about my transport from Vientiane .

 

So next day, I rolled up at Vientiene @ 7:15 am.  The Laos subcontract bus company rolled up bang on time, picked up me and a Thai customer.  We were on the Thai side of the border at 8:00 by and waited at the marked NOK meeting point for the bus, supposed to arrive at 9:00 am (already too much fat in the schedule).

At about 10:30 still no bus. The Thai guy started making lots of phone calls. NOK new nothing and promised to call him back.  Eventually they told him to go to a travel agent in Nong Khai, where they put us on a mini bus departing at 12:00 for Udon.

The re-scheduled flight was delayed again slightly, so we didn't arrive at DMK until after 15:00, in fact just in time to miss the 15:20 shuttle bus to BKK.

Anyhow, the NOK air fly-drive service sucks, I do not recommend it -just use their airline service.

You're better off arranging independent travel between Vientiane and Udon.   

[kokopelli]

Excellent report. Can't wait to try that habitually drunk chicken, etc.

[Rogie]

Globalwanderer, when I went to Udon I had intended going to Nong Khai to visit a Thai friend, but then he had to go to Bangkok! He said it was much nicer than Udon. Would you - or anyone - agree?

I'm no expert as only stayed overnight in Nong Khai once, many years ago and cannot remember the name of the guesthouse I stayed in, although I have done the overland journey into Laos as described by Z a few times. Nong Khai situated as it is on the Mekong might be expected to be more appealing than a large sprawling town like Udon (and let's face it - those large sprawling towns in the Isaan are not very first-time-tourist-friendly places).

 

Here is a comment, taken from wikitravel:

 

"Nong Khai is a sleepy Thai town with strong Lao influences, and is home to small Chinese, Vietnamese, and expat communities as well.

 

Nong Khai is a charming city to wander around on foot or on a rented bicycle (30 baht/day) and meet the friendly and helpful locals. It's also a good place from which soak up the Isaan culture of the neighbouring towns, which can easily be reached by bus from the main BKS ("Bor-kor-sor") bus station in the city centre, on Prajak Rd.

 

If you expect the usual tourist traps of Bangkok and Phuket, you will be disappointed. There are no superclubs, go-go bars and mega-malls. This is a place to chill by the Mekong River watching passenger and cargo boats transit between Thailand and Laos, or to finish that paperback that has been sitting in your luggage for weeks. You may also consider stocking up on travel necessities before trudging on to Laos. Many who have planned only an overnight stay have ended up staying for weeks. "

 

Here's the wikitravel comments re the guesthouse mentioned by Z in post #9.

 

"Mut Mee Guesthouse, by the Mekong River west of Thasadej market. Long-established and understandably popular. In a large tree filled garden overlooking the river, it has both simple and higher quality rooms surrounded by hammocks and a variety of seating. It has a boat called the Nagarina which cruises on the river at sunset. . . Yoga & meditation classes are also available. Large range of good food and drinks. "

 

I'm also a fan of Travelfish, and their write-up on the Mut Mee can be read at the following link:

 

http://www.travelfish.org/accommodation_profile/thailand/northeast_thailand/nong_khai/nong_khai/all/1722

 

I can also recommend the overnight sleeper train as a good way to get to Nong Khai from Bangkok (or vice versa) for those not in a hurry, which usually applies to me!