TrongpaiExpat
February 21st, 2010, 13:09
Mekong Loei: This is my third trip to Loei province. The first two centered on Loei's national parks and hiking the mountain trails but I noticed that there are a lot of interesting small towns along the Mekong that we did not have the time to visit so we went in search of the "real Thailand" or geographically, west Isaan or what I'll call Mekong Loei.
Loei province is one of the less developed areas of Thailand. Fewer farms and cities than most of the Isaan provinces. It's also very mountainous but this trip we traveled along the hilly terrain that hugs the Mekong River. Loei is boarded by the Mekong to the north and just west of Udon and Nong Khai provinces. You can access it from Rt 211 from Nong Khai or approach from the south from Udon Thani via the city of Loei, Rt 210 to 201.
We took a late afternoon Air Asia flight out of BKK to Udon, for 3,600B RT two passengers. For those prices it actually beats driving from Bangkok. I take this flight often and it's amusing to count all the Thai ladies in tow with strange looking farangs. This time I noticed a marked increase in more normal looking farang tourist types and families. We used Budget and reserved a Honda Jazz but they gave me a free upgrade to a Toyota something. We spend the first night in Undon Thani.
Udon is a flat city of few charms including hotels. I have tried several and none have impressed me. Charoensro Grand Royal, fancy name for a worn hotel next to a disco that vibrates the walls until 2am but a very fancy lobby and excellent breakfast. Napoli, less fancy lobby, rooms clean but basic, quiet and a horrable breakfast. This time we tried a new place, just out of town along the road to Nong Khai, The Nakhaburi, they call it a resort and there's some nice rooms and others not so nice. All the money on this place was spend on the grounds and none on the inside of the rooms. We had to change rooms twice to find one that had a working AC and hot water. We had to upgrade at our expense to a more expensive room. We had dinner here and it was surprising excellent. We expected a good breakfast but it was horrible. Everything cold including the hot coffee and not palatable. The place was about half filled with Thai ladies with farang BF and a few Thai couples.
We drove from Udon to the city of Loei via rt. 210 and 201. The scenery does not get interesting until you get out of Udon province. We then went north on 201 to our destination the town of Chiang Khan on the Mekong. I found this "resort" called Kaeng Khut Khu Hill or just Chiang Khan Hill Resort, on the internet and booked one of the nicer rooms for two nights. We arrived and was told without apologies that the room we booked was not available for our first night but we could stay in the boat house room for 1000B for one night. This room is not worth 300B, near the noisy restaurant but the AC did work and the bed was comfortable. Next day we were given the much nicer room. When we arrived the place was at full. There was a bus load of strange looking Norwegians that looked like they just got off a 19 century Norwegian schooner. One actually was smoking a clay pipe. Funny, all men in their 40's and 50's, about 20 of them and only two women. The others in this resort consisted of a group of German men with shaved heads, tattoos all riding Harley Motorcycles. They were sitting about on the tables drinking beer and playing chess? This resort is on a scenic rocky bend on the Mekong called Khut Khu. There's a very nice looking restaurnat with wonderful views serving some of the worst Thai food imaginable. The Norwegians and the Germans did not seem to notice. Next day they all left and we were alone, the only customers in the resort.
The town of Chiang Khan (also spelled as Khiang Kan) is a sleepy antique looking typical Thai Mekong village with nice views of the river and Lao. We found some excellent places to eat in town. There's quite a few guest houses and home stay rooms but no hotels in town. Some of the guest houses looked nice from the outside but who knows what's inside. I would venture to guess that the number of rooms exceeds demand so arriving in town early and looking for a room should be OK. There were a smattering of young farangs milling about town and along the river but otherwise quite quiet. That is until tour buses arrive and dump a few hundred bus tour people in some restaurant or to walk about the shops. The tour buses can't fit on the road along the river, so they shuttle camera toting from the big bus by smaller golf carts. They don't stay long, wait it out and the town goes back to sleep.
We took rt 2195 west following the Mekong to that point where the Mekong goes north into Lao and is no longer the border between Thailand and Lao. The road here is not completely paved and full of pot holes, slow going. The towns along this route do not see many outsiders. Great food and some unique food items that were unidentifiable to the BF. We bought some of what I though was those ubiquitous fried bananas but turned out to be something else, some local variety of tarrow that was like nothing that I had before and you can not eat just one. The road terminates at Na Haeo at the base of impenetrable mountains. This area looks more like rural Lao than Thailand. You can get over to another road that goes inland and then north and continue following the boarder of Thailand all the way to Nan but I figure that would take a long time and will be saved for another day.
Going the other direction from Chiang Khan in the direction of Nong Khai along rt 211 also follows the Mekong but the road is in much better condition but the scenery pails by comparison. Rt 211 out of Nong Khai to the charming town of Phon Phisai. Another Mekong town with several nice looking guest houses but I have no specific experience with them. We stayed at a city near the BF family, So Phisai, where's a new clock tower and a new 7-11 have been erected. There's two whore houses masquerading as music bars near low priced but very comfortable hotels for 350B per night, 200 short time. Each room comes with a condom, two towels and a very comfortable clean bed.
So, we went searching for that "real Thai or real Isaan" experience and I can say we were only about half successful. I traveled Isaan years ago and back then it was unusual to see a farang, now there everywhere. In tour buses, on motorcycles and even on bicycles in the most remote regions imaginable. I recall years ago walking in some Issan town where everyone did a double take. Once it was assumed I was lost and the local police were called. Now, it's just another farang looking for that illusive real Thailand.
Links:
http://www.nakhaburi.com/about-e.html
http://www.chiangkhanhill.com/maineng.htm
http://www.thailandunplugged.com/index2.html
Loei province is one of the less developed areas of Thailand. Fewer farms and cities than most of the Isaan provinces. It's also very mountainous but this trip we traveled along the hilly terrain that hugs the Mekong River. Loei is boarded by the Mekong to the north and just west of Udon and Nong Khai provinces. You can access it from Rt 211 from Nong Khai or approach from the south from Udon Thani via the city of Loei, Rt 210 to 201.
We took a late afternoon Air Asia flight out of BKK to Udon, for 3,600B RT two passengers. For those prices it actually beats driving from Bangkok. I take this flight often and it's amusing to count all the Thai ladies in tow with strange looking farangs. This time I noticed a marked increase in more normal looking farang tourist types and families. We used Budget and reserved a Honda Jazz but they gave me a free upgrade to a Toyota something. We spend the first night in Undon Thani.
Udon is a flat city of few charms including hotels. I have tried several and none have impressed me. Charoensro Grand Royal, fancy name for a worn hotel next to a disco that vibrates the walls until 2am but a very fancy lobby and excellent breakfast. Napoli, less fancy lobby, rooms clean but basic, quiet and a horrable breakfast. This time we tried a new place, just out of town along the road to Nong Khai, The Nakhaburi, they call it a resort and there's some nice rooms and others not so nice. All the money on this place was spend on the grounds and none on the inside of the rooms. We had to change rooms twice to find one that had a working AC and hot water. We had to upgrade at our expense to a more expensive room. We had dinner here and it was surprising excellent. We expected a good breakfast but it was horrible. Everything cold including the hot coffee and not palatable. The place was about half filled with Thai ladies with farang BF and a few Thai couples.
We drove from Udon to the city of Loei via rt. 210 and 201. The scenery does not get interesting until you get out of Udon province. We then went north on 201 to our destination the town of Chiang Khan on the Mekong. I found this "resort" called Kaeng Khut Khu Hill or just Chiang Khan Hill Resort, on the internet and booked one of the nicer rooms for two nights. We arrived and was told without apologies that the room we booked was not available for our first night but we could stay in the boat house room for 1000B for one night. This room is not worth 300B, near the noisy restaurant but the AC did work and the bed was comfortable. Next day we were given the much nicer room. When we arrived the place was at full. There was a bus load of strange looking Norwegians that looked like they just got off a 19 century Norwegian schooner. One actually was smoking a clay pipe. Funny, all men in their 40's and 50's, about 20 of them and only two women. The others in this resort consisted of a group of German men with shaved heads, tattoos all riding Harley Motorcycles. They were sitting about on the tables drinking beer and playing chess? This resort is on a scenic rocky bend on the Mekong called Khut Khu. There's a very nice looking restaurnat with wonderful views serving some of the worst Thai food imaginable. The Norwegians and the Germans did not seem to notice. Next day they all left and we were alone, the only customers in the resort.
The town of Chiang Khan (also spelled as Khiang Kan) is a sleepy antique looking typical Thai Mekong village with nice views of the river and Lao. We found some excellent places to eat in town. There's quite a few guest houses and home stay rooms but no hotels in town. Some of the guest houses looked nice from the outside but who knows what's inside. I would venture to guess that the number of rooms exceeds demand so arriving in town early and looking for a room should be OK. There were a smattering of young farangs milling about town and along the river but otherwise quite quiet. That is until tour buses arrive and dump a few hundred bus tour people in some restaurant or to walk about the shops. The tour buses can't fit on the road along the river, so they shuttle camera toting from the big bus by smaller golf carts. They don't stay long, wait it out and the town goes back to sleep.
We took rt 2195 west following the Mekong to that point where the Mekong goes north into Lao and is no longer the border between Thailand and Lao. The road here is not completely paved and full of pot holes, slow going. The towns along this route do not see many outsiders. Great food and some unique food items that were unidentifiable to the BF. We bought some of what I though was those ubiquitous fried bananas but turned out to be something else, some local variety of tarrow that was like nothing that I had before and you can not eat just one. The road terminates at Na Haeo at the base of impenetrable mountains. This area looks more like rural Lao than Thailand. You can get over to another road that goes inland and then north and continue following the boarder of Thailand all the way to Nan but I figure that would take a long time and will be saved for another day.
Going the other direction from Chiang Khan in the direction of Nong Khai along rt 211 also follows the Mekong but the road is in much better condition but the scenery pails by comparison. Rt 211 out of Nong Khai to the charming town of Phon Phisai. Another Mekong town with several nice looking guest houses but I have no specific experience with them. We stayed at a city near the BF family, So Phisai, where's a new clock tower and a new 7-11 have been erected. There's two whore houses masquerading as music bars near low priced but very comfortable hotels for 350B per night, 200 short time. Each room comes with a condom, two towels and a very comfortable clean bed.
So, we went searching for that "real Thai or real Isaan" experience and I can say we were only about half successful. I traveled Isaan years ago and back then it was unusual to see a farang, now there everywhere. In tour buses, on motorcycles and even on bicycles in the most remote regions imaginable. I recall years ago walking in some Issan town where everyone did a double take. Once it was assumed I was lost and the local police were called. Now, it's just another farang looking for that illusive real Thailand.
Links:
http://www.nakhaburi.com/about-e.html
http://www.chiangkhanhill.com/maineng.htm
http://www.thailandunplugged.com/index2.html