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In February, 2006, I made a trip to Isan to tour some of the Khmer Temple Ruins along the border of Thailand and Cambodia. My driver and guide was a handsome Thai man named Suphot.
On the first morning, we drove from Surin to Prasat Phnom Rung, south of Buri-Ram. I have posted 37 photos from the site in my Personal Album.
Try http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/fo ... er_id=1200
Enjoy,
George
:geek:
Nice pics......by the way it's Phanom Rung.
Thanks GWMinUS, a nice set of pics, do you have any more of the region?. Would you recommend a trip to Isan? I don't know much about the area but many of the boys I have met have come from Udon, Buriram, Surin etc And a few have said they would like me to visit (maybe alternative financial motives - but what would you suggest?).
Many ways of spelling these words in English.
My guide book spells the Khmer word for "hill" or "mount" as "phnom".
And the word for a terraced pyramid temple as "prasat"
Now the one that always confuses me is how to spell the name of the Region..
Is it "Isaan" or "Isan" or "Esarn"???
About traveling there, I am not an expert.
I will say I did not see much to excite me in Surin or Buriram.
Both are CITIES. And interestingly they both have moats around the Central area.
But not nearly as attractive as Chiang Mai.
The countryside is mostly flat and agricultural. Many small towns and lots of roadside places to eat.
My trip was made more enjoyable by Suhpot, Smiles partner. He drove and gave us the running account of where we where and what crops and plants we where seeing. Had never seen cashew trees before. And he has a thing for rubber trees!!! Watch out smiles, you will become a rubber baron in your old age!!!
My friend, Prun, from Bangkok is actually from Sakhon Nakhon, to the North. So this was his first trip to this area. He really enjoyed it!!
Bottom line, I am an architect so I went to see the temple ruins. Many more that I did not visit. They are not all together, as in Angkor Wat. But I would take a friend who can be your guide. I know you can rent a car and drive yourself. The traffic on the roads was not so bad. But I would strongly recommend contacting Suphot. He is GREAT, both as a guide and a driver!!!
OH, Suphot has a Nissan pickup truck, King Cab. But only two seats in front. So he put in some pillows for Prun and it worked out fine!!!
Cheers,
George
"Isaan" seems to be the most common spelling . . . but I've seen all the others at one time or another. There's really no proper spelling as it's just an attempt at the proper phonetic pronunciation anyway. When written in Thai script I'm sure it's always the same.Quote:
Originally Posted by GWMinUS
As for pronunciation, the "Esarn" spelling is probably closest to getting the correct sound. The double 'a' in "Isaan" is perhaps used because that part of the word is usually very much emphasised (lingered over in fact) and is very loud & guttoral coming from deeper in the throat. It's a bit grating on the western ear as there is no sound in english quite like how a Thai pronounces "Isaan".
If you go to the Isaan music & dance bar in Pattaya on South Pattaya Rd & 3rd Rd. you'll notice that it's name is up in big bright flourescent lettering: "CHARM ESARN"
Cheers ...
PS ... thanks George for the small bit of advertising for Suphot's on-the-side guide business. Anybody who's interested in some personalized guiding through the boonies of up-country Thailand, you can get more info by clicking on my PM or email at the bottom of any of my posts. Also more detailed info by clicking here to a thread in the Resource Forum: http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/fo ... php?t=2215
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...otvehicle1.jpg
1. Suphot - wow very handsome :)
2. 'Charm Esarn' - highly recommended for great Esarn (Esan, Issan, Isaan) music, dancing and sharing the company of Isan boys and girls. Very nice Isan food although can be spicy as hell so take the advice of your friend. And don't be shy, when the dancing starts, get down infront of the stage to that fab' Isan sound.
Oh and by coincidence, my num friend last night brought pic's of his trip to Prasat Phnom Rung (Phanom Rung) to show me. It was amazing how excited he was at even just looking at the pictures again and showing them to me and was so infectious.
LOVE these places (they can be found in most Thai towns) for a great evening . . . boys who love girls, boys who love boys, boys who love boys and girls, girls who love girls, girls who ARE boys (usually on stage).Quote:
Originally Posted by Fatman41
We have at least 4 regular places we go in Bangkok (and there is so many more) and have now found Isan dance halls in Pattaya, Hu Hin, Cha Am, Loei, Chiang Mai, Surin, (heard there was one in Patong, but haven't found it yet), Nong Khai. Have yet to have a mediocre night in any of them and highly recommend for a terrific evening out. Definitely go with a Thai guy(s), preferably from Isaan.
Cheers ...
Fatman if you are into elephants, Surin in November is a must see. This year the festival is the 18 and 19 of November. It is worth a look.
Some of you might wanna see my Esarn/isan etc lol friends/temple/food pics from last year.....
Cant beat those lovely people and their music - this years pics coming later
CLICK HERE FOR PICS
Thanks for sharing your photo album Paul.Quote:
Originally Posted by Oogleman
Cheers ...