NORTHEASTERN fantastic attractions anddailyinteractions couldjustendupbeinghighlightsofyourtrip. fantastic attractions amazing. Thailand’s touristtrailisatitsbumpiesthere (Englishisrarely butthe spoken), of oftheMekongisoften nothingshort wildest celebrationsandthesceneryalongparts protect someofthewildestcornerscountry,sleepy villageshostsomeofThailand’s forthem:Angkortemple ruinspeppertheregion,to comelooking superb nationalparks andVietnamese helpingsofKhmer thrown intothemeltingpot. hearty ties totherest ofthecountry.The language, foodandculture are more LaothanThai, with own terms: slowly,steadily, andwithaprofoundrespect forheritageandhistory. are stilltiedtothevillage. This colossalcornerofthecountrycontinuestolive life onits streets, and,even andminds forthosepeoplewho’ve hadtoseekworkinthecity,hearts driverssilk weavingremains pullpassengersdowncity acottageindustry,peddle-rickshaw of theThailand ofold:ricefieldsruntothehorizon,water buffaloeswadeinmuddyponds, ìs For mosttravellers, isThailand’s forgotten andmanyThais, thenortheast backyard.(or Thailand Northeastern 452 © LonelyPlanetPublications ǎ And spendtimehere youshould.Isansaves itsfinestsurprisesforthosewiththepatience If youspendeven tofindasmanydifferences justalittletimehere you’llstart assimilari-

„ „ HIGHLIGHTS „ „ „

an Climbing,andclimbing somemore, then Succumbing tothesurreal inNongKhai’s Watching theMekongdriftbyinsopo- stoneage upIsan’sAngkor-era Soaking and elephants,tigers, monkeys Seeking Yai NationalPark Kradung National Park upthebeauty from atop finally soaking KusculptureSala Kaew park rific riverside villageof temple complexes of while wanderingthroughtherestored more inthemountainous forests of Phimai ( p545) ), the collective name for the 19 provinces that make up the northeast, offers), thecollective nameforthe19provinces aglimpse upthenortheast, thatmake 41) and (p461) ( p464 ) Prasat KhaoPhra Wihan Phanom Rung Chiang Khan ( p504 ) (p493 ) Khao (p468), (p507) Phu Phu

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„ „ FAST FACTS 225

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Suwannaphum Mahasarakham Ku PhraKohNa Sinarin 214 Sam Mo 23 Dan Din Roi Et Wang Sawan soon becameahotbedof communistactivity. the mantleof broaderThailand. ries. Slowly,butsurely, wouldfallunder Isan forced todefineitsownnortheastern bounda- the borders Thailandwas of colonialLaos, Thai kingdoms.ButastheFrench staked out mained largely autonomousfromtheearly the region today. the fabuloustemple complexes thatpepper sway over partsanderected these manyof theAngkorempirecentury, however, held eastern After ThailandandCambodia. the9th kingdom thatflourishedinwhatisnownorth- the SanskritnameforearlyMon-Khmer ern Thailand.ThenamecomesfromIsana, SURIN Kalasin Ban Phluang Prasat Hin ROI ET Phu Tok Wat Mae Kut Bak Kamalasai C AM BODIA Chom Phra Klang Ban Tha Kap Choeng Ban Janrom Long Thailand’spoorest area, thenortheast Until thearrivalof re- Europeans,Isan 222

Beung Kan Nam Charoen 213 KALASIN

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202 Sangkha Sikhoraphum Prasat Mun Kaw Dong Sang Talat Klang Selaphum Phon Thong National Park Nong Sung Pha NamYoi YASOTHON PHANOM NAKHON Pha Tiu Nakhon Salai Rasi 212 SI SAKET Sakon

Ban Phaeng 223 Prasat KhaoPhra Wihan National National Park (581m) Phnom Bach 60miles 100km 0 0 22 24 Huay Huat Kantharalak Mukdahan Kong Khao National Park Si Saket Phra That Phanom Park Mukdahan That Noi Phanom Nakhon 23 Ban Chaiburi/NamSongSi Nakhon Renu AMNAT CHAROEN Kok Tha Loeng Khuang 212 Chamrap 212 Nai Warin

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Chong 453 Mek NORTHEASTERN THAILAND THAILAND NORTHEASTERN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND found atwww.dnp.go.th/parkreserve. Youcan canbe parks andanonlinebookingservice Wiang ( p481 lovers.), amustfordinosaur one of Thailand’sremotest corners; and Phu unspoilt landscapes;Phu ChongNayoi( p540 ), Nam Nao( p481 forest) withitsdense and wildlife watching hiking; andhigh-altitude includePhu Kradung( highlights p504 ) forits monsoonforestintact inmainlandAsia. Other most impressive, covering much of thelargest and 21forest Yai parks.Khao ( p464 ) isits Northeastern Thailandhas24nationalparks National Parks temperatures dipbelowzero. it’s oneof thefew placesinThailandwhere the hottest temperatures andthecoldest– most extreme climacticconditions,withboth to October. Province TheLoei experiencesthe fromJune 40°C) andthenahotrainyseason to May (whentemperatures canclimbtoover fromMarchary, followedbyahotdryseason fromNovembercool dryseason tolate Febru- monsoonalclimate, witharelativelyseason Northeastern Thailandexperiencesathree- Climate less thanone-thirdof thenationalaverage. is incomeinIsan andthepercapita though, land’s boomyears. hasbenefited Noteveryone insurgencies intheglare evaporated of Thai- tothecitiesandvarious many peasants drew Butgrowingurbanisation Sakon Nakhon. Phanom Nakhon and UbonRatchathani, Loei, especiallyintheprovincesIsan, of Buriram, amnesty in1982,guerrillaactivitywasrife in Communist Party. Fromthe1960s,untilan andhelped bolster Thailand’s fromLaos Isan CommunistPartyIndochinese leaders fledto ing inthearea, andinthe1940sanumberof Ho ChiMinhspent1928to1929proselytis- 454 in the Surin, , Buriram and Khorat across much of the region, butparticularly left behind AngkorWat–like monuments influences. TheKhmers andKhmer Thai, Lao languageIsan andculture are meltingpotsof Language &Culture English. always get holdof someone whospeaks the also bookcampsites andbungalows through calling theparkdirectly, youwon’t though .go.th) Information onallof Thailand’snational reservations office reservations . Most lodging can also be reserved by. Mostlodgingcan alsobereserved OTESENTALN • Hsoy THAILAND ••History NORTHEASTERN

( % 0 25620760;reserve@dnp The defining style uses The defining styleuses and Udon Thani are regarded. also highly Phanom Nakhon Cotton fabrics fromLoei, Kaen, Ratchasima. Khon Surinand Nakhon from the northeast,particularly Chaiyaphum, styles of centralThailand. which isfarmore rhythmic than theclassical lûuk thûng plectrum. Themost popularsongformisthe small three-stringed lute played withalarge of short woodenlogs;andthe ponglang rows of bamboo pipesstrungtogether; the as the tive instruments such folktraditionanduses garner norespect. bighomesandfancyclothes and poorbecause villages tell youcanalmostnever whoisrich the inside,notfromwhattheyown. 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Respectandhospitality the radioandyouwillhearmanyDJslaugh- on of stations humour–flipthrough sense Thais fortheirfriendliness,workethicand astheprimarylanguage.Khmer ManyLaos. villages inthefarsouthstillspeak thaninallof heritage inIsan people of , and,infact,there are probably more very language) similartotheIsan astheirfirst (whichpeople livinginthisarea is speakLao norm alongtheMekong River. Many of the WatPhra ThatPhanomnotably –are the templesProvinces, –most whileLao-style The region’s musicisbornoutof adistinc- thisisbyfarThailand’spoorestThough The peopleof are Isan knownby other The best silk in Thailand is said tocome The bestsilkinThailand issaid khaen , which islike axylophone andmade (literally, children of thefields), , areed instrumentwithtwolong mát-mìi phin methods (see methods (see , atypeof lonelyplanet.com byair.Bangkok of the major centres are also connected to Kaenlok, with Khon asthegateway. Most Phitsanu- northern Thailandbybus through northeastern region canalsobereached from The andUbon Ratchathani. Bangkok between and andNongKhai, are Bangkok between The maintrainand buslinesinthenortheast Getting There& Away make goodsouvenirs. sitting onthefloor. Sticky-ricebaskets also khw specialityof thenortheastis ished clothescostabout Another thesame. villages fin- shops, though thaninBangkok less-common fabricstyles)inthe weaving 20% to30%cheaper (more than50%for Pricesforfabricscanbe inthese. specialise Kaen shops inKhon andUbonRatchathani an oldprocessbeingrevived some acrossIsan: fabrics naturallydyedusingplant materials, before weaving. 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Purple lightsshining outinthe these nowpopularmeats. Though theyoungergenerationsdon’tbite bugsallthatoften anymore, tradition whenthegovernment promoted andpigfarming,thusloweringthepricesof chicken ofthetypical family’sdiet,thoughitbecameafading composedalarge as the1970sinsects part because itcoststoomuch. butitisalmostnevercatfish) isthemostfamousfishassociated eaten withthenortheast, here they comefromstreams andricepaddies;asdocrabs,frogseels. catch themselves are usuallysmall–sometimessotinythey’re eaten bonesandall–because dishes. These are mostlycaughtintheMekongandafew otherlarge rivers. Fish thatfamilies dùk has more incommonwith ǎ Except atfoodstallsandthecheapestrestaurants, fishdominates Isan-specificmenuswith To Westerners andotherThais nothingstandsoutinIsancuisinelike insects. Even asrecently an (catfish), khâo n (literally, triangle- axe pillow),astiff ǐ aw (bambooworm)andmore, are sold inmostmunicipalandmanynightmarkets. 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Ifyouare shortontime, and s medium-sized townsare linked bybusortrain, northeast israrely aproblem: alllarge- and If youhave timeonyourside,travelling inthe Getting Around well worth dipping an inquisitive into both toe tourist industry andit is Ratchasima khon Silk andstone are the cornerstones of theNa- PROVINCE NAKHON RATCHASIMA on tomost,butnotall,of thesmallervillages plaa bu (grilled chicken), (grilledchicken), ǎ wngth (sandgoby)amongthemostpopular ǎ ew (pick-up trucks) services go go ew (pick-uptrucks)services Plaa bèuk sôm-tam plaa ráa (giant (papayasalad) (apopular Kaeng omKaeng plaa

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( % a 0 44261222;www ) ai Onceafancy ai ais ) Here’s Here’s ) Rising ) sushi andnoodledishes,plussomeItalianpasta dishes. 60-600B; amnoen; whole chicken 75B; amnoen; wholechicken lar favourite offers aleafyterrace, awinelist 25-60B; place serves adizzyingarrayof regional and place serves Ming Ter yat are are good placestolook:twonotables Mem orial andthewestendof ThJomsurang- neartheThaoSuranari Th Ratchadamnoen cheap meals. restaurantsChinese serving isoverflowingKhorat Thaiand withtasty Anego Big Chili fried riceavailable. has aglobalmenu,withfondue, steak and inared-and-whitepropriately housed villa– expat haunt,thisSwiss-managed place–ap- h Thaifoodriskfree.tasty The 2kgpicture menumakes orderingthe Yommarat isalsooneof themostlow-key. and loveliest restaurant onthisstretch of Th rat; dishes40-220B; Association.Development sponsored bythePopulation&Community thisisanonprofitin Bangkok, operation ing itsmostlyThaifood.Like theoriginal and plentyof newspaperclippingscelebrat- (something of ararityinthispartof Thailand) yellowshopfront. just lookforthebright street runningparalleltoThJomsurangyat; dishes.It’sdownanunnamed seafood Chinese only. famed roastchicken spot,thisis takeaway chickens. sôm-tam pork sausages. andyour eyesopen fordeep-fried insects –keep en masse specialities canbesampled city’s many markets (see p460 ) where Isan Jomsurangyat;dishes25-60B; (Th andthefoodcourtsat affair, Eating onthehoof isbest doneatoneofEating the Siri; dishes35-180B; Siri; Thailand. 70-350B; dishes 30-100B; Other recommendations: Chez Andy &Condoms Cabbages Ling LaoCheu Yang WangFaKai lunch &dinnerMon-Sat; Rabiang Pa Rabiang ( h % h h (

( % intown.Justlookfortheroasting % breakfast &lunch) 0 44260530;62/1ThJomsurangyat;dishes lunch &dinner; dinner;

0 4424 7469; 158/8 Th Chakkri; dishes 0 44247469;158/8ThChakkri; ( 0 4424 1718; 698 Th Ratchadamnoen; dishes 0 44241718;698ThRatchadamnoen; h % h

h lunch &dinner; (no roman-script sign; (no roman-script 0 4428 9556; Th Manat; dishes50-650B; 0 44289556;ThManat; ( ai % lunch &dinner;

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NORTHEASTERN THAILAND THAILAND NORTHEASTERN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND free admission. minal 1 theday. throughout frequentlyNorthern busterminal inBangkok Air-con (212B,three buses hours) leave the BUS Getting There&Away with plentyof . clothing, and ket place downtown. atthis can findjustabout anythingyouneed est, glossiest andbusiestshopping centre. for dining. smaller of markets, thetwonight butbetter vendors, thisisthelargest market. night cheap andfood clothes, flowers, sunglasses Both are attheirbestfrom6pmto10pm. markets. hastwodowntownnight Khorat Shopping Klang Plaza2 Mall The ful has thedancefloordujour,while current programme. formore aboutthe come along.Call details folkdancesfortourgroups;anyonecan Isan sion free) Hotel Sima Thani Entertainment 460 and 3rd class is50B. There are also10daily press trainonly) is230B, 2nd classis 115B takes totravel bybus.The1st-class fare (ex- hours later, which ismuch longer thanit about4½and 9.50pm, arrivingin Khorat tion at5.45am,10.05am, 6.30pm,8.30pm leave Hualamphongsta- express services Theexpresstwo trainstations. andspecial to Khorat’s trainsconnect Bangkok Eleven TRAIN off Hwy2. use buses, Bangkok ince. Buses tootherdestinations, plusmoreince. Buses andtownswithin theprov- Bangkok serves and thecity’sbestmovietheatre.

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( 10am-9pm) % (Th Mahat Thai) Mahat (Th Fun Wonder- Isan’s larg-Isan’s Featuring 0 44256006) The You Ter- , the city, with most starting atbusterminalthe city, with moststarting 1 S Getting Around from Ubon Ratchathani. express (1stclass333B, fourhours) dailyto/ 3rd class213/138B, five tosixhours) and one is 110Band3rdclass is50B. class fare (express trainonly)is245B,2ndclass 11.45am, 9pm,9.50pm and11.40pm.The1st- (express), 6.40am,9.10am, 11.05am(express), theydepartat5.45am 11.28pm. FromBangkok leave at8.22am,1.10pm,3.45pm,8.36pmand and take 4½hours. Normaltrains(sixhours) rat Station 2044. 268/133/58B). (1st/2nd/3rdclass to/from UbonRatchathani train services, most taking about sixhours, mosttaking train services, ǎ wngth You canget traininformationat There are ordinary trains(2nd/ alsoeight Express trainsleave from forBangkok BUSES TO/FROMKHORAT odnr 19 4½ 4½ 220 169 7 290 air-con ordinary 193 Yasothon 6 279 air-con ordinary 155 Udon Thani 5 283 air-con ordinary 220 310 Ubon Ratchathani 6 air-con ordinary 255 Sakon Nakhon 6 338 VIP air-con 220 Pattaya 3 372 air-con ordinary 179 Nong Khai 13 160 air-con ordinary 125 Loei 701 air-con 601 ordinary Kaen Khon VIP Duration(hr) air-con Fare (B) Chiang Mai Destination ǎ

( ew (8B) run fixed routes through % 0 44242044) at10.18amand6.47pm lonelyplanet.com % 0 4424 Kho- Mon-Fri) HasATMMon-Fri) andexchangefacilities. reaches of therealm. Peppered withruinsand of capital Angkorwiththenorthern Khmer traderoutestood onanimportant linkingthe Phimaiwas builtacenturylater, once Prasat niscent of AngkorWat,which ’s temple complexesKhmer atitsheart.Remi- of northeastern Thailand’sfinestsurviving The innocuouslittletownof Phimai hasone rb}kp Phimai AROUND NAKHONRATCHASIMA motorcycles. the eastern halfof ThBuarongalsorent out shops on most placesaroundtown.Several 30Bto70B costbetween torcycle taxis 15 runstobusterminal 2. Siri toneartheTAT office, whiles market. S and thenpassingdownThSuranarinearthe lonelyplanet.com Tourist police Tourist Kasikornbank INFORMATION the widerregion. from whichmakes toexplore base apleasant if youprefer thequietlife, town thissleepy atAngkorWat–but significant thanthose dered theruins–which through are farless almost nothingtodohere onceyouhave wan- little taste of thishistoricheyday.There is town wall,modern-dayPhimai stilloffers a ofsurrounded byragged sections theancient Hin Dat Park (70km) To KhaoYaiNational AROUND NAKHONRATCHASIMA Túk-túk (motorised pedicab)andmo- Túk-túk (motorised Buta Song 201 Wat Dhammachakra Si Kui Sema Ram ǎ Dan KhunThot wngth ( (Th Chomsudasadet; (Th 2148 RATCHASIMA % Kham ThaleSo Noen Sung NAKHON NAKHONRATCHASIMA Ratchasima •• AroundNakhon PROVINCE 1155; ThAnantajinda) ǎ Dan Nok ew 1 takes you past Th Seup ew 1takes youpastThSeup Pak Thong Chai 2068 Nong Suang 2 Nakhon Ratchasima h 304 8.30am-3.30pm (Khorat) ǎ 2198 Non Thai Chok Chai wngth 205 Choho 2150 Ban Khok Sung 224 ǎ Non Sung Phanomwan ew Prasat Dan Kwian 2 2067 Dan Thong 24 Lang have themodelforAngkorWat. been but thetouristbrochures claimthatitmight main shrine. Itmaywellbewishfulthinking, mous cousin,notleasttheroof of its28m-tall a numberof designfeatures withitsmore fa- very much like asittingBuddha. Asculpture Phimai and looksVII, comesfromPrasat stone sculpture of AngkorKingJayavarman a most prizedpossession, The museum’s Prasat. as wellceramicsfromnearbyBan from Phimai, Phanom Rungandotherruins, afinecollection of sculptureshouses Khmer admission30B; 1167; ThThaSongkhran; this reservoir, tury Khmer Situated onthebanksof SaKwan,a12th-cen- rbrbT#yIRl$kocsj'(k^brb}kp Phimai NationalMuseum offer free tours onweekends. guides monuments onthecircuit.Volunteer partment andisoneof themostcomplete egantly reconstructed bytheFineArtsDe- el- Phimai temples, hasbeen Prasat Khmer or so, predatingAlthough AngkorWatbyacentury ple projects amajesty thattranscendsitssize. century, thisHindu-Mahayana Buddhisttem- Suriyavarman I(AD1002–49)intheearly11th the late 10thcenturyandfinished byKing KingJayavarmanStarted byKhmer Vduring v=mpkoxit;y^bLkl^iNrb}kp SIGHTS Mae Nam Mun admission 40B; Nong Bun Nak Unlike somanyof northeastern Thailand’s 226 Nong HuaRaet Ban Prasat Prasat Phimai 20miles 30km 0 0 h Chamuag 206 Lam Chakkarat Phimai 7.30am-6pm) Phimai Prasat

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NORTHEASTERN THAILAND THAILAND NORTHEASTERN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND from Phimai. figuresboundary stonesandotherKhmer garden, nexttothemainhall,displays ornate 462 once looked. isagood indication ofsudasadet, howthey faces Phimai atthesouthernend of ThChom- bled away, butthe Bramathat. which refers toitasthecremation site of King period. Itsname is derived from a folktale, (stupa) datingback tothelate Ayuthaya admission free; Songkhran; in andaroundPhimai. A numberof otherhistoricfeatures survive Other Sights 4 1 3 2 PHIMAI Large sections of sections Large thecitywalls have crum- AHNRTHSM RVNE • rudNko acaia NAKHON RATCHASIMA Ratchasima ••AroundNakhon PROVINCE 206

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Th Haruethairome Kwan 8 & SnackShop Museum Gift 2 Sa 5 Banyan; admissionfree; history andfeatures cultural performances, weekend of November, celebrates thetown’s The FESTIVALS &EVENTS 13th century. platform constructed outof laterite in the Nang SaPhom forest. smallest branches makes itlooklike asmall sive system of rootscascadingfromallbutthe reservoir. Thelocalscallit megaflorum spread over anislandina large Thailand’s largest andoldestbanyantree, a

4 One kilometre southof thetown is A coupleof kilometres eastof town is Chomsudasadet Th 1 Phimai FestivalPhimai 7 9 (Banyan Tree)

To SaiNgam 6 Songkhran Tha Th 11 (admission free; 3 (2km) 0.3miles 500m 0 0 h , staged over thesecond SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Bus Terminal...... Phimai Inn...... (see10) Phimai Inn...... Phimai Hotel...... Old PhimaiGuestHouse...... Boonsiri GuestHouse...... Phimai NationalMuseum...... Entrance...... Meru Boromathat...... Tourist Police...... Kasikornbank...... TRANSPORT EATING rt hi(itr ae....C4 Pratu Chai(VictoryGate)...... Phimai HistoricalPark 6am-6pm) To BaiteiyRestaurant(300m); Tha NangSaPhom(1km) h Chok Nong Sai Ngam , andtheexten- lonelyplanet.com 24hr) D , alanding

(Beautiful 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 C4 A4 C4 C3 C3 C1 C3 C3 C3 C3 Tha hotel, butthere are plentyof roomsbehind the tobeawholelotthis there seem doesn’t dasadet; dm150B,r450-650B; bar. Thefanroomsare abargain. unless you’dratherripitupinthekaraoke peaceandquiet– 206, givingyousomeserious inthemiddleof nowhereseemingly onRte –sits the competitionisparticularlystiff coming atmosphere. backpacker vibe prevails andthere’s awel- down a sudasadet; dm80B,r130-350B; GuestHouse Old Phimai SLEEPING urday of themonthfromOctobertoApril. version of showisheldonthelastSat- thelight showsanddragon-boatlight races.Asmaller lonelyplanet.com House for 20Bper houror 100Bper day. House you can rent bicycles from Boonsiri Guest more of thetownandenvirons (egSaiNgam) to stroll,but,tosee Phimai issmallenough AROUND GETTING minal 2(37B,1¼ hours, half-hour). every forPhimai leaveBuses buster- fromKhorat’s THERE & AWAYGETTING plus someinternational staples. adecentspreadtory Gate), does of Thaifare, eatery, about500msouthof PratuChai(Vic- thislovely outdoor carvings, stone Khmer Chumpuang; dishes40-200B; noodles. Phimai basics, including tasty Thai andIsan Most of thevendors nexttotheislandserve Sai Ngam EATING proper hotel insidethecity. getis lettingitself run-down,butit’stheonly rome; r250-680B; lockers) andtheroomsare bigandairy. phere, are butstandards (thedormshave high to have scrubbedawaymostof theatmos- scenes. Pathological spring-cleaningappears Appropriately decorated withpseudo-sand- The town’smostupmarket option–notthat ner) dishes, gets goodreviews. Boonsiri GuestHouse Boonsiri Baiteiy Restaurant Baiteiy Phimai Inn Phimai Phimai Inn Phimai Hotel Phimai This hotel restaurant, serving many Isan manyIsan Thishotel restaurant, serving

soi (dishes 20-60B; (lane) is a little scruffy, butthe (lane)isalittlescruffy,

(dishes 30-180B; ( a %

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Th Mittaphap, Khorat; Khorat; Th Mittaphap, in situ, headman here, preciated; ages of Buddha thathave en- probably been originally ashrine totheHindu godShiva, im- the structure Although tohave isthought been it’sworthaquicktrip. however, history buff, temples photogenic.many Khmer Ifyou’re a tive tumbledown andthecomplexlacks the distinc- PrasatPhanomwan Even after reconstruction ruins of theKhmer xiklkmro};yo Prasat Phanomwan 15 minutes ateach, for60B. all thesites, includingwaitingtimeof about willzipyouaroundto waiting atthehighway to Phimai Motorcycletaxis willdropyouoff. (27B,40minutes)Hwy 2,andordinarybuses is45kmnortheastof off Prasat Khorat, Ban THERE&AWAYGETTING office Khorat’s a dayortwoinadvancethrough should bemade ketry andfarming.Reservations homes andshowthemdailyactivities,like bas- 400B) winning plains whatlife waslike days. inthose someofhouses thebetter discoveries andex- A small in 1991.Three of the extensive archaeological digs,finallycompleted wereearly civilisation finallyrevealed during forging toolsoutof bronze. Thesecrets of this , weaving clothand, inlater years, domesticating animals,fashioningcoloured fornearly500years, plantingrice, survived near thebanksof Mae It NamThanPrasat. ceramic culture Prasat, putdownrootsatBat About 3000years ago,aprimitive agricultural/ [hkoxiklkm Ban Prasat ceramics Even ifyou thinkyouhave nointerest in fjkogd;upo Dan Kwian veneration. There are direct s period are stillin place andremain theobjectsof shrined here sinceatleasttheearlyAyuthaya Khorat’s busterminal 1(20B,30minutes).Khorat’s Many of are thehouses partof anaward- , where villagers putupvisitors intheir prang

( % are thevillage. ondisplaythroughout h you should pay DanKwian a visit. museum homestay programme 0 4421 3666; www.tourismthailand.org; 2102-2104 2102-2104 0 44213666;www.tourismthailand.org; (Khmer-style tower)thatmake so 24hr) , withskeletons andpottery left Khun Thiam Khun (donations appreciated; h

(admission free; 8.30am-4.30pm) excavation pits

( %

(per person incl 2 meals (per personincl2meals h ǎ wngth 0 44367075) , or the village , orthevillage 24hr) h (donations ap- are rather are rather 8am-4.30pm) ǎ ew from ew from . 463 Thai Thai TAT TAT

NORTHEASTERN THAILAND THAILAND NORTHEASTERN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND 13.5m-long Dvaravati-style image isunique to dateThought back tothe8th century, the 4444 1684; ofis talk reopening it),and shuttered(it’s been formanyyears butthere acrossfromthe SilkCulturalCentre highway are outto make it.Twooutletsworthseeking whereitself, familiesare silk toobusyselling Pakin thedistrict;exceptBan ThongChai village in justaboutevery under theirhouses ofsands, familiesstillweaving onhand-looms not tomentionthehundreds, ifnotthou- are around35silkfactories inthedistrict, more onThompson,see p135 ). Todaythere buyingsilk hereJim Thompsonstarted (for land’s mostfamoussilk-weaving centres when PakAmphoe ThongChaibecameoneof Thai- xydT'(yp Pak ThongChai gate. (12B, 30minutes) fromnearthesouthcity of old-stylepottery. plus somefarmingimplementsandexamples a varietyof oldcartsfromaroundthecountry, light hours) Museum checkpoint’). Theramshackleprivate ( old Khorat stop fortraders ontheirwaytomarkets in sculpture. reproductions of sandstone ancientKhmer of objects, fromjewelleryandwindchimes to Clayisshapedthough. andfired intoallkinds much artgalleryasstore. It’snotallpottery, andsomeareiad shopslinethehighway as from thisdistrictproducessuch results. Myr- ture andrust-like hue–onlykaolinsourced and itscreations are tex- famousfortherough producingpotterybeen forhundreds of years This village 15kmsoutheastof has Khorat 464 land’s oldest isThai- Sung Noen in Khorat’s inside Housed ritr=mTwlpkloNsbomikp Sandstone RecliningBuddhaImage terminal half-hour. 1every (30B,40minutes)on Rte leave 304.Buses weavers workingatthelatter. town.Youcanwatchthe mainroadthrough To get here hoponabus fromKhorat, Originally thevillage wasabullock-cart Pak ThongChaiis35kmsouth of Khorat Chattong AHNRTHSM RVNE • hoYiNtoa ak NAKHON RATCHASIMA Yai ••Khao PROVINCE NationalPark

( atthenorthendof thestripdisplays % h 0 44375199;donationsappreciated;

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( bird kingdom, aswell asthewreathed hornbill ( tions of hornbills, including thegreat hornbill Yai also hasoneof Thailand’s largest popula- ters, andvarious gibbonsandmacaques.Khao bears, Asiatic blackbears, tigers, leopards,ot- gaur,Malayan barkingdeer, deer, sun sambar boundaries; other mammalsrecorded include visits. rainy-season the endof July,one of thefew benefitsof chids bloomfromthe middleof Junethrough occurred before itwasprotected. Many or- forest inareas where agriculture andlogging 1000m); andsavannah andsecondary-growth 400m to600m);hillevergreen forest (over mixed deciduousforest (northernslopesat semi-evergreen rainforest (400mto900m); zones: evergreen rainforest (100mto400m); Rom, thepark’sterrain covers five vegetation centre atthe mostly English-speakingstaff named aUnescoWorldHeritage site. The ing inmainlandAsia, which iswhywas the largest monsoonforests intact remain- Yai2168 sqkm,Khao incorporates oneof Coveringoldest andmostvisited reserve. 1877 3127;admission400B; greatest parks, Up there onthepodiumwithsomeof world’s v=mpkocsj'(k^bg*kBsPj KHAO YAINATIONALPARK nearly 200Bforthereturn trip. topay for thefinal5kmtowat.Expect you’llhaveSung Noen tohire as (22B,30minutes).terminal From inKhorat It canalsobereached fromeither bybuses onlythree(although localtrainsstophere). minutes) isontherailwaylineto Bangkok a daytripfromthere. (6B,40 SungNoen 40km southwestof isbestdoneas Khorat, to predate theBuddhaimage. alsofoundonthesite, which isthought Law, is astonerendition of of theBuddhistWheel builtbeforebeen it.Alsoondisplayatthewat the elementsbyahuge roof, has andanaltar crude butappealingimage isprotected from ally looksasolditispurported tobe. The of stuccoandacoatof whitewash. Itactu- coveredin thatithasn’tbeen withalayer helpful. nók kòk nók graam cháang; Some 250wildelephants trampthepark’s Ram, Visiting WatDhammachakra Sema Rising to1351mwiththesummitof Khao

( h or 8.30am-4.30pm) nók kaahang Khao YaiKhao NationalPark h literally, ‘elephant-jaw are very friendlyand 6am-9pm) inThai), kingof the lonelyplanet.com isThailand’s ǎ wngth

( visitor % ǎ ew 08 Kong Kaew is isthehighest), to theradarstation, roadside overlooks The easiestattractiontoreach, otherthanthe Sights &Activities capital. weekend destinationforresidents of the andapopular toBangkok which iscloser Province Southeastern Thailand, (see p270 ), tion isthesouthernentranceinPrachinburi transport information, p466 op- ). Thesecond out of thebackpacker townof Pak Chong(see andtransportoptionsoriginatingsleeping Province, Ratchasima with Nakhon through the park.Thefirst isthenorthernentrance 315 have recorded. been species make theparktheirhomeandsome 200bird them.Over this isthebesttimetosee Hornbills breed fromJanuary toMarch, and brown hornbill bird’), Indianpiedhornbill lonelyplanet.com Km pillar 35. 1km pathalong acreek near bed, starting dusk (the bestwildlife-watching times), isa the tower, idealforgetting there atdawnor animals on yourway.The shortest route to this tower,butit’s thebetter bet forspotting metre-long lottery-winner lucky–todo so. Three-kilo- a tiger, butyouhave tobe very lucky– like park. Thisisthe most likely placeyou’ll see one of thebestwildlife-spotting spotsinthe tre) overlooks alittle lake lickandis andasalt tower (there’s tothevisitor cen- anotherclose tower Chiobservation Phak are unlikely. ter) encounters forspottingelephants, though probably thebestfootpath(theroads are bet- chance gibbonsandhornbillsit’s of seeing waterfalls tothevisitorcentre. There isagood around fallentrees) thatconnectsitandother compass, youoften have totake longdetours Trail 1 forest-encased jewelisbestreached via8km easilyreachedbottom. Though bycar,this TheBeach roleinDannyBoyle’sfilm scooped astarring to25m award goes combine toforma150mdrop,butthebeauty park, is 1km walkfromtheroadinfarsouthof the visitor centre. Thebiggest waterfall, justa There are twoprimaryentrancesinto It’s 5.4kmfromthevisitorcentre to , asomewhatchallenging path(take a Nam TokHaewNarok , asmallwaterfallbehindthe right . Youcanswiminthepoolat Trail 9 NAKHONRATCHASIMA Yai ••Khao PROVINCE NationalPark (Pha DiewDie,ontheway (nók ngêuaks is a seldom-used pathto isaseldom-used Nam TokHaewSuwat along , whose three , whose levels (nók khàek) ǐ i námtaan) Trail 5. , which This Nong and . a free ridethere. Rte 2090(ThThanarat)andthey canget you for visitingthepark are southof townalong since thebestplaces English-speaking staff), (if indoubt,callthe hotel mosthave yourself, and busstopsareat thetrainstation helpful around thenearbytownof Pak Chong.Touts There are alsodozens of inand placestostay Sleeping &Eating to bethegoingrate. are negotiable, but500Bforatrailwalkseems be hired asguides, atthevisitorcentre. Prices iftheyareahead. Rangers, free, cansometimes by school groupssoit’snotabadideatocall butguides cangetunnecessary, booked out are short toberecommended. Reservations toursHalf-day are alsoavailable, butjusttoo tours. add-onstothe standard second-day trekking andotherspecialitytours make good trance fee whileothers donot.Birdwatching, somecompaniesincludetheparken- because dosomecarefulthough comparisonshopping actually gaiters). around1000B, Pricesstart socks’(thatare ‘leech in therainyseason, elephants);lunch, snacksandwater; and, see (which safari’ isyourbestchancea ‘night to to visit.Full-dayprogrammesusuallyinclude spread andthisisreally praise) theidealway YaiKhao GardenLodge have earnedwide- offer the bestviewingpoint. around 5.30pm.Yourhotel candirect youto gorging millionsof rare wrinkle-lippedbats northern gate, isa rental andoffers intherainyseason) important visitor centre gives hikingadvice(especially at the also helpskeep themaway.Thestaff areleeches aproblem –mosquitorepellent get andduringtherainyseason alittlerough boots andlongtrousers –someof thepaths matter whattrailyoutake, youshould wear well trodden,soguidesare recommended. No formed bythemovement of wildlife, are notas spotless. English-speaking owners keep the rooms side town. It’sabitragged, butthefriendly, ite has someof thefew budget rooms out- thisoldfavour- half-guesthouse, Half-home, www.greenleaftour.com; ThThanarat, Km7.5;r200-300B) Outside thepark,about 10kmfromthe Most otherhikingtrails,someof them Many Yai of aroundKhao theguesthouses Greenleaf GuestHouse Greenleaf

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NORTHEASTERN THAILAND THAILAND NORTHEASTERN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND 3052; r8475-16,575B,tentedvilla31,780B; park itself hasfivepark itself restaurants: atthevisitor nearthemalong ThThanarat.The taurants food andthere are manylovely, gardenres- bygroups. but onlywhennotinuse ones close early,soplan ahead. ones close Nam TokHaew Narok. Even thecampsite NamTokHaew Campsite, khong Suwatand Ta-centre, theOrchid theLam Campsite, three-bedroom sleeper (per person30B,2-persontentrental 100B) Therein theparkitself. are two It’s 7kmeastof theparkgate. but there isnodenyingthisplacespecial. onedesignedbyJackthe park(even Nicklaus), having ontheedge an18-holegolfcourse of and allthemodcons.We’re nottookeen on All roomshave bamboofurniture, balconies all risingfromalotus-andreed-filled pond. fusionbuildings,rant andotherThai-Bali you are greeted byatoweringstilted restau- thewoodenfrontdoorsStep ‘through’ and is usuallyeither‘Wow!’orstunnedsilence. The first impression of thisluxuryresort-spa gardensandairyrooms. pleasant nals, andoffers tennis courts,spatreatments, plush placeisoneof Yai theKhao area origi- .com; ThThanarat,Km17;r1430-5200B; makethe mid-pricelevel) foralovely stay. vidually decorated rooms(available at starting thelovelygood newsbecause gardenandindi- ers appeartohave theship,which righted is slide more thanjustalittle,butthenewown- ais ThThanarat,Km7;r350-2500B; .khaoyai-garden-lodge.com; 466 Chong tothe park’snorthern gate (25B,45 cially ifcoming fromBangkok. butitisslowerthan thebus,espe- or Khorat, Pak Ayuthaya Chong bytrainfrom Bangkok, con 45/77B,1½hours). Youcan alsoget to alsostopinPakbuses Chong(ordinary/air- justabout allBangkok-bound From Khorat, the Northernbus terminal to Pak Chong. 115/148B, 2½hours, 20 minutes) every from take abus(ordinary/air-conFrom Bangkok Getting There& Away fridge. Simple S Kirimaya YaiJuldis Khao Resort Yai Lodge Khao Garden Each ofEach thelodges good listed above serve The best setting for sleeping is,of forsleeping course, The bestsetting ǎ wngth UIA RVNE • uia agRn &NangRong ••Buriram bungalows ) Previous owners hadletstandards

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noon Sat, Sun&holidays) and exchangefacilities. Tourist police Tourist Post office 9pm) Check youremailhere. Comnet Buriram Bangkok Bank Information yourself. place tobase their ruinruns.Surin isanotherreasonable before good guesthouses, andafterseveral and south, which hasafullrange of services people beddowninNangRong,54km tothe there’s very littletokeep youoccupiedsomost but theaccommodationsceneis poor and forexploring theregion’ssible base temples, The forgettable of capital Buriram isapos- pop 30,000 [=iuiy}pN BURIRAM &NANGRONG temple overload. and shouldimpress acute suffering those even Thailand, Phanom Rungisworththejourney Angkor monumentin The mostspectacular straddling thesummitof anextinctvolcano. beautifully restored temple complex Khmer Rong Province signs. government have offices already putupNang fromBuriram; some tosecede which ispoised Most sitinthesouthernhalfof theprovince, tion andpeppered withruins(143of them). find alandscapechock-a-block withtradi- intothecountryside,wherea beeline youwill tourist destination.Thebestadviceistomake of asa itshistoricmoat,thecityisahardsell all thefussisabout.Despite hangingontohalf larger provinces, wonderwhat andyoumight of Buriram, attheheartof oneof Thailand’s Touch downinthelittleprovincial capital BURIRAM PROVINCE out motorcycles. faràng driversguards are totalking used intohauling another 14kmtothevisitorcentre andpark offices atvariouspointsonthe mainroad).It’s terminal (air-con stopattheirown buses that’s about 300mwestof theordinarybus minutes) frominfrontof store the7-Eleven The crowninggloryisPhanom Rung,a Some shops onPak Chong’smainroadrent (Westerner) upthere. (Th E-san; (Th Book accommodationBook online at lonelyplanet.com ( (Th Thani; (Th % (8-10ThNiwat; perhr15B; 1155; Th Niwat) h 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am- 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, h 8.30am-3.30pm) HasATM lonelyplanet.com h 8am- Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com 400B; Chai Charoen BURIRAM Sleeping the 197-step staircase. drop youattheentrance where youcanclimb public transport,anybusheading south will beforeitself theLordBuddha. Ifyouare using there’s asculpture of anelephantprostrating the crater of anextinctvolcano;goingdown what isassumedtobedrive upyou’llsee Parkdong Forest Buddhaimageimmense atoplittle dling displayisworthalook. suffers fromneglect,buttheelephant-han- in thebuildingwithstupa-shaped roof, ( University’sRajabhat Sights joint. the rooms aren’t as grubbythe rest of the is fastapproachingtrain station fleapit,but Niwat; r120-180B) % 1 3 2 CENTRAL BURIRAM For panoramicviewsof thecity,join Thai Hotel Thai 0 44611221;ThJira;admissionfree; a Kao TaLai...... Kai YangEmpire...... Bamboo Bar&Restaurant.... Thai Hotel...... Chai Charoen...... Tourist Police...... Post Office...... Buriram Comnet...... Bangkok Bank...... h imTus...... C2 Phu SiamTours...... TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING INFORMATION Buriram LakeParkResort(14km); ) Nang Rong(54km);Phanom Kradong ForestPark(8km); The Thaicould bequite nice ifitjust To LowerIsanCultural Centre (600m);Khao AC

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( flies % 0 tions have anyspecial significance, especially Nobody knows forsure orienta- whether these Phimai facessoutheast. and Thailand’s Prasat Wihanfacesnorth Khao faces west, itsPrasat of SoutheastAsia, AngkorWat Cambodia’s Of thethree othergreat monuments Khmer faces east,towards theoriginalAngkorcapital. the apexof Angkorarchitecture. Thecomplex II (rAD1113–50), which byall accountswas of it during thereign of KingSuriyavarman the10thand13thcenturies, bulk tween the effort. reach, itmore than rewards whomake those it’snot theeasiestplacetoand, although took 17years tocomplete therestoration) restored monumentinThailand(it Khmer Rung temple complexisthelargest andbest the Angkorempire oncelay.ThePhanom and it’sinthisdirection of thatthe capital Dongrek Cambodia’s mountains, clearly see paddy fieldsbelow.Tothesoutheast youcan sits agood70storeyssanctuary above theflat Crowning thesummitof aspentvolcano, this h Rung Phanom v=mpkoxit;y^bLkl^iNg*kro}i=h' PHANOM RUNGHISTORICALPARK airport. and400Bfromthefrom thebusstation Túk-túk tothetowncentre costabout40B Getting Around from the Buriram onmosttrains. rat (3rd/2ndclass24/165B)istwohours from takes 2½andfourhours, between whileKho- (3rd/2nd class40/201B) Ubon Ratchathani To cabin ononeof theovernight services. as1016Bforanair-conand goashigh sleeper at 67Bfor3rdclassand265B2ndclass, and8½hours. Faresseven start toBangkok at 5.15pm.Theslowertrainstake between 5.45am and9.50pm,departforBangkok undersixhours)(taking leave at Bangkok by 10 trainsaday.Thefastest services served lineandis Buriram isontheBangkok–Ubon TRAIN andSurin(air-con 35B,hourly). half-hour) (ordinary/air-con 65/95B,three hours, every Buriram’s 10.20pm. Theothermaindestinationsfrom The Phanom Rungtemple waserected be- You canget up-to-date traininformation 6am-6pm) train station bus terminal hasaknock-me-deadlocation. Book accommodationBook online at lonelyplanet.com

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( ( % % 0 44631746;admission40B; 0 44611202) 0 44612534) lonelyplanet.com are Khorat . ices atthecomplex,butwhenwelastvisited Guides (fees are negotiable) offer theirserv- about boththeconstructionandrestoration. area, artefacts foundatthesite, anddisplays row of giftshops, an complex. dance-dramas are performedinthetemple showsand sound-and-light and atnight-time there Phanom isaprocessionupKhao Rung, tion of Phanom Rung.Duringthemorning Festival celebration, the of April,localpeoplehave theirownspecial Also,onthefirstduring thisevent. Saturday one dayearlier. Thepark extends itshours March and5–7October. Inleapyears itbegins on5–7 andsunset April and8–10September on3–5alignment happensduringsunrise doorways.Thecorrect15 sanctuary solar all four timeswhenthesunshines through Hindu temple orientation). land faceeast(towardsthedawn–typicalof monumentsinThai- as mostsmallerKhmer lonelyplanet.com in Thailand.Itbeginsonaslope400m eastof example main gate. Thisisthebestsurviving Phanom Rung isthepromenadeleadingto One of themostremarkable designaspectsof Design unlikely. galows willbeavailable inthefuture, butit’s none spoke English.It’spossible thatbun- free; PHANOM RUNG Below the main sanctuary, after thelong themainsanctuary, Below If youcan,planyourvisitforoneof the h 5Mondòp 4Prasat 3SmallPrang 2Pavilions 1Prangs 9am-4.30pm) , which commemorates therestora- 3 4 1 BURIRAM PROVINCE •• Phanom Rung Historical Park ••PhanomRungHistorical BURIRAMPROVINCE 10 NagaBridge 9Stairs 8Pools 7NagaBridge 6NagaBridge houses ascalemodelof houses the 5 Climbing Khao Phanom Rung Phanom Climbing Khao 6 Information Centre 2 7 8 14 Terraces 13 Platform Hall 12 WhiteElephant 11 Promenade 9

(admission 10 Angkor WatinCambodia. tistic achievement, onparwiththereliefs at Rung represents the pinnacle of ar- Khmer The craftsmanshipatPhanom the porticoes. paying particularattention tothelintels over galleries andthe the temple walls,have alookateach of the and false-balustrade windows.Onceinside tower. roofs Thegallerieshave curvilinear asmallerversiongallery isitself of themain each of itsfoursidesandtheentranceto each plan andneedle-like spire) hasagalleryon tral Thecen- lery leadingintothemainsanctuary. youcometothemagnificenteastgal- stairway foundatAngkorWat. those figuresstyle –infact,these are identicalto by 16five-headed pent-like creature) bridges. Thefirst isflanked first andlargest of three style (AD1100–80).Theavenue endsatthe with lotus-bud tobeearlyAngkor tops,said stone blocks,andflanked pillars bysandstone a 160mavenue paved withlaterite andsand- down fromthepavilion area, you’llcometo have handedout here. been After youstep asofferingsto beused inthetemple mayalso entering thetemple complex.Flowergarlands royalty bathedandchanged clothesbefore Cháng Phèuak (White ElephantHall) where of thisisastonehallknownlocallyasRohng have awoodenpavilion. been Totheright forwhatmay Next comesacruciformbase the maintower,withthree earthenterraces. After passingthisbridge andclimbingthe prasat 11 (buildingwithacruciformground 200m 0.1miles 0 0 gopura naga intheclassicAngkor (entrancepavilion), naga 12 (mythicalser- 13 14

469 NORTHEASTERN THAILAND THAILAND NORTHEASTERN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND a Shivalingam (phallusimage). take aChanthaburi-bound Ta bustoBan Pek Khor at, BuriramorSurin.From Phanom Rungcanbeapproached from Getting There&Away Nataraja relief. gate (themainentrance)beneaththeShiva by a of eternity,on themilkysea here represented Kala, thegodof timeanddeath.He isasleep Brahma. Oneithersideof Vishnuare headsof blossoms, ononeof which sitsthecreator god his navel isalotusthatbranches intoseveral in theHinducreation myth.Growingfrom relief depictingareclining Vishnu (Narayana) the mostbeautifulisPhra Narailintel, a various otherlintels andcornices.Probably andKrishna, decorateincarnations, Rama Nandi. Thecentralcellof the of Shiva andUmariding theirbullmount, while onthesouthentranceare theremains which orearlyAngkorstyle, islate Baphuan building) isfoundaNataraja (DancingShiva), east porticoof the key exterior. pointsonthesanctuary Onthe the centralmonumentsandinvariousother the lintels or pedimentsover thedoorwaysto Vaishnava in and Shaiva deitiescan beseen Vishnu andShiva. Excellent of both hibits iconographyrelated totheworship of constructed asaHindumonumentandex- The Phanom Rungcomplexwasoriginally Sculpture 470 To Nakhon (104km) (Khorat) Ratchasima Khok Ngiew VICINITY OFPHANOMRUNG Prasat Ban Several sculpted images ofSeveral Vishnuandhis To Aranya (120km) Prathet Pa Kham UIA RVNE • rstMun a Tam ••PrasatMeuang BURIRAM PROVINCE naga 348 Wat Khao 2073 Nang Angkhan Rong . Thislintel sitsabove theeastern 2075 218 24 Lahan Sai Historical Park Phanom Rung To Buriram (45km) mondòp 2117 Ban TaPek Praibat Prasat Khao 2117 Ban Ta-Ko (square, spired prasat NongBuaRai Khok Meuang Kuti Reusi Kuti Reusi Prasat MeuangTam 2075 contains contains Prasat Thong Quarry Ban Kruat 219 To Buriram (40km) Prakhon 2075 Chai Ban Kruat after Phanom RungandPhimai; fourthifyou thirdmostinterestingIsan’s temple complex– sored byKingJayavarman V,thisisprobably the late 10thorearly11thcenturyandspon- is only7kmtothenorthwest.Dating backto bolt-on toanyvisitPhanom Rung,which (Lower City;admission30B; stored temple of Khmer In thelittlevillage of Meuang, Khok there- xiklkmg}nv'^Ñk PRASAT MEUANGTAM 300B). allthewayto Phanomcycle taxi Rung(return and thencontinueasabove, ortake amotor- Ta Ban Rong thatwillpassthrough Pek (10B) one of ors thebuses Ta-KoRong. OnceinBan youcanwaitfor marked turn-off about 14kmeastof Nang hours) Ta-Ko, shouldget atBan off awell- 78B, twohours) orSurin(air-con 65B,two tothetopwillcostabout30Bless. taxi the footof whileamotorcycle themountain, the market ontheeastendof townthatgoto five dailys 40minutes),every oryoucantake oneof the Ta Ban pass through Pek (20B,30minutes, tour theruins. rates includewaitingtimeswhileyou These people 300B)totake youtherest of theway. (150B)ors torcycle taxi 1½ hours), where tohire you’llneed amo- (ordinary/air-con 40minutes, 35/55B,every Those coming by bus from Khorat (air-con comingbybusfromKhorat Those fromNangRongtoChanthaburialso Buses Prasat Baibak Ban Kruat Kilns ǎ wngth 12miles 20km 0 0 ǎ ew (20B,45minutes) from ǎ Ban TaMiang h wngth Bak Dok 6am-6pm) ǎ Prasat Meuang TamPrasat Meuang wngth Meuan Prasat Ta CAMBODIA ǎ lonelyplanet.com ew fromNang 2121 To Surin (27km) isanideal ǎ Prasat ew (three Ban Phluang Prasat Hin

only oneof sites thatcanconveniently these 100B to150B. Meuang Tam ontoPhanom Rungforabout temple. driver Anymotorcycletaxi willadd Meuang if youare headingtothelatter. and Meuang Tam, aswell stop soyoumight in English, inthesmall alongwithotherrelatedseen, exhibitslabelled Uma ridingthesacred bull,Nandi.Itcanbe principal once ashrine toShiva. Also,alintel fromthe central towersuggests thatthetemple was the Hindugods.AShivalingam foundinthe five peaksof MtMeru, the mythicalabodeof designasthatofthe same AngkorWat:the prang orasimposingthesandstone nearly astall the remaining towers, being brick,are not The principal surroundfive ter exquisitely carved, five-headed each guardedbywhimsical filled reservoirs, laterite walls,withinwhich are fourlotus- work. Thewholecomplexissurroundedby atmosphere andthequality of restoration Phracount Khao Wihan–interms of size, lonelyplanet.com rock used to build these ancient structures tobuild these rock used drop you off. Rong; any s be reached bypublictransport fromNang Kruat,areFurther east,near Ban while youhave tohike into Nong BuaRai hours.and openduringdaylight the FineArtsDepartment,were free of charge sites, restored tosomedegree by orstabilised in terrible shape. trip. Note thatmanyroadsaroundhere are life andyouwillsurely have anenlightening region offers an unvarnishedlookatvillage interest, thisrice-growing butdrivingthrough willlikely placesof findthese buffs onlyminor empire.played intheKhmer Even history a picture of the crucialrolethisregion once lesser-known sites that,taken together, create ruins,BuriramoffersKhmer asmorgasbord of appetite withaninsatiable forFor those OTHER RUINS sion free; and Sandstone galleriesand Archaeologists assume that much of the At thetimeof writing,allof thefollowing Prasat Baibak atPhanom on Rung.Theplanisbased isjustsouthof Meuang Prasat Tam, h prang 8am-5pm) sits right between Phanom between Rung sitsright naga ǎ wngth prang depicted Shiva andhisconsort CHAIYAPHUM ••History PROVINCE . . Prasat Ban Khok Ngiew Prasat BanKhok , acrosstheroadfrom couldnotberebuilt and ǎ ew heading southwill information centre information centre Prasat gopura, Kuti Reusi Khok Khok Kuti Reusi

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Thais. Famous foritsfields of flowers –and and remains somethingof amystery, to even heart of thecountry,itisaremote region with alotof tigers. Despite its positionatthe a foreign tourist–andthisisnotaprovince you’re almostaslikely torunintoatiger as Travelling through , PROVINCE CHAIYAPHUM as little150B. Ta from Ban A motorcycletaxi Pek couldcost some junctions.There isnopublic transport. signed, butyouwillhave toaskdirections at or Phanom Rung.Theroute ispretty well andforest.ing mountains Buddha, andbeautifulviewsof thesurround- pagoda,a29mreclininghosts aChinese-style artists, have Englishcaptions.Thewatalso bòt, harkens backtotheage of empire. Insidethe an unusualnouveau-Khmer stylethatsortof flamboyant buildingswere erected in1982 tions thatmake boundary markers, it’sthemodernconstruc- the 8thor9thcenturyDvaravati sandstone by volcano hasanancientpast,asevidenced thepeacefultempleAlthough atopthisextinct ;yfg*kvy'%ki WAT KHAOANGKHAN Rung. ited fromthisregion. It’s55kmfromPhanom in SurinProvince, ismore conveniently vis- itlies borderthat,though Thai–Cambodian ( p542 complexonthe Khmer ), asecluded Sawai Quarry. came fromthewidelyscattered this area, which abandoned by the had been from Vientiane tosettle 200 Lao brought courtofficial In thelate 18thcentury aLao History off thebeaten track. ofare straying thepeace andquietsense butits primary appeals worthapeep, sights – Chaiyaphum hasseveral not awholelotelse hours) to much of empire. theKhmer The temple isabout 20kmfromNangRong on You caneasilytack the worthavisit.The and Nearbyare tworestored kilns, jataka Tao NaiChian murals,painted byBurmese Wat Khao Angkhan Wat Khao , thatsuppliedpottery bòt and several other andseveral Prasat Ta Meuan

( Ban Kruat h daylight 471 Tao Tao

NORTHEASTERN THAILAND THAILAND NORTHEASTERN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND foreign exchange. h Bangkok Bank Information national parksinthearea. Tat TonNationalPark of is thestar several wherethe mountains therelatively unknown andtheoutdoorsy shouldheadto Khwao Ban silk lovers should headwesttothevillage of Inbrief, rather thanadestinationinitself. tions –alljustashort hopoutsidethecity– forvisitingthesurroundingattrac- is abase Chaiyaphum isabitof anowhere townand pop 55,500 (yp#)}b CHAIYAPHUM &AROUND city capital attheentranceto by theThais)stands (renamedLae Phraya Phakdi Chumphon of19th century.Todayastatue Jao Phraya the comingof theFrench neartheendof the 1828 andruledmostof until western sacked Vientianeintle in1806,theSiamese Although Jao losthislife Phraya inbat- Lae chance againstthemore powerfulSiamese. aknowing thatAnou’sarmiesdidn’tstand switched allegiancetoBangkok, wisely Lae, rulerof Chaiyaphum,Jaotury, theLao Phraya declared waronSiamintheearly19thcen- WhenPrinceAnou(fromVientiane)pasak. cultivated relations andCham- withBangkok munity paidtribute toVientiane butalso some500yearsKhmers earlier. Thecom- 472 Store (150m) Lotus Department Bank (150m); To Bangkok (150m) Market To Night Th Tantawan 1 2 CHAIYAPHUM 10am-8pm) The city’s only late-opening bankdoes 10am-8pm) Thecity’sonlylate-opening HIAHMPOIC • Caypu rud CHAIYAPHUM ••Chaiyaphum& Around PROVINCE 225 Municipal Market 10 1 8 A 17

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garden outthe frontispleasant. a Chan; dishes100-600B; 50-115B; and piesinIsan. Coffee, wine,cottagepieand,weswear,thebestcakes air affair onThReun Rom onthe southside air affair one near theair-con bus terminal and anopen- Two Kosa CoffeeShop Pizza Uno Café Kiwi alfresco setting. dishesinalargely andChinese Thai, Isan upagreat spread ofKaen itserves Nakhon, want togohere. Perched onapierover Beung a localoutfordinnerandtheywill probably dishes60-350B; Nakhon; kaen Thai standards. simple surrounds.It’salsogotpub gruband like that belies the tunasteak withsaffron, dishes 40-200B; sometimes performintheparkoutfront. food.Elephants Isan gueststo sample of-town 3am, andhasanEnglish menu. orchicken)soup madewithseafood until upamean serves no-frills localhauntlacksalittleindécor,but dishes50-150B; 1932; ThKlangMeuang; potted plants. insideoronalittleterrace surroundedby Eat and Thaidishes,includingvegetarian options. fasts, smoothies,andagoodrange of Western ler-style eatery-hostel break- hassometasty dishes 30-180B; nods asbestof thebest. menu,gets anall-Isan themost joint, serving kài yâang Kaen Khon locals believe hasThailand’sbest 90B; chicken 3413; ThLangSunratchakan; Robbung; dishes40-200B; cialising in seafood iswherecialising inseafood localsbringout- Kaen spe- alfresco Nakhon spotnearBeung the city, and the rooftop patioisa nice touch. the city,androoftop pizza 189B; tests, theFrench chef whipsupsuperbfood, a restaurant, asthetwo-page drinkslistat- Bualuang Restaurant Didine Restaurant TomPae TeeKao First Choice Yang Rabeab Kai Also recommended: Noi Plaa Pha ) Serves anexcellent lunch buffet (179B)andthebeer ) Serves night markets h ( ( h % % (grilledchicken) andthissimple dinner Mon-Fri, lunch&dinner Sat&Sun) dinner Mon-Fri, h Book accommodationBook online at lonelyplanet.com h lunch & dinner) Might bethebest’zain lunch &dinner)Might 0 43228858;311/13ThRobbung;

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NORTHEASTERN THAILAND THAILAND NORTHEASTERN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND and 8.45pm, arriving about eight hoursand 8.45pm,arrivingabout eight later. has acitymapshowing alltheroutes, butask plies thecityfor8Bperride. TheTAT office around the Kosa Hotel andSofitel,around theKosa andFirst airport tomosthotels for60B. will want40Bto60B. Ashuttlerunsfromthe town,whiletúk-túkdriverslength tripthough chargetorcycle taxis about25Bforamedium- version before relying onittooheavily. Mo- if it’stheold,outdated oneoranupdated A regular, colour-coded s Getting Around sleeper. seat/1st-class class seat/2nd-class fares are toBangkok 227/399/1068Bfora3rd- Kaen at8.37am,8.11pmand9.05pm.The Bangkok-bound express trainsleave Khon train station Kaen fortheKhon Hualamphong station line. Express trainsleave fromBangkok’s Kaen Khai Khon isontheBangkok–Nong TRAIN Et (50B,twohours, 40minutes). every (125B, three hours, 30minutes) every andRoi 480 Khiaw Phitsanulok (214km) National Park(45km); To NamNao Chumphae Phu AROUND KHONKAEN Nong Ta Kai There’s aplethoraof car-rental outlets 228 Nong Hong Song Kaeng Khlo 201 National Park HNKE O TPOICS • rudKo an Kaen ••AroundKhon PROVINCES &ROIET KHON KAEN Phu Sapao Phu Wiang Nok NamNong Wang Reserve (758m) CHAIYAPHUM Phak Kwian Nong Bua Wat Mongkon Sawan Khon Khirikhet

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(Thai SilkPavilion; no (Thai lonelyplanet.com 209 Borabu Khuan Mahasarakham mát-mìi Kantharawichai Ban Kee KALASIN Naka Hua Nong KungSi (akaSilk Don Wan Huay Mek To RoiEt (31km) pat- 213 2040 temple as ThatKuThong,the12th-centuryKhmer Also knownasKuPeuay Noi,andlocally xiklkmgxnvpohvp Prasat PeuayNoi hour). minal, willdropyouinChonabot(50B,one Kaen’shourly fromKhon ordinarybuster- Sawan,departing boundfor Nakhon Buses THERE&AWAYGETTING along whoknowsThai. it helpsconsiderably ifyoubringsomeone Very littleEnglishisspoken inChonabot,so Thongsuk. ChinandKhun Khun Songkhram, Suwan, Khun belongingtoKhun clude those dry silk. tospin,tie,weave and contraptions devised look attheamazingvarietyof simplewooden in buying,it’sworthwanderingaroundto lonelyplanet.com Phuwianggosaurus sirindhornae Phuwianggosaurus 15m-long herbivorefossilised later named the topof Phu Pratutimaand unearthinga aeontologists were soon tofollow,excavating patellasaur’s bonein thisregion in1976,pal- When uraniumminers discoveredv=mpkocsj'(k^b#)g;up' adino- Phu WiangNational Park s Phai,train (9B,30minutes) toBan thena a bus(35B,onehour)orthe7.55am local The ruinsare atthewestern endof town. ofscenic tableau Peuay ricefieldstoBan Noi. it andRte a 2297for24kmsoutheastthrough toRtefor 11kmtotheturn-off 2301.Follow then eastonHwy23(signposted toBorabu) Kaen Phai,south fromKhon onHwy2toBan If youhave head44km yourownwheels, THERE&AWAYGETTING two major gates. prang surmountedsanctuary byapartiallycollapsed alargelintels, comprises centralsandstone the east-facing monument,rich insculpted the sizeof Meuang Buriram’sPrasat Tam, with thefamoussites furthersouth.About itcan’tcompete though ruin innorthernIsan, hours) The lasts Peuay Noiaround 2pm. ǎ wngth Some well-known By public transport from Khon Kaen,By publictransportfromKhon catch isthelargest andmostinteresting Khmer andsurroundedbylaterite wallswith Prasat Peuay Noi ǎ ǎ ew toPeuay Noi(25B,30minutes). wngth KHON KAEN & ROI ET PROVINCES •• Around Khon Kaen ••AroundKhon PROVINCES &ROIET KHONKAEN ǎ ew back to Ban Phaiew backtoBan leaves weaving households

(admission free; (after Her h daylight in- 1800B) sion free; vations 025620760; parks, One of Thailand’smost beautifulandvaluable v=mpkocsj'(k^boµksok; Nam NaoNationalPark is tough. being able toget arideback,andhitching only payforaone-waytripyou’ll risknot remaining 19kmtotheparkentrance. Ifyou motorbike (50B lesseach way)forthe taxi hire atúk-túk(oneway/return 200/400B)or town, notatthebusterminal, where youcan 1½ hours, hourly).It’sbesttoget down- off in Phu Wiangtown (ordinary/air-con 38/50B, Kaen’sfrom Khon ordinarybusterminal stop NongBualamphu–bound buses cial capital. The parkentranceis90kmwestof theprovin- THERE&AWAYGETTING sleeper tenthire 225B) have foundinthearea. been full-size modelsof speciesthat thedinosaur geology andpalaeontologydisplays,including paintings. footprints, waterfalls andprehistoric cave bike) by carormountain willfinddinosaur whowanttoexploreThose further(bestdone tours of thebonesites ifyoucallinadvance. guides (somespeakalittleEnglish)offer free visitor centre ornearbyparkingareas. Park Rex, canbeeasilyreached bytrailfromthe isanensis, sion 400B; Park mains were uncovered and of Kaen), modeldinosaurs inKhon more re- fever followed(explainingtheepidemic saur Royal Majesty, PrincessSirindhorn).Dino- round, especially nights and mornings, and round, especially nights cess easy. Temperatures are fairly cool year- until the early1980s–Hwy 12makes ac- tion Army of Thailand(PLAT) stronghold territory –thisremained aPeople’s Libera- Kaen Province. itcovers Although remote and Phetchabun Provinces, justbeyondKhon of 800m acrosstheborderof Chaiyaphum nearly 1000sqkm atanaverage elevation one withapartialskeleton of wasborn. Khaen, The parkhas The Four enclosed excavationFour enclosed sites, including

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NORTHEASTERN THAILAND THAILAND NORTHEASTERN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND ‘KingCobra Village’ of The self-styled F%i'dkivo=iydKN')&'vk' Ban KhokSa-NgaCobraVillage from thehighway. quently. Thevisitorcentre isa1.5kmwalk and Phitsanulok travel theparkfre- through Kaen Khon (102B,2½hours) between Buses THERE&AWAYGETTING restaurants nexttothevisitorcentre. 300B) son withowntent30B,2-personhire 50B) thepark. and hornbills,flythrough rels. 200speciesof Over bird,includingparrots gibbons,pangolinsandflyingsquir-ing deer, sun bears, leopards,tigers, Asian jackals,bark- aswellMalayancattle) are occasionallyseen, lessoften.sighted Elephantsand nearby Phu Kradung National Park, andsoare but theanimalshere are more timidthanat lies adjacenttotheparksowildlife isabundant, the way,youcancampontop. guideleading 1271m and,withaparkservice peak, highest reached NamNao’s bycaralongthehighway. waterfalls andcaves, someof which are easily eral scenicviewpoints.Theparkalsofeatures branches outfromthevisitorcentre tosev- Saphung andPhrom. Afairsystem of trails plains. Three rivers are sourcedhere: theChi, river valleys,plusscattered savannah onthe forestmountain in withwildbananastands forest bamboo onplateaus andhillsdense andhills;opendipterocarptains pine-oak mixed evergreen-deciduous forest onmoun- chabun theparkfeatures mountains, dense, and February. frost occasionallyoccurs November between 482 (donations expected; (donations expected; nurtured since. ever Todaythe art of breeding and trainingsnakes has been to attractcustomers to thevillage, andthe Yai Ken Yonglabeganputting onsnake shows strange custombeganwhena herbfarmerPhu have somein boxes The undertheir houses. rear hundreds of the reptiles, andmost houses Sa-Nga Khok animals are on display inpitiful littlecages. show. Medicinal herbs are stillsold and other they often asthemany missing fingers lose, where handlers snakes taunt andtempt fate: Accommodation includesa The 1560-sq-km Marked hillsof bythesandstone thePhet- and17 HNKE O TPOICS • o t ••RoiEt PROVINCES &ROIET KHON KAEN hasathingaboutsnakes. Locals bungalows Phu Pha Jit Pha Phu h 8am-6pm) Phu Khiaw WildlifeSanctuary Khiaw Phu

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12 11 10 (Hwy 2, Big Jiang Mall; (Hwy2,BigJiangMall; h (Pavilion of Kaew Ku; (Pavilion ofKaew Phra Nao 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (100m) 10am-10pm) Books air tickets 10am-10pm) Booksairtickets B1 B1 C2 D2 D1 H1 A2 C2 A2 B2 B2 A1 (519 Th Rimkhong; perhr (519ThRimkhong; 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri) A 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri) h Nagarina...... Mut Mee...... (see13) Khrua SukapapKwanIm.... José Ramon's...... Hospital FoodCourt...... Darika...... Daeng Namnuang...... Coco-Na Coffee...... Café Thasadej...... Bird's EyeViewTerrace....(see14) Ruan ThaiGuestHouse...... Rimkhong GuestHouse...... Pong VichitrHotel...... Pantawee Hotel...... Nong KhaiGrand...... House...... Mut MeeGardenGuest EATING 8.30am-4.30pm h Th Kawnkan Uthit 10am-midnight) F

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NORTHEASTERN THAILAND THAILAND NORTHEASTERN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND grown withtheboomtime,boasting agood spothas a smallprivate home,thispleasant an empty lotbefore construction)of history you canlamentthe lack(nottheloss;itwas built concrete block sparkle andshine, and Banthoengjit; r200-400B; and it’sawinner. ofin thetangle flower-filled gardengreenery family roominalittlewoodencottage. Factor ple shared bathroombasicsoutthebacktoa variety of good-qualityroomswithsomesim- welcome. gish pace,whiletheowners provide the warm theslug- around theleafycourtyardandsets unassuming outfit.Afriendlyolddogpads rooms andplentyof hush are atthis standard in ashaky withshared woodenhouse, bath- s/d120/180B) Th Rimkhong; have thebestmidrange roomsavailable. alsoregion guesthouses and,infact,these budget offerings are someof thebestin ers headingacrosstheborder,NongKhai’s tothesteadyCatering flowof backpack- BUDGET Sleeping city’s biggest street fair. the endof the‘Hau’ rebellions and boaststhe the boxed (see text,can beseen p495 ). October fullmoon,which iswhen races ontheMekong. Itcorresponds withthe is alarge Saa) inlate October/earlyNovember, there early June. birth andenlightenment day)inlate May/ Pujaday(Buddha’s which beginsonVisakha 496 your private balcony. with river views fromthe3rd-floor terrace or r300-400B; Th Rimkhong; vate bathroomwithhotwater. air-con at270Bandall roomshave starts pri- as drabyouexpected. Butthepriceisright: your roomandyou’llfind…OK,they’re just school concrete block,butopenthedoorto you sure don’texpectmuch outof thisold- floor toceilingwithboxes of ramennoodles, Meechai; r140-420B; Meechai; Rimkhong; r120-400B; Rimkhong; Sawasdee Guest House Guest House Khong Khiang Hotel Pong Vichitr GuestHouse Rimkhong At theendof (OkkPaan BuddhistLent Ruan Thai GuestHouse Ruan Thai The OGKA RVNE • ogKa ••NongKhai NONG KHAI PROVINCE Anou Savari Rowing Festival a

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Friendship Bridge opened,thisisagoodex- up little bonuses likeup littlebonuses decorative headboards on offer after the Midastouch. for those suites (usually available at40%discount) are ards are andswanky throughout maintained A bighit withpassingsuits, ‘executive’ stand- This slick, modernplacehas plentyof sparkle. grandhotel.com; Hwy212; r1290B,ste3700B; and internet-connected PCs. air-con rooms,almostallwith DVDplayers mogenous butspotless,witha big choice of restaurant. Themainhotel issomewhatho- options plusaspa, travel agency and24-hour Th Hai Sok,with astringof accommodation Pantawee brandissomethingof acartel along clubs, you’llfindthree of themhere. get goodviews.And,ifyou’re hotel into tacky paintandtorn carpets,you’ll mind peeling ample of Ifyoudon’t unmetexpectations. Hotel Riverside Thai-Laos MIDRANGE &TOPEND shop athand. yoga instruction,internet cafésandabook- travellers village with into aself-contained alleyway leadingtoMutMee hasdeveloped sits ontheriver. Perhaps unsurprisingly,the Alittlefloatingbar,namedGaia, things Isan. grip of locallegend andhispassionforall where theowner,Julian,holdscourtwithhis clustered aroundathatched-roof restaurant (some onarafttheriver are planned)are not wanttoleave. Ahuge varietyof rooms old-timer hasagardensorelaxing youmay the Mekong riverbank, budget NongKhai’s r 130-600B; Worawut;dm90B, 0717; www.mutmee.com; 1111/4ThKaew few credits. ontheriver,Its position,right alsoscoopsa and plush towels,rarely prices. foundatthese ai dm150B,r300-500B; kongguesthouse.com; 519ThRimkhong; a littlepieceof livinghistory. in theknowledge thatyou’re beddeddownin old-school well veneer, butatleastyou’llsleep options share bathrooms)lacktheexterior’s come uptrumps.Thetidyrooms(thefan would shophouse an old,Franco-Chinese hotel byitscover, thischarismatic placein tel.com; 1049ThHaiSok;r800-1800B; Worawut; r500-800B; Nong Khai Grand Nong Khai Pantawee Hotel GuestHouse Maekhong Mut Mee Garden GuestHouse Garden Mee Mut ) This revamped riverside outfit serves Thisrevamped riverside outfitserves a Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com ) Occupying a sleepy stretch Occupyingasleepy of

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of thissimplelittlevegetarian placemake a kitchen of MutMee’s riverboat, which docks up bythegregarious andhilariousJoséhim- menu,cookedAnd thesouth-of-the-border icana prevails atthishole-in-the-walldiner. tastes. Butwhetheryoulike ithotornot,you the Thaidishesare toneddowntoEuropean cially thebreakfasts, butkeep inmindthat & dinner) Worawut;dishes35-135B; 1111/4 ThKaew andalltheusualThaichoices.sandwiches cakes, baguette real Thaicoffee, Lao-style cheap breakfasts, egg-and-toast bananapan- outfit willbewaitingforyoufrom5amwith English-speaking thisspartan, an earlyriser dishes25-60B; Th Meechai; are excellent,too. are forcarnivores. goodenough Thejuices counter andanEnglish-language menu)that (fromabuffet standards Thai andChinese mumsy fuss over Nak; dishes20-30B; KwanIm Sukapap Khrua Eating lonelyplanet.com phistication is inshort supply in NongKhai, terng; dishes50-310B; Vietnamese with outlet at the UdonThaniairport) stuffed with carbootsand carry-onbags(it’sgotan head home tion andhordesof out-of-towners dishes 30-180B; not halfbad. novelty isn’tjusta NongKhai self, –thefood’s h smokinguntil4am. stay andchairsmade tables addflair,andthegrills and porkneck,are specialities. Thehand- Isan Umbrella’s bestknowndishes,like sausages the menuismainlyThai,mostof theYellow 45/10 ThPrajak;dishes40-120B; the day. cuisine throughout its superbThai fortimes),but serves house for100B (check attheguest- cruises night Itoffersbelow theguesthouse. and sunset & dinner) there are sometimesculturalperformances. simply cannotbeatthisriverside location,and namese place has grown into an Isan institu- placehasgrownintoanIsan namese Mut Mee Garden GuestHouse Garden Mee Mut Café Thasadej Café Daeng Namnuang José Ramon’s Rom Luang Nagarina Darika lunch &dinnerMon-Sat) MutMee’s foodisvery popular,espe- There isnopaucityof peppers inthe

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NORTHEASTERN THAILAND THAILAND NORTHEASTERN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND cies, runsfive aday. throughout themorning;lastbusdeparts throughout (47B,2¾hours)six hours), viaSangkhom 8pm respectively. at7.45pmand toBangkok 10 hours) services (700B, VIPservices also offer daily24-seat ( at Udon’sNewBusTerminal. 12 hours). ForChiangMai, youhave tochange (600B, (482B,11hours)Bangkok andRayong air-con Kaen toKhon (148B,3½hours), buses theday.Therethroughout are alsoregular hour) leave half-hour aboutevery NongKhai main Nong Khai’s BUS (150B, onehour); travel agencies runshuttlestotheairport See Bangkok. p488 formore Several details. operateThani. Regularflights fromthere to The nearest airportis55kmsouthinUdon AIR Getting There&Away farm. also hasapottery workshop andmushroom mát-mìi has similargoals.It’sagreat the placetosee town (take Hwy2andfollowthesigneast) Village Weaver, thisschool 7kmsouthof 1860; project isHatthakam SingThaw. visitors are welcome. TheThainameforthe are produced,islocated ThPrajak, off and h 498 Khai’s busterminalKhai’s (55B, onehour). six direct a daytoVientiane fromNong buses you already there have are forLaos, avisa also waiting foryou.If túk-túk andtaxis buses, 22km to Vientiane–there willbe plentyof immigrationcheckpoint. FromthereLao it’s bridge 6amand9.30pm to the (15B)between regular ferry passengers minibuses acrossthe you get out of stamped Thailand.Fromthere Take atúk-túk tothebordercrossingwhere Laos at 3pm. Th Prajak; offices onoppositeoffices sidesof thebusterminal, the riverside guesthouses. is located justoff ThPrajak, over 1kmfrom % The ordinarybus507travels (105B, toLoei VocationalTrainingCentre Village Buses toUdonThani(ordinary40B,one Buses 9am-4pm Mon-Sat) 0 42411447) h OGKA RVNE • rudNn hiPoic Province ••AroundNongKhai NONG KHAI PROVINCE h 8am-5pm Mon-Sat) process from start tofinish, andit processfromstart 9am-7pm Mon-Sat) and , where someof theproducts 999 VIP Family Corp2 bus terminal Though separate from separate Though

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boxing matches. fromelephants to into everything and bushes sculpted byambitious gardeners entire lengthof Rte 211you’llpass hedges with madly obsessed The Mekong region west of is NongKhai AROUND NONG KHAIPROVINCE will probably costabout 25B. Khai. about thegoing rate forcar rental inNong a Jeep available for1000Bperday,which is equipment. Village Weaver Handicrafts has a bit,sincebrakes aren’t standard necessarily one nearbywill.Anditpaystoshop around 100B) ormotorcycles(150Bto200B), some- rent doesn’t bikesIf yourguesthouse (30Bto Getting Around train station 6.25am). leaving at6.20pm(arriving at forBangkok at6.40pm(arriving7.35am)andBangkok rapid train(348/213B2nd/3rdclass) leaving Therefor a2nd-/3rd-classseat. isalsoone cabinto498/253Bfor a1st-classsleeper respectively. Thefares range from1217B and 6.20pm,arrivingat5.10pm6.25am at6am departfromNongKhai train services respectively. Goingtheotherway,express at5.05amand9.10amarriving inNongKhai dailyat6.30pmand8.45pm,phong station expressFrom Bangkok, trainsleave Hualam- TRAIN of town. A short túk-túktriparoundthetowncentre For information you can call Nong Khai For informationyoucancallNong Khai information. Laos will bestayingatinLaos. LonelyPlanet’s photoandthenameofahotel youport higher. Besidethefee, you’llneedapass- butthepriceworksoutmuch pay inbaht, with aUS$42fee. Youare alsoallowedto or US$35,thoughCanadians getsocked Lao citizens. Most crossings opentothosewhoare notThai or Friendship Bridgeandtheotherborder 30-day touristvisasonarrivalatNongKhai’s might tell you,theLaogovernment issues Despite whattravel agentsinBangkok VISAS FORLAOS guidebookcontainsextensive travel

( % 0 42411592) faràng topiary , which is2kmwest payeitherUS$30 andalong the lonelyplanet.com naga to an ancientatmosphere. Department restored itin1976and1977. and in1970itfinallyfell over. TheFineArts the caused Rain Pathom).as KingMongkutdidinNakhon the originalasademonstrationof faith(just Lao-style and builtanewer,taller acrosstheMekong extended hiscapital Laos) Wiang Chan–nowknownasVientianein (not thepresent ChanthaburiinThailand, but one really knowswheneitherwasbuilt. stupa dates backtotheearlycenturiesAD,no Pathom,khon butwhileitispresumed thatthis chedi buriedhere.posedly Itissimilartotheoriginal someofbecause theBuddha’sbonesare sup- is oneof theregion’s mostsacred sites, notleast stupa, Boasting abeautifulandancientIndian-style ;yfritTk^=[y'gznvo Wat PhraThatBangPhuan lonelyplanet.com Tha Bo, butyou’ll bewell cared for atthe wrapper capital. up theslack andisnowthe area’s spring-roll across the Mekong fromVientiane, haspicked switch. SiChiangmai,justupriver anddirectly areproduct andmost businesses makingthe bamboo racks,but noodlesare abetter export mostly spring-roll wrappers laid outonthe tobe flat noodles)drying inthesun.Itused of sheets far before you’ll see noodle production. Youdon’thave totravel lives here, andthey’ve cornered themarket on andother locallygrownproducts. matoes the surroundingstreets, isfullof tobacco, to- ThecoveredLoei. market, which spillsoutto market tant centre and NongKhai between plains, prosperous Tha Boisthemostimpor- fields thatflourishinthefertile Mekong flood- andtobacco Surrounded bybananaplantations pop 16,000 mjk[jv Tha Bo minutes). Phuan (20B,40 Bang bus andaskforBan catchFrom NongKhai, the507Loei-bound THERE&AWAYGETTING faced unsur-17.2-sq-metre andhasseveral base The current In 1559KingJayachettha of Chanthaburi Hotels are stillsomething of an oddity in The area’s largest population Vietnamese beneaththePhra Pathom ChediinNa- chedi Wat Phra That Bang Phuan That Wat Phra aroundit,which give thetemple chedi NONG KHAI PROVINCE •• Around Nong Khai Province ••AroundNongKhai NONGKHAI PROVINCE chedi stands 34.25m high ona 34.25mhigh stands toleanprecariously k

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GETTING THERE&AWAYGETTING turned away. thecodemaybe whodon’tobserve Those dress politely tops. –noshortsorsleeveless earthly possessions. including aglistening reveredThet, thewat’sdeeply founding abbot, monumentshonourLuangPu rafts. Several and fisherfolk occasionallydriftbyonhouse directlytemple acrosstheriver canbeseen out of theriver. forest Fromthispoint,aLao three rising giantboulders thatformacliff overlooking theMekong. Itwasbuiltabove in acoolforest withlotsof bamboogroves here. Thisplaceisvery quietandpeaceful,set of cloth. There are alsoseveral byhandfromtornpieces wearing robessewn ard 227precepts, eatingonlyonceadayand taken asceticvowsinadditiontothestand- thúdong vast forest temple isnationallyknownforits riverside here. begintorise mountains The if onlyforthesceneryalongRte 211asthe Peng Mak Wat Hin ;yfsbos}kdgxh' Wat HinMakPeng (25B, 40minutes). on ThMeechai. Alternatively, take bus507 FoodCourt orneartheHospital bus station atthe along theway.PickitupinNongKhai scenic riverside route –lookforfish cranes the andThaBo(25B,onehour),taking Khai The ‘yellowbus’runsregularly Nong between THERE&AWAYGETTING the town. basic restaurants onthemainstreet through paddies. There isahandfulof and foodstalls with trees andflowers andsurroundedbyrice rooms) rest inaquietlittlecompoundfilled and cheery bungalows(plustwo250Bfan &GuestHouse long Resort khom, facing the Lao island of DonKlang facing theLao khom, thelittle townof sleepy, Seductively Sang- ly'%} Sangkhom (45B, twohours)Khai andLoei. Nong thewaten route between Bus 507passes ontheriver sideofand Sangkhom, Rte 211. The temple SiChiangmai ismidwaybetween 250-500B; The current abbot requests that visitors a ( dhutanga ) , 1kmoutof town,where bright

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499 NORTHEASTERN THAILAND THAILAND NORTHEASTERN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND the centre of town;which isashame because a great in spot acrossfromthepolicestation The lower level drops 30m and the second, drops30mandthesecond, The lowerlevel 13km westof Rte (2kmoff 211). Sangkhom like walks inthe forest and cultural perform- get Extras, three sleep. mealsand onenight’s certain level of level certain comfort.Theresort’s adjoining whodemanda those but itsbedswillsatisfy the river viewsandisn’treally great value, town. Theresort make of doesn’t gooduse a west of towniswonderfullyrelaxing. a great bigbagof smilesandthelocationjust than much of thecompetition.Theowneris rooms, are pretty basic, butinbetter shape bungalows, thecheaper onessharingbath- the buzzwordhere andtheriverside thatched are rarely more thanabreath apart.Rusticityis andthetown’sveteran Sangkhom guesthouse 190B; very goodsunset-over-the-Mekong view. across fromNamTokThanThong).Ithasa top), butit’s18kmtodrive (take theturn-off someone topointyouthefootpath hours) from theeastern hills, crowded onweekends andholidays. accessible thanThanThip,butcanberather down bytheMekong. ThanThongismore the bottom.Theshortnature trailtakes you but shorter dropwithaswimmable poolat the northern(river) sideof Rte 211,isawider h lush forest. top dropisonlybarely the visiblethrough easily reached viastairs, falls 100m.The70m- Thip NamTokThan falls inthearea. life here, butthere are alsosomelovely water- TheMekong andLoei. Nong Khai dominates (river) thehigh road(Rte taking 211)between isaconvenient postforthose staging Khong, 500 stay Tang Pak andBan Som,participate ina has moved in. timber roomsabove. what It’sworthseeing dining roomover theMekong, withtwocosy its atmosphericold posthadawoodenterrace Pu-Pae Restaurant & dinner; Vanda House The largest localwaterfall isthree-tiered Bouy’s GuestHouse The forest downonthetown watpeering A couple of surrounding villages, Pha Ban daylight hours) )

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503 2138 NORTHEASTERN THAILAND THAILAND NORTHEASTERN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND 4281 1706) Snow White’s dwarves welcomesyoutothis Snow White’s dwarves etarian restaurant.etarian The most frequent service istoUdonThani The mostfrequent service BUS tickets at 20 minutes) onFridaysandSundays.Book minutes) andChiangMai (2550B,twohours kok (1750B,1½hours), UdonThani (600B,35 Nok Air AIR Getting There&Away speciality, on theeastsideof town.Lookforthelocal two at Loei’s a wholehostof cheap eats–canbefound pot plantsandthesoundsof goldenoldies. slabs of surroundedby atwoodentables beef, Thai,aswell tasty alfresco eatery thatserves you order. There are afew pictures inthemenutohelp ice cream menu. toitswonderfulVietnamese Plaza,addsThaidishesand called SoiNight friendly restaurant, onwhat’scommonly Chumsai; dishes25-120B; come’ sign. Look forthebanana-leafballsor‘Wel- nana leaves) andothercentral-Thaidishes. hàw mòk andstriplit,thisno-frillsBasic eatery serves Charoenrat; dishes20-45B; Kwan ImJae Eating 504 Air Muang Loei Air Muang with (521B)VIPservices (685B) and 32-seat leave frequently, andthere are also 24-seat ern bus terminal (344B, nineto10hours) daily. Air-con North- toBangkok’s buses Mai (438Bto657B, 10hours) departures Thani. There are alsofourair-con Chiang route, butit’seasierandfaster togoviaUdon morning andearly afternoon; thisisascenic there the through are ordinary buses several 30 minutes). (105B,six hours) ForNongKhai (ordinary/air-con 60/110B,three hours, every Palace Hotel. Th Chumsai;dishes30-159B; 15-30B; on skewers). Most of –and thecity’sculinaryrazzmatazz Loei-Danang Krua Nid Mobile Steak OIPOIC • Aon oiPoic ••AroundLoeiProvince LOEI PROVINCE h

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person 30B,2-person tenthire 150B) thereAtop themountain are SLEEPING &EATING school holidays(especially March toMay). passage forstudents,soitgets crowded during atopPhuing thenight Kradungisarite of being slipperyand subjecttomudslides.Spend- itisconsidered because toohazardous, season are accessible year-round. cluding in AprilandMay. Themanywaterfalls, in- the occasional tiger. themis Thebestplacetosee white-handedbars, gibbonsandthe serows, jackals, Asiatic blackbears, sam- barkingdeer, ous forest wildlife, includingelephants,Asian on bamboopolesfor15Bperkilogram. can hire porters to carryyourgear balanced to themainpark kilometre alongtheway.It’sanother3.5km are rest stopswithfood vendors aboutevery support). Thehike isquite scenicandthere cult partshave bambooladders andstairs for it’s notthatchallenging sincethemostdiffi- three tofourhours toclimb(orrather walk– Phu Kradungis5.5kmlongandtakes about isonthetop.The thing else lects youradmission fee, butalmostevery- distributes mapsandcol- mountain detailed ofests aswellsections cloudforest. mixed deciduousandevergreen monsoonfor- in DecemberandJanuary. Lowerdownare zone. Themapletrees paintsomecorners red where itsfloraismore typicalof atemperate inDecemberandJanuary),1°C to2°Catnight round temperature 20°C;droppingaslow reachesalways coolatitshighest (average year- nationalparkis to 1316m,Thailand’ssecond waterfalls forests. andmontane cliffs, Rising withtrailsandpepperedteau, cutthrough with summit 7am-2pmOct-May) National Park off byitseponymouspeak, Capped v=mpkocsj'(k^b#)ditf@' Phu KradungNationalPark AROUND LOEIPROVINCE can take atúk-túkfor20B. into townabout five every minutes, oryou S Getting Around ǎ wngth The park is closed to visitors during the rainy tovisitors duringtherainy The parkisclosed A smallvisitorcentre of atthebase the The 359-sq-km park is a habitat forvari- The 359-sq-kmparkisahabitat wilderness area Tham Yai ǎ ew (7B) run from the bus station ew (7B)runfromthebusstation Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com

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and 13swanky ( main trail h camp sites camp sites 8am-5pm) Phu Kradung Phu h scaling . You trail to (per from the parkingarea. hours) tain, upthesideofHigh abeautifullimestonemoun- $µkgvik;yI Tham Erawan around 8pm. fromPhu Kradungleaveslast busbacktoLoei of 10kmaway.The at thebase themountain, a s FromPhu Kradung,hopon half-hour). every district townof Phu Kradung(55B,1½hours, Kaen linegotothe ontheLoei–Khon Buses THERE&AWAYGETTING entrance. at thebottomandafew resorts outsidethe late intheafternoon, there isonebungalow stir-fry dishes for40B. Ifyouare arriving theusual eral smallopen-aireateries serving bungalows Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com lower visitor centre. up here. rangemountain in SainyabuliProvince, Laos, Thereing atnight. are somefineviewsof a January temperatures candropbelowfreez- the summit(1365m), where inDecemberand upper visitorcentre pineforest through to than make theeasy30-minute hike from the itsurrounds.Fewmountain visitors domore some dreamy fromthesummit of vistas the offermost impressive butitdoes reserves, sion 400B; Park junk. Atonly121sqkm, of thepeaksortof intheshapeof aChinese thatjutsout that owesitsoriginstoacliff Phu a moniker Ruameans‘boatmountain’, v=mpkocsj'(k^b#)ginv Phu ReuaNationalPark there forabout20B. phu Province line. Atúk-túkwillshuttle you onRteoff 210justacrosstheNongBualam- ( happen tobetravelling alongRte 210. and it’sagoodplacetostretch yourlegsifyou in thecave buttheviewsare itself, photogenic some 600steps. There’s notmuch toadmire and canbereached of byawindingstaircase kilometres Buddha isvisiblefromseveral away Buddha. Gazingoutover theplainsbelow, h ǎ If you wantsolitude, headout fromthe The cave isatthebackof wngth daylight hours)

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hot water andfridge, aswellsimpler h the festival appeartoberelated totribal Thai– shrouded inambiguity, butsomeaspectsof imagery of Halloween isamust-see. drunken revelry of andthespooky Carnival life, the into Isan thiscuriouscrossbetween wishing toplungetival). Forthose headlong next Buddha–withBunBângFai (Rocket Fes- chance of beingreborn inthelifetime of the Buddha) are toenhancethelistener’s supposed Mahavessantara Jataka Wet Festival –duringwhich recitations of the (also calledBunPhra Wet)combinesthePhra (usually June),DanSai’s country’s liveliest andloudestfestivals. three itisthesite days,however, of oneof the and adustymainstreet. Fortheremaining nity where life revolves aroundasmallmarket little town,aborderlinebackwater commu- For 362daysayear, Dan Saiisaninnocuous fjko:hkp Dan Sai&Around to thepark. for around600B(includingafew hours wait) hours), you’llhave tocharter as of Phu Reua(ordinary/air-con 40/55B,1½ candropyouinthetown west fromLoei heading onRte buses capital 203.Although The parkisabout 50kmwestof theprovincial THERE&AWAYGETTING visitor centres. (3 people500B) comfortable 30B, 2-persontenthire 250B) Asthan houses. wellasa hasmore hotelthe townseemingly rooms options, andiftheyare allfull,don’tworry, The parkoffers anumberof accommodation SLEEPING &EATING Information centre INFORMATION town’s guardian deity. the informationfrom Jao SaenMeuang, the Kuan, alocalspirit mediumwhochannels dates forthefestival are divinedbyJao Phaw possibly Tai Dam–spiritcults. Infact,the to the summit starting downhere.to thesummitstarting easy 2.5kmhike ortake aroundabout route The originsof thePhi Ta Festival Khon are Falling during thefourthlunarmonth 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri) In the library by the market. Inthelibrary bythemarket. 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri) . There are restaurants atboth bungalows ( % 0 4289 1094; Th Kaew Asa; 0 4289 1094;ThKaew

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NORTHEASTERN THAILAND THAILAND NORTHEASTERN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND 506 into one’. Comelate afternoon are thebamboorockets fired offtothe sky. revel inthemud.As remarked: oneWestern WoodstockandHalloween rolled ‘It’slike observer wat there’s live becoming more raucousandspontaneous as thedaywearson.At thesametimeinfrontof Tin cansand wooden cowbellshangfromsomecostumes toincrease the racket. about astalismans or usingthemtotease thecrowdwhilethey danceandstrutdownthestreet. woodenphalli(oraknifecarved orswordwitha phallic handle)inoneorbothhands,waving them by localand visitingmonks. Bycustom, 13sermonsare delivered inarow. listen to whole thingendsaroundnoonandpeople staggerbackhometosleepitoff. penis ofthemale turn. There’s turnsgrabbingthelengthy abundantsexualinnuendoandoldervillagewomentake cooked upforthisyear’sevent.cooked Manyofthe costumed there are atthemanydifferent hundreds marvel andspectators more costumedesigns participants, ridealongwiththem.Asrockets onthefirstday,there’s plentyofmusicanddancing,butthis time daisinthebackofpick-up trucks.bamboo palanquins,butthesedaysthey sitoncolourful Bamboo from ChumChonDanSaiSchooltothe temple. rodeonwoodor Inearlier yearstheshamancourt mask madefroma kh jester roles–raggedandtattered Tocomplete thetransformationinto butvery colourful. house. somethingfromShakespearean Mostoftheoutfitslooklike theatre meantforbeggaror main the wholeaffairiscustompainted, tosuitthe wearer, withallmannerofdesigns. are woodennoseadded; cutintothepalmsheathandalarge mask smalleye-openings curving to fitatopthehead,andathicksheathfrombaseofcoconutpalmfrond. Onthetypical spirit –thenreturns tothewat,where resident monksreceive ceremonial food ataround7am. ‘to live asolitaryandpeacefulexistence belowthewater’. The procession–accompaniedbythe to have oncebeenamonkwithsupernaturalpowers,whotransformedhimselfintowhite marble bodied inaninvisiblepieceofwhite marble –tojointheproceedings. isbelieved Phra Upakhut attheriversideMan. Rites –awater are tocoaxPhra spiritsupposedlyem- Upakhut performed a boisterous, dance-filled procession–fuelledbymorea boisterous, dance-filled they represent isanyone’s guessnowadays. The costumedfigures, aswell‘civilians’,thenbegin attached totheoutfits. These are the heads. Onefigure ismale, theotherfemale, asisobvious fromthehuge,exaggerated sexualorgans covered withwhite clothandtoppedwithgiant headsstandingperhaps2mabove theirown of everyone place, free present. and everyone downsshots foodisserved Whileallthisistaking lots ofsacred thread ontheirarms. The attendants alsotiesacred thread aroundonewristof ing ofcandles,villagerscrawluptoJaoPhaw andJaoMae,nowinstates ofsemitrance,andtie spiritshrineinDanSai.After someincantationsandlight-which doublesasthemostimportant of spiritssimilartotheLao-Thai and female lesser mediums, leads the propitiation of the all-important and female lessermediums,leadsthepropitiation oftheall-important shaman, JaoPhaw Kuan,assisted byhisshamanwife JaoMaeNangTiam, plusagroupofmale anduniqueannualevents inThailand. Onthefirstdayvillageis oneofthemostcolourful Dan Sai’s three-day Dan Sai’sthree-day THE ARRIVAL OFTHESPIRITS ǒ OIPOIC LOEI PROVINCE lâo kh The celebration endswithamore solemn thirddayasthevillagers assembleat the temple to dance roundthe Once again,when they reach thewat,participants On daytwoallthelocalsgetintocostume andaccompanyJaoPhaw andJao Maeinaprocession As thethread tyingfinishesup,theattendants donspecialcostuming andgatherinfrontofthe Once the cavalcade reaches the wat grounds, the participants beginOnce thecavalcadereaches circumambulating the thewatgrounds,participants Ceremonies begin around3.30aminaprocessionfromDanSai’sWatPhon ChaitoMaeNam Two oftheattendants, however, weartallbambooframesassembled invaguelyhumanshapes, thereafterShortly placeatJaoPhaw thesummoningofadditionalspiritstakes Kuan’shome, hn wíh (an untranslatableterm basicallymeaning‘Phra Wetspirits’),eachattendant donsahuge Mahavessantara Jataka ǎ ǎ o an (white spirit)togetinthemoodforwhatcomesnext. (large hall)andcontinueforacouplehours,becomingincreasingly rowdywitheach m ph ǎ hûat Phi Ta Khon Phi w lam ǐ i taakh (crescent-shaped usedforsteaming basket stickyrice),cutandreshaped (an Isan musical tradition). If it has rained recently, participants will (anIsanmusicaltradition). Ifithasrainedrecently, participants ǒ hn y‘ài recitations (past-life storiesofthe Buddha)andDhamma sermons

(ph khw ǐ i taakh andgiving itafew laughingallthewhile. good shakes, The ǎ n ph (guardianspirits)butperceived tobeatahigherlevel. ǐ i taakh ǒ hn)

Festival ǒ hn yài ph –knownasBunPhra Wetinothertowns– (bigPhra what Wetspirits),andexactly ǐ lâo kh i taakh ǎ o ǒ –backtothemonastery. hn, bothmenandwomen,carry tiam . The wíh tiam ǎ lonelyplanet.com an forhours, are aclass ph ǐ i taa Sai FolkMuseum in thePhi Ta festivities. Khon Thesmall Fri) Changesdollarsandeurosonly. Fri) mese. Apavilionmese. infrontof avery itcontains Ayuthaya intheirresistance againsttheBur- Chan (Vientiane)andtheThaikingdomof kingdomofof Wiang theLao unitybetween andwasbuiltin1560asagesture30m high ince. Thewhitewashed Lao-style reveredthe mosthighly Prov- stupainLoei Asa; Kaew (Th town, On themainroadthrough SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES to noonSat&holidays) Post office Bank Krung Thai up theroad. little English,butifit’snotenough,stopbyCityHalljust Has festival photosandfree internet.Thestaffspeaksa Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com festival season, accommodation is extremelyfestival season, As very few inDan Saioutside the people stay SLEEPING &EATING shop on the mainroad. ing. There isa restaurant andgift-gourmet and brandiesback inthemainwinerybuild- come andyoucan taste itswines,grape juices Wine &SpiritsCompetition. Visitors are wel- wineinthe2004International Blanc dessert 1995 andscooped asilver medalforitsChenin the first commerciallyproduced Thaiwinein most respected vineyard.Thewineryreleased www.chateaudeloei.com; marker is Phawana), amuch-revered localmonk. late Ajahn Mahaphan (alsoknown asKhruba bòt ages ontheinterior of wallsof tales jataka the Pramote Sriphromspentyears paintingim- laterite blocks.Famous Thaitemple muralist most of thebuildingsare madeof unplastered dhist-themed resort) watwhere meditation grak, isagorgeous (italmostlooks like aBud- grounds. carry foodorumbrellas anywhere ontemple orthecolourred,You can’twearshoes or stoneBuddha about76cmlong. older carved aneven old chest contains thatsupposedly during thecelebrations. here features acollectionof costumesworn a woodedhilloverlooking Phra ThatSiSon- SiSongrak That Phra Out of townonRte 203neartheKm60 Wat NeramitWiphatsana . Thewatisdedicated tothememory of the (Th Kaew Asa; Kaew (Th Chateau deLoeiWinery Chateau h daylight hours) (Rte 203; (Rte

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are fallingapart,thechairs inthelounge are views fromupper floors are anicebonus. rooms offer reasonable value,and thebalcony midranger itwantstobe,butthebudget fan hotels istoooldandtired torecommend asthe humble air-con intheold. andfanaffairs rooms inanewtowerandsome relatively the centre of Ubon, withthehighest-priced midranger, theTokyoisagoodbudget betin 600B; price, oneof thecity’sbetter budget hotels. den behind is,forthe itsflashiersister sleeper, 160-350B; are shared. inWarinChamrap.Facilitiesthe trainstation adds uptopretty cool.It’sabout 200mfrom lean againstthewalls–yetsomehow itall from anoldtrainandmusicalinstruments MoonGuestHouse River BUDGET Sleeping for theevent. and thecity’shotel roomsare often allbooked The festival isvery popularwithThaitourists time tomeltthemdownforthenextparade. temple grounds,where theyare kept untilit’s thefloatsrestcan see of theyearonmost Retreat inJuly.You (BuddhistLent) Rains the commencementof of Phansa, aBuddhistholidaymarking Khao waxsculptures andisapart elaborately carved Ubon’s Festivals &Events wat isintheforest behindthericefields. Hwy 226,about 500mfromtheentrance. The Market oranySiSaket buscandropyouon answer questions.As TV and fridge. TV less and wellappointed, with littlebalconies, down below, you’llfindthe roomsare spot- if youcan escapethepotential shenanigans is anenthusiastic ‘boom-boom’ But salesman. is the‘VIP’Piano Karaoke andtheporter Bar, 400B; Montana Hotel MIDRANGE is available mostdaysafter the8ammealto 2; r120-150B) r 280-700B; Ubon Hotel Tokyo Hotel Sri Isan Hotel 2 IsanHotel Sri a a ) Candle Parade Candle a ) Besides being a popular though dour beingapopularthough Besides Thefocalpointof thiscentralhotel ai Parts of thisrustic,woodenspot ) Thisolder,dishevelled place,hid-

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535 the NORTHEASTERN THAILAND THAILAND NORTHEASTERN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND chocolate cake 40B; chocolate cake outdoor swimmingpool. design. Theretraditional Isan isa3rd-floor ‘executive’ facilitiesandtheoddtoken nodto swanky spotoffers alltheusual attentive staff, ais s/d1200/1300B,ste3000B; tel.net; 50ThPhichitRangsan; Ubon andWarinChamrap. top-ender. It’sjustoff themainroad between thisisUbon’s best-valueand tip-topstaff, of lush,tropicalgreenery, folk-artstyling Isan inacresUbon. Withroomsandbungalows set inUbon withoutreallyon staying resort istheplacetocomeifyou’re planning 2500B; r1140-1330B,bungalow1500B,ste .com; ThSrimongkol; Resort Ubon Buri TOP END pillow. and anorchid comesgratisoneveryhigh wouldn’t beoutof are place–butstandards –aknittedis alittletwee toiletrollcover are smallandthedécorwith fridge andTV, an open,airyfeel. Therooms,which come theatriumandgivesdown through thelobby place isfullof which naturallight, streams uninspired midrangers, cheerful thisbright, r550-1300B; 62ThRatchabut; .sriisanhotel.com; Grand. its bigbrother,theNevada be better moving off acrosstheparkinglotto to move upthepricerange, you’dprobably Ifyouareby Ubon’slowstandards. looking amount of va-va-voom fortheprice–butonly floors andfrillybedspreads giving itafair complex, thelower-level roomshave wooden sconced inthecity’sbusiestentertainment 550-800B, ste1500B; 536 with itssister restaurant, Jumpa-Hom. shares awater-and-plant filled wooden deck Thailand andU-Bake is asgooditgets. It accustomed topastriesthan manypartsof French-Lao influence meansUbon ismore is grownorganically justoutsidethe city. under agiantroof.ian buffet Mostof thefood famous restaurants hasanimpressive vegetar- Boon NiYonUthayan Eating plate 15B; The exceptiontotheruleof Ubon’stypical U-Bake Hotel Lai Thong Inn Nevada Sri IsanHotel Sri BNRTHTAIPOIC • Uo acahn UBON RATCHATHANI ••UbonRatchathani PROVINCE ais h

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h tre area anchored byaseven-screen (Th Chayangkun),amultibarandrestaurant performances here. There are songanddance sometimesIsan the clubispacked soonafter. around9pmand good ones)usuallykickoff the bar. Thebands(andtheyget somepretty out of asinister-looking slush machine behind drink calledBlueKamikaze, which isserved styling, plentyof shiny,happypeopleanda Itoffers anyway)nightspot. (well, forIsan hip 1am) U-Bar Entertainment on ThUparatnorthof theTokyoHotel. abut nexttoThungSiMeuang orthemarket lonelyplanet.com on right . Other fares to/from Ubon are inthe table and Chiang Mai (960B, 17hours, fourdaily). (687B, 14hours, five daily)daily), Rayong (594B,10 toBangkok minal, has VIPbuses Air hours)411B, eight frequently. northernterminal (air-conwith Bangkok’s Ubon’s BUS THAI AIR Getting There&Away 8pm Mon-Sat) another goodplaceforhand-woven cotton. h Grass-Root Shopping get goinguntilmidnight. that doesn’t are high. of handicrafts.Shop carefully prices though, a fantastic assortmenthere.a fantastic ral-dyed, hand-woven cottonandyou’llfind Asia (one way2700B),while to/from Bangkok take s the towncentre, justoff ThChayangkun – 6pm) Pha Daeng;

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8.30pm, arriving in Ubon at 6.35am the next 8.30pm, arriving in Ubonat6.35amthenext Chamrap; s The TRAIN 1180/471/221/95B. are seat seat/3rd-class fan sleeper/2nd-class the tripin 8½hours. thatmakes except the 2.50pmexpress service justaslong, thedaytaking the runthroughout at5.25am.Nineothertrainsalso make station Ubon at6.30pm arriving atHualamphong day whiletheBangkok-bound trainleaves when theyget there. terminal, butthey’re sometimesalready full briefly attheWarinMarket after leaving the Jiam (60B,three hours, five stop daily)buses Phibun (25B,1½hours, hourly)andKhong The Ubonexpress leaves at nightly Bangkok Fares for 1st-classair-con sleeper/2nd-class Destination Fare BUSES TO/FROMUBON (B) Duration (hr) odnr 5 1½ 90 3 50 144 1¼ 80 air-con ordinary 59 Yasothon 5 40 air-con ordinary 225 3 Surin air-con 125 3 ordinary 148 Si Saket 82 air-con 3 ordinary 200 Sakon Nakhon air-con 144 ordinary 7 80 Roi Et air-con 279 , Laos 4½ air-con 155 ordinary 1½ 230 Mukdahan air-con 147 ordinary 37 Khorat air-con ordinary Kaen Khon ordinary PhraWihan) (for Khao Kantharalak train station ǎ wngth

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537 NORTHEASTERN THAILAND THAILAND NORTHEASTERN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND rants (most serving frogskins andfish) and rants (mostserving simplerestau- temple, several got aChinese here makes stopyear-round. itapleasant It’s end of January untilJune,buttheshadypark onlyfrom rise islets make ‘PythonRapids’ Mae NamMunriver crossing.Therocky called of a set Phibun rapids Mangsahan tosee Visitors often stop inthedustytownof rb[)]}y'lkski!F*'g&up} Phibun MangsahantoKhongJiam cost about 15B. will from thehighway and amotorcycletaxi Km 19pillar. toYasothon Buses passthisway chance totrysilkweaving. per personnightincl2meals500B) village-run the ricefieldsrest of theyear. There’s a centre of thevillage –mostpeopleworkin and bellsatacooperative workshop inthe workersand Julyyoucansee makingbowls December lost-wax castingmethod.Between producing brassandbronzeitems usingthe a silk-weaving village, butitisbestknownfor Pa-Ao,Ban northwestof UbononHwy23,is [hkozkvjk; Ban Pa-Ao PROVINCE AROUND UBONRATCHATHANI for 200Bperday. s mal túk-túktripwillcostabout40Banda TAT handsouthastheroutes marked. Anor- town.Thefree(8B) runthroughout citymap Numbered andcolour-coded s Getting Around (1st/2nd/3rd class 268/133/58B,sixhours). 538 famed forforging ironand bronze drive Jiam along Rte 2222,are eastto Khong way toChong Mek. is700msouth ofThe office the bridge onthe Mon-Fri) immigration office Mangsahan isalsothelocation of theUbon manybirdsandvisitisland wats.Phibunsee (per hour400B,allday 1500-1800B) work here andthey’lltake youon countless souvenir shops. Many fishermen ǎ amláw willbeabout 20B. The villages justover thebridge, asyou Pa-AoBan nearthe is3kmoff thehighway, ThongHotel rents bikesThe Lai mountain alsostopinKhorat trainservices These BNRTHTAIPOIC • Aon bnRthtaiPoic UBON RATCHATHANI Province ••AroundUbonRatchathani PROVINCE , where extensions are visa available. Kaeng Sapheu Kaeng homestay programme

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Phibun Mangsahan; r 200-300B; Phibun Mangsahan; better options. Phibun Jiamoffers Mangsahan, butKhong There are in afew placesto stay passable SLEEPING &EATING you ifare polite and dressed nice. Thai immigration, which willgive officials river. First youshould get a border passfrom villagevisit themarket acrossthe intheLao migration police(allittakes is50B)toletyou im- eigners, itispossibletopersuade theLao thisisnotanofficial crossingforfor-though Taem (1200B). up to10people),Kaeng Tana (600B)orPha to take yououttoMae NamSongSi(300B, Park (p539). Youcancharter boats long-tail 3000-year-old muralsatPha Taem National very much like thefishtrapsthatappearin traps are madehere theylook forlocaluse; rents formedatthejunction. Huge conicalfish Rivers, which Thaiscall at theconfluenceof theMekong andMun Jiam; there isnopublictransport. by therapids.Theparkis14kmfromKhong (per person30B,2-persontenthire 150B) kilometres southof the (per hour100B)andhorseback riding.Five rental canarrange canoe in advance,parkstaff Bikes cost50Bperhourand,ifyoucalladay trail to a beach atthenorthendand2kmclifftop Theislandhas water duringtherainyseason. beautiful namesake rapids,which lieunder- footbridge, Mae the NamMunroilsthrough forested DonTana, linked tothemainlandby admission 200B; National Park cross thePak MunDamtolittle cymbals aroundhere too. as 200,000B. People make manydrumsand 500B andthehuge 2mgongsfetch asmuch roadside shelters. ataround Smallgongsstart them inrusticfires andsimple atmanyhouses discsandtemperingmering theflatmetal bles. Youcanwatch thegong-makers ham- for temples andclassicalThai-musicensem- Colour River) 300m walkfromtheroad.There isa town, midway between the busstop andthe town, midway between 6pm) Phiboonkit Hotel Phiboonkit JiamsitsonapicturesqueKhong peninsula Five kilometres before Jiamyoucan Khong Thais cancrosstheMekong and toLaos is Nam TokTad Ton Lan Pha Phueng Lan Pha after thecontrastingcoloured cur-

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( faràng h , mushroom-shaped stoneformations 8am-5pm) andsix plaa bèuk can cross into Laos by land(that cancrossintoLaos camp sites contains exhibitspertain- contains bungalows . Vendors snacksand sell (giantMekong catfish), , a 25m-tall waterfall, a25m-tall Pa ChaNaDai

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539 Sao NORTHEASTERN THAILAND THAILAND NORTHEASTERN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND

Vietnam and Laos. Foreign visitorsVietnam andLaos. won’t cheap through goodsfromChina,browse the Lao side. the Lao continuing ontoPakse, catch abus(50B)on or hire atúk-túkforabout 400B. Ifyouare Phibun Jiam;youmustgothrough and Khong ChongMekis nopublictransportbetween Mek 20minutes. (35B,onehour)every There S THERE&AWAYGETTING near thedamatitsnorthernend. ers frequent arecreation area onforested hills Localaquaphilesandpicnick- Mun tributary. an impoundmentof aMaereservoir, Nam northeastern shore of thehuge thefanroomsarethough alittleoverpriced. 5237; r200-500B; the are pricedvery low.Ifyouget here after hours, skirtsandfabrics though or CDs(fromLaos), China), camouflage clothing(from Vietnam) less they’re inthemarket fortoiletries(from find much of interest here, topurchase un- 540 Mae Nam Mun Nam Mae SURIN Bua Chet ǎ Kamphaeng Yai AROUND SISAKET&UBONRATCHATHANI Ban Pok Samrong wngth Dong Hua About 5kmwestof ChongMek isthe Thai travellers cometoChongMek to Thap Prasat Hin Sanuan Nonthaveth &OunchithGuestHouse Nonthaveth ROI ET Wat Sa Na BNRTHTAIPOIC • Aon bnRthtaiPoic UBON RATCHATHANI Province ••AroundUbonRatchathani PROVINCE 2201 Huay Thap Bung Bun Prang Ku 2167 ǎ Lalom Than

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212 24 Non Khun Samrong Na Phiman Tae Mai often ortoolowtomake toohigh thetrip, apython;butwater are levels see you might negotiable) above thefallswhere theyinsist ing visitors onshort they dryuparoundMarch. love Rangers tak- picture. Youcanswimbelow both,though stream islittle steps tothebottom.Another170mdown- leads tothetop,andyoucanwalkdown272 butparallelstreams.two separate Ashort trail Huay Luang the park. and tigers often crossover theborderinto dangered white-winged ducks.Elephants black hornbills,red junglefowlandtheen- bons, Malayan sunbears, Asiatic blackbears, Fauna monkeys, includesbarkingdeer, gib- land’s wildestparksandhealthiestforests. 0 25620760;admission400B; Chong NayoiNationalPark borders, isthelittle-known Cambodian jungle-clad intersection Thaiand of theLao, Stretching acrossthe‘EmeraldTriangle’, v=mpkocsj'(k^b#)&v'okpvp Phu ChongNayoiNationalPark The park’sprimaryattractionis Warin Chamrap 24 Nam Yeun 2214 Rai Noi 2192 2050 Na Yeah Nong Hom Det Udom Nam Khun Nan BoBaeng Mae Nong Khon Bao Kham

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Sapheu Riang Nong ( Kaeng h % Najaluay 2222 2135 Chong Mek Lung Tung 24hr) Nam Taeng 0 4541 1515, reservations 0 45411515,reservations 12miles 20km 0 0 National Park Kham Bak Sing Amphon 217 lonelyplanet.com Pha Taem Ban Mai , oneof Thai- Buntharik Ban Nong Sirinthon Kheuan Khong , alsoapretty Saeng Jiam National Park Ban Nong Kaeng Tana Pheu

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mhe Phu Mekong up buses tothetownofbuses Najaluay (60B,three From Uboncatch oneof thethree morning THERE&AWAYGETTING and drinksare available daily. overnight guestswithadvancenotice. Snacks willcookfor and holidaysonly,butparkstaff plus a bungalows Therespending thenight. are fourthree-bed and thena2kmhike. a 50kmdrive fromthemainparkentrance tom of thevalley)fromatop with jungleinstead of theMekong atthebot- a lotlike theviewfromPha Taem but cliff, ofvistas thesurrounding countryside(itlooks end of the687-sq-kmpark,there are superb especially fromFebruary toApril.Atthefar lonelyplanet.com the last weekend which for themain event, 10 days, butthe massive crowds come onjust well-dressed tuskers. Thecitycelebrates for somany see come to town –you’llnever Roundup explodes intolifecapital forthe untilNovember,itself when theprovincial Quiet haveSurin doesn’t for much tosay pop 41,200 l=ibomiN SURIN &AROUND Elephant Roundup,heldeach November. provides thebackdropforraucousAnnual forexploringthetemples and base fortable ing, butSurininparticularmakes acom- attractions. Phra Wihanranksamongthenortheast’sbest Most are butKhao nowlookingrathertatty, are dotted withAngkor-era ruins. Khmer The adjacentprovinces of Surin and Si Saket PROVINCES SURIN &SISAKET another 11kmafter theturn-off. 9km beyondNajaluay, andHuaiLuangis totheparkis theturn-off your ownwheels, Tok HuaiLuangwithashortwait.Ifyouhave for about300Bthereturn journey toNam hours). FromNajaluay, túk-túkcanbehired A coupleof restaurants operate onweekends there wasnotent hire, butthismaychange. Stargazing issuperbhere, so consider The region’s townsare ratherlessinterest- camp site whengiant scrumsof pachyderm

(600B)

withhotwater andelectricity, (per person30B) SURIN & SI SAKET PROVINCES •• Surin &Around ••Surin PROVINCES SURIN&SISAKET . Duringourvisit Pha Hin Dang Hin Pha Annual Elephant . It’s access emailhere. 1, Surin) Klang, about 50kmnorthof Surin.Displays fabrics incorporating threads coated insilver 2pm. there are plansto change that)at10amand h Surin Plazashoppingcentre. Surin hourly. Ifyouare driving,take Rte 214north tion ceremony. May’s fullmoon,forthenewmonks’ordina- painted,all thepachyderms around brightly humans. There are one-hour Suai homessheltering bothelephantsand annual festival live here –some intraditional training, anddozensof theperformers atthe inside andoutdiscuss elephants andelephant 2773; donationsappreciated; son, visitthe Surin’selephants duringthelowsea- To see [hko^kd]k' BAN THA KLANG Sights &Activities Siam CommercialBank Ruamphet Hospital 9am-noon Sat,Sun&holidays) Post office Microsys Information a historyhabit. toreach with ruins worththeeffort forthose ing handicraftvillages. Furtherafieldare some andsomeinterest-elephantine entertainment the bigshow. the elephantsandparadeonFridaybefore the festival’s isthefree bestevent for buffet shadecost500B.and guaranteed Arguably totheaction,Englishcommentary closest which get at40B,butVIPseats, youstart partinabattlere-enactment.taking Tickets features 300elephantsshowing theirskillsand soma most famous is ofstriking distance Surintown.By farthe There are manysilk-weaving villages ineasy CRAFT VILLAGES signs downRte 3027. for 40kmandfollow the‘ElephantVillage’ expected) Buses fromSurin(30B,twohours)Buses run The village hostsan cityyou’llfindmoreJust outsidethecapital 10.30am-8pm) HasATM andexchange facilitiesinside ( % daily(exceptduringthefestival, but (Th Sirirat, Surin; perhr15B; Surin; Sirirat, (Th 08 1726 0397) (Th Tanasan, Surin; (Th Elephant StudyCentre Ban Tha Sawang Ban Tha ( % makes exquisite brocade (Th Sratara, Surin; Sratara,Surin; (Th h 0 44513192;ThThesaban Elephant Parade h 9am-5pm) 8.30am-4.30 Mon-Fri, 8.30am-4.30 Mon-Fri, h shows , where in Ban Tha inBan 24hr) Youcan

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541 NORTHEASTERN THAILAND THAILAND NORTHEASTERN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND of three sites knowncollectively as to reach –of Surin’s temple ruinsisaseries The mostatmospheric–and difficult xiklkm^kg}nvo PRASAT TA MEUAN cluding someratherflatonesthat pack well. weave sturdy,unlacquered baskets, rattan in- Surin onRte 226,ontheway toSikhoraphum, Manee, whoruns shops andhomesinthevillages, andKhun bothproductsbeingmadeat You cansee Chok’sancestorsby Ban manycenturiesago. styleof toThailand Cambodian beadbrought cheaper. Thesilver is standout well asinotherSurinvillages) canbeover 50% in otherpartsof Thailand,andpriceshere (as looms. Neitherfabricstyleisreadily available popular is hole, each village. Oneof thesilkspecialitiesis tively, youcanbuysomeof though bothin and 3036,are knownforsilkandsilver respec- neighbours 18kmnorthof SurinviaRtes 214 ket inSurin. (12B, 20minutes) runregularly fromthe mar- west of thecityviaRte 4026,ands steady stream of Thevillage tourbuses. is8km disgorged themasses bya typical silksserve ously. Dozensof more othershopsselling below theothers, worktheloomsimultane- Four women,includingonesittingonafloor two tothree months, impressive. ismighty metre –buttheweaving process,which takes at30,000Bper only madetoorder;pricesstart or gold.Youcan’tbuythemhere –theyare 542 door remains. one sculpted lintel over sandstone the rear constructed ofsanctuary laterite blocks; only small monument withatwo-door, 10-window 1210) as a rest stopfor pilgrims.It’sa fairly built intheJayavarman VIIperiod(AD 1181– to Phimai. lines theancient route linking AngkorWat TaBan border. Miangon theCambodian It Meuan loom. S entire silk-weaving process,fromcocoonto the non-customers forasmallfee) outtosee on themaindrag,often takes customers (or style thatrequires upto35footpedalsonthe hours) hourly. a Kwo Sinarin Khwao Ban The first site, The residents of adistinctive woven tightly UI ISKTPOICS • ui rud &Around ••Surin PROVINCES SURIN &SISAKET

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dates theothertwosites byasmuch astwo largest site, attheendofthe armybase theroad,is surrounded byalaterite wall. with mostof itstopgonesittingonalaterite name. Built in the 12th century, Sikhoraphum name. Built inthe 12thcentury, Sikhoraphum 30B; east of townat andhirePrasat there. amotorcycle taxi nearby, butit’seasier toget to thetownof vehicle bound forthebordercandropyou the turn-offis1.5km southof Hwy24. Any moat ringsit.The site Rte sits600m off 214; ably builtinthe11th centuryandaU-shaped Airavata, make itworthatrip.Itwas prob- with theHindugod Indraridinghiselephant, includingalintel above theentrance carvings, thatonceheldthree;base butsomewonderful of sandstone Surin.It’sjustasolitary Phluang Angkor-period ruins,including minor borderharbours several the Cambodian The southernreach of SurinProvince along OTHER KHMER-TEMPLE RUINS from Surintown. Phanom RungHistoricalPark ( p468 ) than get here, andavisitismore convenient from than cars. yourowntransport to Youneed by farmorevia awindingroadused cows Miang (onRte 224,23kmeastof Kruat) Ban you of ‘danger’. which iswhythered signs(inThaionly)warn ter thethickjunglesurroundingcomplex, mines andundetonated handgrenades stilllit- territory. Land end dropsintoCambodian onthesouthern site inthe1980s.Astairway Rougedealers whooccupiedthe bytheKhmer blasted awayandsoldtounscrupulousThai the principal encase insidethewall.Manystand carvings smallerbuildingsstill laterite andseveral base large hallare builtof blocksona sandstone ittakes togeteffort here. Three reconstruction, thisonenearlyjustifiesthe centuries. Despite asomewhathaphazard gopura, by Jayavarman VII,theruinsconsistof a side Chaiyaphum,isabitlarger. Alsobuilt like or‘hospital’ PrangKuout- ing station’ tohaveis said thechapel been fora‘heal- Nearly akilometre furthersouth,nextto The sites begin10.5kmsouthof Ta Ban Just 300msouth, A larger 30kmnorth- site isseen Khmer h

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(admission free; SURIN & SI SAKET PROVINCES •• Surin &Around ••Surin PROVINCES SURIN &SISAKET prang. h daylight programme includes three meals andalittle a wholedayworking withthem. elephant time. For 1000Bmore youcanspend person 250B) information ontheregion. food andPiromisoneof thebestsourcesof filled ricepaddy.Aree cookssomepretty good and ashady gardenoverlook anoldflower- (all withshared bathroom)intwonewhouses favourite can’t bebeat.Simplewoodenrooms for thislong-timebudgetbut thenewsetting 1km westof thecity,isalittleinconvenient, r120-200B) Arunee, ThThungpo,Surin; far inadvanceasyoucan. Roundup (andpricesskyrocket), sobookas The hotels fillupfastduringtheElephant Sleeping themselves. whowanttodriveaudio-tour CDsforthose Province from1500B. Itisplanningtocreate daytourscustomised inandaroundSurin 202/1-4 ThThesaban2; are butthetours high, are good. (and manyothers) are alsoavailable. Prices Rover. temples Allthewell-knownKhmer four people2100B)fromthebackof hisLand immersionday Isan (perperson perdaywith person 1200Bwithfourpeople)toafour- ThaKlangandthecraftvillagesin Ban (per offers awiderange of tours, fromahalf-day Pirom, atPirom-Aree’s below), (see House Tours sible Travel ( p45 ) formore information. Respon- opportunities inotherThaicities;see alsohasvolunteering Starfish vincial capital. but volunteers get private roomsinthepro- in JulyandAugust. gramme, mostlyinvolvingtree planting,runs pro- vember toFebruary) andaconservation andNo- toSeptember the school year(June Surin; r690-850B; Surin; at 240B. to large and comfymidrangers. Air-con starts rachitic shared-bathroom cheapies ontheroof The 125roomsrange fromsome smiling staff. san, Surin; r80-500B; san, Surin; property isrunwith jet-engineprecision by Ban Tha KlangHomestay Ban Tha Phetkasem Hotel Phetkasem Sangthong Hotel Sangthong Hotel Travel Saren All workisdoneinsurroundingvillages, Pirom-Aree’s House Pirom-Aree’s Thepriceof thisvillage homestay ais

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543 NORTHEASTERN THAILAND THAILAND NORTHEASTERN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND 544 food ispretty goodtoo. moreliquor listiseven global,andtheThai nish pasties,weinerschnitzel andBLTs. The has athicklistof foreign favourites, like Cor- district, thisaptlynamedBritish-owned place far fromSurin’ssurprisinglywild nightlife Tucked andnot awaybehind thebusstation, rung; dishes30-600B; walk southof thecentre. rooftop patioistheplacetobe. It’sashortish Thegarden isgreat,hands atnight. butthe (Love Park), where couplescometohold of thecitymoat,nowknownasS stretch overlookingwooden house asurviving dishes 30-180B; The smalleroriginalisaroundthecorner. of famous purveyor andWatSalaloiisSurin’smost phet Hospital doors southof theSangthongHotel. theThaimenu.It’sthreeto guideyouthrough English coming permagrinandspeaksenough Theownerwears sausages. awel- and Isan breakfastup atasty –tryaplate of paneggs 60B; ChaiKit Surin Eating ais r800-1800B, ste3000B; majestic.net; 99ThJitBamrung,Surin; an adjacentmovie theatre. and plentytokeep youoccupied,including architectureBond-villain-meets-Benidorm scratches good-value terrain andfeatures the Majestic, butthisreasonable midranger From Surin’s BUS Getting There &Away insects. dishes,including,asalways,barbecued Isan ofwhip upanexcellent selection Thaiand until2am. Bothmarkets nicipal market serve Two blockswest, vendors frontingthemu- h Thai and Isan dishes are served inanold dishesareThai andIsan served nothing special,butaren’t badfortheprice. of extras,like afitnesscentre. Theroomsare behindthebusterminal, hasplenty sits right Bamrung) 80B; Surin Majestic Hotel Majestic Surin Surin’s principal Farang Connection Larn Chang Petmanee 2 5-10pm) h h UI ISKTPOICS • iSkt&Aon &Around ••SiSaket PROVINCES SURIN &SISAKET breakfast &lunch) lunch) buses head to/from RoiEt(ordinary buses isjustsouthof theSangthong Hotel. ) Thisshiny newtop-ender,which This simple spot between Ruam- Thissimplespotbetween

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Si Saket Tourism Coordination Centre Tourism Si Saket ATM andchangefacilities. Locatedsouth ofthetrainstation.Has 3.30pm Mon-Fri) Kasikornbank Information warrant avisit. ismore to border inCambodia, thanenough Wihan (Preah justover VihearinKhmer), the Angkor-period temple complexof Phra Khao humdrum townof SiSaket, butavisittothe There’s not a wholelottodointheperennially pop 42,800 LiultgdK SI SAKET&AROUND ter hasmotorcycles. Farang Connectionallrent cars, plusthelat- to 30Bforatriparoundthecentre. If youdon’twanttowalk,s within afew blocks of thebusandtrain stations. is youwouldwantorneed virtually everything Surin isavery convenient cityfortravellers: Getting Around Buriram andSiSaket. alongtheUbonline,including other station hours) 1st-/3rd-classpricesbeginat346/73B. (eight hours) at140/31B;toBangkok starts toUbon(three destination. A1st-/3rd-classseat toeither there are nearlyadozendailyservices trainlineand Surin isontheBangkok–Ubon TRAIN hours). (60B,two (40B, 3½hours) minibuses oreight spot, youhave achoice of s eight at ChongJom,where are visas available onthe shopping mall. threehas anoffice blockswestbySurinPlaza (495B,9.30pm),but onecompany VIP service ing hours) Surin’sbusterminal, includ- alsouse terminal (ordinary/air-con 248/342B,eight northernbus the frequent toBangkok’s buses hours,321/626B, eight ninedaily).Mostof daily)andPattayahours, seven (air-con/VIP Chiang Mai (air-con/VIP 690/960B,14 Si Saket (ordinary50B,2½hours, hourly), air-con 93/130B,fourhours, half-hour), every 50B, three (ordinary/ hours, hourly),Khorat 1283; www.pao-sisaket.go.th; cnr Th Lak Muang &Th cnrThLak Muang 1283; www.pao-sisaket.go.th; Pirom-Aree’s Saren House, Travel and Surin canalsobereached bytrainfromany If youare border headingtotheCambodian 999 VIP

( % Book accommodationBook online at lonelyplanet.com (Th Khukhan, Si Saket; SiSaket; Khukhan, (Th 0 44515344) , which has a 24-seat , which hasa24-seat ǎ amláw charge 20B lonelyplanet.com h ǎ ( 8.30am- wngth % 0 4561 ǎ ew the tracks. 10pm) Justwestofthetrainstation,onsouthside over theplainsof offering dreamy Cambodia, approaches, the large temple complextowers of viaaseries stepped steep accessed the Dangrek (DongRek) escarpment and onthe browof cliff Straddling a600m-high region’s great Angkor-period monuments. Wihan (Preah isoneof VihearinKhmer) the sible fromthatsideof theborder, PhraKhao andallbutinacces- Just insideCambodia, v=mpkocsj'(k^bg*krit;bski PARK PRASAT KHAO PHRAWIHAN NATIONAL Sights TP Internet weekdays only. staffon more topromote.There are English-speaking pitytheprovincedoesn’thave enthusiastic aboutSiSaket; Tepa, SiSaket; lonelyplanet.com relief appears todate backto theKoh Ker (AD mythology. Stylistically the Mon orKhmer corresponds tono knownfigures inThai, ing deities, angels orkings, theiconography they give thegeneral impression of represent- archaeologists andart historians.Although identitiesareVishnu), whose anenigmato pig(which represent might carved a roughly The relief depictsthree figures, sittingbelow views andtheoldest bas-relief inThailand. Mo IDaeng Pha some interesting exhibits onitshistory,the which includesamodelof thetemple and Nearthevisitorcentre,Phra Wihanitself. beforepeep trampingover thebordertoKhao anumberof that arecontains sights wortha Phra Khao WihanNationalParkkm Prasat cost605B). their 200Bfee (total authoritiescollect the borderCambodian things change)anyway incase andjustafter tobringit butitwouldbewise necessary, to pay5Bforaborderpass(passports are not about 1kmaway.OntheThaiside youhave anduptothetemple, the pathintoCambodia 4pm) ( Thailand’s Court ruling.Buttheonlyaccessisthrough ina1962World finally awardedtoCambodia expensive business. isarelativelyAccess, however, confusingand ruins. views andsomebeautifulevocative % On theThaisideof theborder,130-sq- Claimed bybothcountries,thetemple was 0 45816000;admission400B; , where a (Th Ratchakanrodfai 3;perhr15B; Ratchakanrodfai (Th Prasat Khao Phra WihanNationalPark Phra Prasat Khao h cliff facefeatures cliff some fabulous visitor centre 8.30am-4.30pm) Thestaffare really SURIN & SI SAKET PROVINCES •• Si Saket &Around ••SiSaket PROVINCES SURIN&SISAKET

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to thefamousPhanom Rung lintel depict- also visibleonthe second tree.symmetrised AVishnu creation lintel is on Nandi(Shiva’s bull)undertheshadeof a picting Shiva andhisconsortUmasitting stonelintel de- by awell-executed carved (the innerdoorfacingsouth)issurmounted gopura andvisible. Thedoorwaysto thethird intact are but abundant examplesof stonecarving down andmanyof thebuildingsare roofless, thefirstintact; two be returned tothesite. interceptedart hasbeen andmayeventually some of particular –although thissmuggled in ing of artefacts –lintels andothercarvings death in1998,thesite suffered fromthepilfer- Rouge occupation,which lasted untilPolPot’s found infavour of theThais.DuringKhmer which makes onewish theWorldCourthad terest incompletingthejobanytimesoon– appeartohaveand theCambodians littlein- ments onthesite priortoitsconstruction. andtherehowever, were smallerbrickmonu- before thecompletionof thetemple complex, Hindusforatleast500yearssacred toKhmer struction of was AngkorWat.Thehillitself it wasthelatter whoalsocommandedthecon- Suryavarman IIintheearly12thcentury– II inthemid-10thcenturyandendingwith kings,beginningwithRajendravarman Khmer over three centuriesunderasuccessionof the area. it isassumedlandminesare stillburiedin the parkinglotis viaawalkway.Across andisaccessed the cliff isonanoverhanging of section The carving atKohvarman IVruledfromhiscapital Ker. 921–45) periodof art,whenKingJaya- Khmer nearby rubble. The galleries surrounding the the magnificence. from Many of the stonecarvings fore the viewercanget a trueideaof its former ofthe summit isinneed major restoration be- ing ontheocean below. climbing thechurning stickratherthanreclin- subject,thisoneshows Vishnu ing thesame you should visitwithaparkranger because stream fromlate October,and Junethrough orchestra. There isusuallyonlywater inthe flowing over acave large toholdan enough wasconstructed Phra Khao Wihanitself One The temple complexisonlysemirestored The main prasat have been nicely preserved andone have nicelypreserved been naga are missing whileothers lie buriedin balustradeof around30misstill prasat Nam Tok Khun Si Nam TokKhun towerinthefinal courtat gopura gopura; have allbutfallen , awaterfall incontrast

545 NORTHEASTERN THAILAND THAILAND NORTHEASTERN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND Sa Kamphaeng Yai’s modernsuccessor. canbefound on thegroundsofsanctuary Wat some inexcellentcondition,remain. Theruined their tops,butmanylintels andothercarvings, of butrestored sandstone withbrick) have lost prang four 11th-century Yai Kamphaeng Uthumphon Phisai, Amphoe Thirty kilometres westof SiSaket viaRte 226in OTHER KHMERRUINS hour) andcontinuefromthere asabove. chathani toKantharalak half- (37B,1½,every a longtime,especiallyonweekdays. Hitching totheparkispossible,butcouldtake ruins andsoholdallthecardsinbargaining. come thisfarare unlikely toskipvisitingthe are wellaware thatvisitors whohave already 400B forfourpeople. Drivers inPhum Saron couple of hours waitingtime. Atruckwillcost tothepark;figuretaxi on200Breturn witha Phum Saronyou’llhave tohire amotorcycle minutes); half-hour. bothdepartevery From up as tharalak (40B,1½hours) andthenpick via Kantharalak. Take abus first toKan- to Phum Saron–10kmbefore thetemple – Route 221leads95kmsouthfromSiSaket Getting There &Away well-trodden paths everywhere else. bones signsaroundthetemple andstickto surrounding forest theskulland cross- –heed land minesandartillerypiecesstilllitter the rillas andthePhnom Penh government, and Rouge guer- Khmer heavy between fighting their arched roofs. prasat 546 ple’. In the1990s theabbot dreamt of a Khuad callsit days nearly everyone these it’sWatPaOfficially Maha Chedi Kaeo, but OTHER SIGHTS barely more thanapileof laterite blocks. Angkor KingJayavarman daysitis VII.These in thearea, by itwasbuiltasahealingstation h English, is inatemple withnosigninThaior highway to Kamphaeng Noi,onthenorthsideof the About 8kmwestof SiSaket ontheway The area aroundthetemple witnessed You canalsocatch abusfromUbonRat- daylight hours) UI ISKTPOICS • iSkt&Aon &Around ••SiSaket PROVINCES SURIN &SISAKET (including the main one, which was built (includingthemainone,which wasbuilt

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down a ing tothe busterminal (it’sabout 1kmaway cultures: Lao, Khmer, SuaiandYer. Khmer, cultures: Lao, Concrete ments andthelike fromtheprovince’s four h Bank) doesn’t deliver of on thesign’s promise doesn’t Bank) Th Sinpadit Soi 1;r250-350B; costs 20Bto30B. A s KANTHARALAK further south,principally alongThUbon. is amore variedroster of restaurants alittle night) andabig train station value, which iswhyitsometimesfull. west of stilloffers thetrainstation fantastic fan roomsare butthishotel rough, just atad facilitiesyou’dexpectatfirst andthe star sight r230-490B; Meuang; ity mattresses. money wouldhave better spentonqual- been that party,though if youwanttohave aTV the cheapest – great roomshave satellite TV thisplaceisn’tbadforthe price.station, Even a Hotel Si Saket SI SAKET Sleeping &Eating the cityat3pm. of Thelastridereturns thetrainstation. to a s around). Thewatis7kmnorthof town;take comebackasagorillathenexttime might offer life lessons(leadabadlife andyou ditional clothes,whileoversized animals ofstatues peopleonthegroundsweartra- cows andcreated a bòt lamenting thelossof theoldways,built another unusualtemple. Aprevious abbot, south of Hwy24viaRte 2111. Han,on thewestsideof Khun Amphoe 12km likeless anexaggeration. It’s thenameseems glass bottles.Themore youlookaround,the to thebelltower,of hiscurrent temple with surface of building,fromthe nearlyevery the nextbestthing:hecovered nearlyevery to copyit.Sincethatwasn’tpossiblehedid in heaven madeentirely of glassandhelonged ǎ Rose InnResort There are restaurants several justnorthof the Hotel Phrompiman RueangRong That Wat Phra ǎ like anoxcart beingpulledbytwogiant 7.30am-5pm) ) wngth Justastone’sthrownorthof thetrain amláw from the bus station to these hotels tothese amláw fromthebus station convenes immediately tothesouth.There soi ǎ ew (10B,15minutes) frominfront next totheGovernment Savings Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com

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Book accommodationBook online at lonelyplanet.com and a galows The parkhasafew newair-conditioned PARK PRASAT KHAO PHRAWIHAN NATIONAL offerings are thebestcityhastooffer. very ordinaryrooms,butthehigher-priced attractive wood-linedlobby, andthenserves main street towngreets through youwithan 36 ThSinpadit;r300-550B; south of themainstreet. bakery outthefrontisvery friendly.It’sjust this family-runplacewithacoffee shopand 250-550B; clean andcolourful. you are here withyourgirlfriend.Roomsare know around yourcarsowife doesn’t have butitdoes shades todraw VIP services, lonelyplanet.com the above - ‘Do the right thing withour content.’ the above -‘Do theright theterms andconditions onoursiteforalonger wayofsaying youknow,or resell it.See everyone site,mass emailitto only. Inother words,please don’t uploadthischapter toapeer-to-peer In return, wethinkit’sfair toaskyouuseit forpersonal,non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasierforyoutouse, accesstothischapterisnotdigitally Tomake drinksandsnacks. themselves sell the visitorcentre, andvendors intheruins There are manyrestaurants acrossfrom Kantharalak Palace Hotel Kantharalak SB Hotel camp site (pricesunconfirmedattimeof writing) ai

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) ( Thisplaceonthe % 0 45661085;131/35- bun- . daily) costsaslittle139/13B. (onehour,11 class traintoUbonRatchathani and departingSiSaket at7.30pm.A2nd-/3rd- at8.30pm departing Hualamphongstation ice (1st-class air-con 651B,10hours) sleeper 10 hours) includingovernight express serv- to (2nd-/3rd-class311/197B,eight Bangkok (10½ hours, sixdaily). a2nd-/3rd-classtraincosts281/147B Bangkok Saket costs29/13B(1½hours, sixdaily);from 999 VIP Surin (ordinary/air-con 50/80B,2½hours). (ordinary/air-con 40/59B,1¼hours) and regular to/fromUbonRatchathani buses just northof There thetrainstation. are also either thebusterminal oronThSiSaket air-con hours) 314/423B,eight stopping at are frequent departures toSiSaket (ordinary/ Northernbusterminal thereFrom Bangkok’s Getting There&Away Bangkok at7.40pm. Bangkok (610B)to VIPservice terminal, has24-seat There are aboutadozen dailytrainsto A 2nd-/3rd-classtrainfromUbontoSi

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547 NORTHEASTERN THAILAND THAILAND NORTHEASTERN