Tag: Isan
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Mekong Motorcycle Diaries Day 7
Thailand. 17th November, 2012 Sunday in Sangkhom Overcast again at the rise, so I watched the long-tail boats coming and going, motoring across calm, misty waters, to and from Laos. There was more river traffic this morning, but whether it being Sunday had anything to do with that I didn’t know. I would ask Dtoy. Crossing for breakfast I encountered […]
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Mekong Motorcycle Diaries Day 6
16th November, 2012 Coffee (as usual), caves and curious lights: Cloudy morning dullness discouraged efforts to rise early, though I was still up by 7.30 for a hefty banana pancake and a pot of tea. Dtoy didn’t have any knowledge about the light I observed traversing the hills above Laos last night. It still wasn’t identified, so it remained a […]
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Mekong Motorcycle Diaries Day 5
15th November, 2012 Chiang Khan to Sangkhom (and first sightings of a UFO): Woke to Thai and Laotian roosters duelling across the Mekong; a croaking crow-fest that fell away in sputters like a slapstick comedy routine. Pim was nowhere to be seen yesterday – she had been in Leoi. She was downstairs now and chatty. She pointed at my bamboo […]
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Mekong Motorcycle Diaries Day 3
Sangkhom to Chiang Khan Thailand. 13th November, 2012 Spectacular riding, off-duty cops and chance encounters. Woke to more primrose skies. …And descended to a deserted reception. Perhaps everyone was sleeping off a hangover. No one emerged, so I left the keys on the counter, loaded the bike and throttled-off into the morning. I didn’t travel far, though – stopped at […]
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Khon Kaen Silk Festival
Khon Kaen, a transport hub in the far north east of Thailand, was never a trading stop on the famous Silk Road. Unsurprising really, given the road was a network rather than a route: but Khon Kaen, as far as I know, wasn’t part of that either. Silk, however, plays an important role in Khon Kaen’s current trading and tourist […]
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Nakhon Phanom, Lai Rua Fai
Friday. The day before the illuminated procession… Boats, beauties and full moons. I walked down to the Mekong River early to watch the boat races the Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) said began at 7.30am, but there wasn’t a water vessel of any description in sight. TAT can be tourist misinformation sometimes, despite their best intentions. There was an alternative […]
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Nakhon Phanom
The Happy Capital in the Land of Smiles Nakhon Phanom is the ideal Thai city; big enough to have what you need, but small enough to be personable. It has an attractive setting with views across the Mekong River to jagged limestone mountains in Laos. Traffic is leisurely, locals are friendly, food is consistently good, and it exudes a progressiveness […]
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Wat Phu Tok, North East Thailand
The seven levels of circular walkways, meditation caves and platforms that comprise Wat Phu Tok, rise precariously 200 metres above the Mekong River floodplain. Sometimes referred to as the Stairway to Heaven the temple symbolises the seven steps to enlightenment, and was the inspiration of Buddhist monk Ajaan Juen. The first step, for a traveller, is getting there. I’m approaching […]
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Ubon Holds Up A Candle
I am sipping an Americano outside Jazz, a blink-and-you’d-miss-it cafe in Khuangthani Road when I hear drums and guitars, followed by singing. Then villagers appear wearing green tops and checked sarongs. They clap and dance spontaneously to the music, oblivious to the light rain. The temple communities are arriving with their floats to set up for tomorrow’s parade, and the […]
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