Chilling by the Mekong

Nong Khai is an endearing little town lying on one side of the mighty Mekong River. For some people it is just a place to pass through to do a visa run into neighboring Laos across the friendship Bridge, but it is a popular tourist destination and a place well worth spending a little time in. Although it is a relatively small town, its status as a transit point for Laos means there are numerous guest houses and restaurants.

This is a riparian town so, like many riparian towns, one of the best things to do is to soak up the atmosphere alongside the riverbank. A long boardwalk, lined with timber decked restaurants and bars hugs the contours of the Mekong. The Tha Sadet market, accessible from the boardwalk, is pretty large and is a typical Thai market, with lots of imported goods from Laos. In the evening stroll along the river side and choose one of the numerous river side restaurants to eat in. Don't leave it too late to eat because they roll up the shutters relatively early here. After eating you can find a few bars in the vicinity. The Warm Up bar was one of my favorites, with its atmospheric lighting and peaceful vantage point looking over to the odd twinkling light on the Laos side of the river. It attracted a younger, mostly Thai clientele, but this middle aged farang was made to feel most welcome.

During the day there are a number of sights to see in, or around the town. I previously did a blog post on probably the best known attraction in Nong Khai, the Sala Kaew Ku (or Sala Keo Ku) sculpture park. In addition, there are a few temples to keep temple enthusiasts occuppied for a while. Wat Pho Chai on Thanon Phochai houses a large, impressive Buddha with a head of gold and a body of bronze. Wat Lam Duan has an immense Buddha on top of the bot gazing out placidly over the Mekong. Phra That Klang Nam is a Lao chedi smack bang in the middle of the Mekong. It is submerged for much of the year but can be seen during the dry season. There is also a small Nong Khai museum which I did not have time to visit so I cannot comment on it.

You can do a sunset river cruise along the Mekong, which leaves from 5 pm daily behind Wat Hai. If you want to explore the Mekong further any guest house will be able to arrange something for you.

My only visit to Nong Khai was in March, but late October is an exciting time to visit because of the annual boat races to celebrate the end of the Buddhist lent and the rainy season. Long naga-headed boats take part in the races along the Mekong, which is presumably much faster flowing and many meters higher than it is in March. This time also coincides with the mysterious naga fireballs!

Accommodation is plentiful in Nong Khai with enough to suit a wide range of budgets. We stayed at the Pantawee Hotel on Haisoke Road which has rooms in different price ranges. Ours ran at about 1000 baht a night for a comfortable, clean room with a desktop computer with free internet, DVD, fridge etc. That suited us but there are many far less expensive, and no doubt, more expensive places around town.

Getting there is easy. Most people will probably come via the main transportation hub for the region, Udon Thani. From there frequent buses run to Nong Khai in under one hour. However, buses do stop at a slightly inconvenient location, a short way out of town, but too far to walk with luggage. This leaves you at the mercy of the tuk tuk drivers. Negotiate a fixed price before the start of the journey. It is only a 5 or 10 minute drive but they will try and get 200 baht which is crazy money for such a short drive.

Enjoy, and be sure to let me know if you have any further tips, recommendations or reports about this cool little Mekong town.

Thai Connoisseur

Essence of Thailand - Brussels Thai Festival

So, my summer hiatus is over. My lack of blogging is not due to lack of interest, but frustration with technical issues in Blogger which caused my attempted posts to be seriously 'malformed' with weird font sizes, html links not working and photos posting in the wrong order. Add to that the necessity of two trips back to the UK for family reasons and I have simply not being able to devote the time to find out what was causing these issues.

Now I am in Brussels and yesterday, Sunday September 12, I took the opportunity to attend the fifth 'Essence of Thailand' festival which has become an annual event here in the capital of Europe. The Thai community of Belgium was out in force along with a swirling mass of Belgians and expats. The festival takes place on a town square in a leafy suburb of eastern Brussels. Such is the popularity of this day I feel sure it will be forced to move to a larger venue at some point. The main square itself is quite large and houses the main stage, numerous stalls representing the major Thai restaurants in Belgium and tables and chairs for the consumption of the Thai food and the ubiquitous Singha beer. A narrower side street off the main square houses a much smaller stage and many arts and crafts and massage stalls. By midday this street is more crowded than Chinatown in Bangkok. If you do not mind being gawked at by hundreds of passers-by, you can get a head, foot, or limited body massage here. I prefer to wait till I am back in Thailand! The two stages were the setting for the usual Thai classical dancing, folk dances, nail dance and Thai boxing demonstrations. This year participants from the crowd were encouraged to join the dancers on stage! Errrrmm........I may be demonstrating a lack of sanuk here, and I sincerely hope all said participants enjoyed themselves, but middle aged Belgians attempting to mimic the graceful Thai dancers was, well, let's just say a bit painful to watch :-)

As usual it was a great day. To smell the aromas of Thai cooking from the 30+ Thai food stalls, to taste the spicy Thai food, to hear the Thai music and the excited chatter of the numerous Thais gathered together in this foreign land, and to see the elegant Thai dancers, singers and artists was indeed a feast for the senses.

Unusual signpost

Wandering around the Rattanakosin area of Bangkok I came across the fascinating signpost shown above.

Phra Mae Thorani Twisting Her Hair! What is that all about? Following the sign led me to a statue of a woman twisting her incredibly long hair. It occurred to me that I had seen many similar such representations of the same statue in my travels around Thailand but I had not paid too much attention.

Research led me to discover that Mae Thorani is a Thai and Laotian Buddhist Goddess. To paraphrase Wikipedia: She is recognized as The Goddess of the Earth who is often shown wringing the cool waters of detachment out of her hair. The water drowns the forces of temptation sent by the demon Mara to distract the Buddha as he meditated under the Bohdi tree.

Apparently this bodaciously evil dude sent his three daughters, whose Anglicized names translate into the delightfully named Thirst, Desire and Delight, to seduce the Buddha and stop him from attaining enlightenment. They failed and, rumour has it, all three are now working in the bars of Patpong.

Wikipedia goes on to say: ' A statue of Mae Thorani protecting Buddha will be found in every Thai and Lao temple, sometimes beside or in front of the main Buddha image on the altar, or outside the viharn.' I have certainly seen many such statues, but I do not recollect seeing them in every temple in Thailand and Laos and I have visited scores of them. However I am not always the most observant person when it comes to noticing the smaller details, so can anyone verify the veracity of that statement?

Thai Connoisseur

Suan Luang King Rama IX Royal Park, Bangkok

In my blog post My Top 5 Green Spots in Bangkok, I briefly mentioned Suan Luang King Rama IX Royal Park, and felt it deserved a fuller blog post of its own. It rarely gets a mention in the better known guide books, whether that is because it is a bit outside the tourist area of Bangkok, or because it is not considered a tourist attraction, I do not know. Certainly it is a rather Thai-oriented place, but there is absolutely no reason why tourists or resident expats should not go there. I enjoyed my visit there, despite visiting on a brutally hot day in late March.

The park is divided into 6 main sections:

i) Homage to His Majesty
In my earlier post I referred to this section as the Commemoration Hall, which is technically incorrect as the Commemoration Hall is only the main structural edifice of the area referred to as ‘Homage to His Majesty’. The Commemoration Hall is a large nine-sided structure which is home to an exhibition detailing the life and projects of the King, such as his various economic and social infrastructure projects, and touching on such things as his musical and photographic prowess. Surrounding gardens also form part of this area.

ii) The Sanan Rasdra
This is a large open area ( a field really) where concerts, performances, sporting events and recreational activities are held. 


iii) The Botanical Garden
This is a really pleasant aspect of the park. There are numerous little areas representing gardens and flora from different areas of the world, including a very pleasant recreation of a British garden which provided a shady retreat from the steamy heat. We also came across a greenhouse housing spectacular looking Cacti plants, but it was so hot I could only last about two minutes there.

iv)   Rommaniya Garden
This is the section dedicated to Thailand’s regions and is landscaped accordingly, to reflect the mountains, waterfalls, forests and other landscapes of Thailand. Native plants  showcase the diversity of Thailand flora.

v) The Water Garden
The Water Garden is a charmingly lush area of shallow canals and semi forest abundant with aquatic plants, fish, ducks and other birds. 

vi) The Reservoir
This is an artificial lake also known as  Prapang Kaew Keb Nam. It serves more than a recreational purpose as it is also designed as a catchment area to hold water back before releasing it into the Chao  Phraya river. This helps to lessen the flood risks in Bangkok’s eastern suburbs. I did not investigate the recreational facilities on the lake when I was there, but, as far as I know, small boats and paddle boats can be rented.
Tip: I went on a weekday morning when the park was very quiet. For some that is ideal, but on my next visit I will go on the weekend in the late afternoon to catch more of the atmosphere of Thai families enjoying a day out and to experience the park as dusk falls.

Location: Sukhumvit Road 103 (Udomsuk) Nongbon Pravej, Bangkok, 10260.
To get there by public transport I would suggest a taxi, or, BTS to On Nut and a taxi from there. Buses do run there, but as I have conflicting information over specific bus routes, I will not post that info.
Have a good time there......

Thai Connoisseur

Explore the Rattanakosin Era

A new high-tech, interactive museum called Nitas Rattanakosin has opened in Bangkok, according to  CNNgo


As the name implies, it explores the Rattanakosin period which lasted from 1782 to 1932. It looks like an interesting visit. 


Location: 100 Ratchadamnoen Klang Road, on Rattanakosin Island.


Thai Connoisseur

My Top 5 Green spots in Bangkok

Amidst the madness, surrealism and chaos of teeming, steamy, exciting Bangkok, lie jewels of greenery, some small, some large, but all offer a place of peace, quiet, reflection and a chance to sit in the shade under a tree. I have listed my top 5 favourite spots. The first four are all conveniently reached on the BTS or metro, the 5th one requires a bus or taxi ride, but, believe me, it is worth the effort.

1. Lumphini Park

Despite recent events, which turned Lumphini Park into a battleground, this large green oasis is once more a haven of tranquility. It serves multiple roles; the lungs of Bangkok, a large inner-city refuge and a social meeting point for Bangkokians from all walks of life. Early morning and evening are the best times to go when the park is alive with joggers, walkers, mass aerobics classes, and groups of people gathering together to enjoy the open air and to do what groups of Thais do best, eat! Sometimes you can catch a free concert at the bandstand. I, by chance, came across a great classical music concert there last February which was well appreciated by the largely Thai audience. There is a large artificial lake where you can hire small paddle or row boats. Often you can catch a glimpse of the huge Water Monitor Lizards that call the park home. I love seeing those guys. The park is named after Buddha’s birthplace in Nepal, according to a plaque you can find at the northern end of the park.
Skytrain: Sala Daeng, subway: Lumphini

2. Benjasiri Park

This small, pleasant park lies right on Sukhumvit Road, next to the Emporium shopping center, and right by the Phrong Phom BTS station. It was built in the 1990’s to commemorate the 60th birthday of Queen Sirikit. There is an ornamental lake as the focal point of the park. For me, the main attraction of the park, apart from its convenient location on hustling Sukhumvit Road, are the Thai sculptures that dot the park. In front of the park there is a lively community of street food vendors.  

3. Chatuchak Park

Anyone who has ever been to the world famous Chatuchak weekend market will undoubtedly have seen, passed through, or spent a bit of time in the adjoining Chatuchak Park, next to the Mo Chit BTS 

station. After the steambath of the market, a respite in the park with an ice cold bottle of water is just what the doctor ordered. Having said that, depending on the time of the day, shady spots can be hard to come by. Nontheless, the park is very popular with families and groups of friends, who rent mats from the numerous mat vendors, sit on the grass and, surprise, surprise, eat!

4. Chuvit Park

This tiny little park has a rather controversial history connected with the sometimes murky world of Bangkok politics. It is located near Soi 8 Sukhumvit, close to Nana BTS station. I have only given this place a rather cursory inspection, attracted primarily by its convenient location. If you are in the vicinity it is a place to sit down, catch your breath and chill. I will have to give it a fuller inspection to discover if there is something more to the place than just a quiet spot to sit.

5. Suang Luang King Rama IX Park

This park is a little further outside the central area of Bangkok than the 4 mentioned above, and a taxi may be necessary if you don’t have your own transport. This is the only park of the 5 mentioned which charges an entrance fee, but this is very low, I think 20 bht for non-Thais and 10 bht for Thais. The park was built for the present King Rama IX upon his 60th birthday in 1987.   It is divided into 6 main areas: the Commemoration Hall, the Botanical Gardens, the Resevoir, Rommaniya Garden, the Sanan Rasdara and the Water Garden. This one probably deserves its own blog post so I will write more about this at a later date. RJZS2RUXW6PK

Bizarre Sculpture Park, Nong Khai

In March 2009, prior to crossing the border into Vientiane, Laos, a friend and I spent two nights in Nong Khai, a pleasant little town on the banks of the Mekong River. One of the attractions I wanted to visit there was Sala Keo Ku. This is one of many possible romanized spellings and seems to be more commonly spelled Sala Kaew Ku. However, I use the spelling written on the main pavilion complex of the park, a large, three storey building which houses the mummified remains of the chief architect of this mesmerizing  place, also known as Wat Khaek. The place is a surreal and bizarre statue or sculpture park a few kilometers outside the town itself.  

Although I am not Belgian, my European home base is Belgium, the land of the surrealists, Magritte, Delvaux and others. I enjoy surrealism and the Sala Keo Ku park is certainly a worthy contender for the Asian version of the top ten surreal  attractions. It is bizarre, and yet, enchanting, in a macabre, somewhat sinister way.       

The work was started by an interesting character called Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat, a Lao national.  He was not a monk, but Luang Pu, a title traditionally reserved for monks, came to be applied to him.  He and his 'followers' (he seems to have been a bit of a cult leader) started building this park in 1978, having already built a similar park in neighboring Laos. The park consists of giant concrete sculptures of Buddhist and Hindu deities, towering up to 25 meters tall. My two favorites were the depiction of Buddha meditating under the protection of a seven-headed Naga snake, with each snake having an impressively long tongue, and a giant, unfinished brickwork sculpture of an enormous Buddha sculpture still missing his hands, which currently consist of steel wire supports around which the hands will, presumably, be built. Many of the sculptures are very amusing (look for the elephant wading through a pack of dogs).

Another fascinating part of the park is the Wheel of Life. This is an area surrounded by a  low, round wall, access to which is gained by going through the long, low-roofed 'mouth'.  Not easy for a middle aged European with bad knees, but easy for this young, short and supple Thai lady. 

The Wheel of Life consists of a group of sculptures representing the stages of life from the foetus, through childhood, adolescence, marriage, adultery(!), old age and death. The  Mut Mee guest house drew up this fascinating diagram of the  Wheel of Lifesculptures.

If you are in, or passing through Nong Khai, it would be a shame to miss this place because it is certainly worth an hour or two of your time.

Thai Connoisseur