Nong Khai
- is a small, sleepy town stretched out along the south bank of the Mekong
River, overlooking Laos on the other bank. It's about 600km north-east of
Bangkok, and its proximity to Laos means it has French influences from the
time when Laos was a part of French Indo-China. The people are
friendly, the pace of life is slow, and there are plenty of hotels and
places to pick up gifts and Laotian handicrafts.
How to get there - It's a
10-hour bus ride from Bangkok, but you'll be better off on an overnight
sleeper train. There's an airport at Udon Thani, a larger town 50km to the
south.
Where to stay - I stayed
at the Sawasdee Guest House on Thanon Meechai.
This is a fan-cooled timber
affair, with (when I stayed) shared showers and toilets. The Rough Guide
says there are now some air-conditioned rooms with en suite bathrooms.
The
rooms at the front of the building can be a little noisy from traffic, so
ask for a room at the back. There's plenty of travel information available
in the lobby, and there's a little enclosed courtyard with places to sit
and plan the day's inactivities. There are lots of other similar guest
houses, and a few clean tidy, hotels. Have a wander round and find one you
like the look of.
What to do in the day - Go for
a trip along the river in a long-tail boat, or visit the weird and surreal
sculpture gardens at Sala Kaeo Koo, 5km east of town.
It's also known as
Wat Khaek, and the four of us hired a tuk-tuk to take us out there. You
can see some snaps in the photo section, which will give you an idea of
what to expect. Well worth a day out.
What to do at night - Evening entertainment
is pretty low key. I'd suggest you find a little restaurant where the
food's good, and settle down with a beer to watch the world go by. There
are a few good places on the river bank near the pier on Thanon Rimkhong.
If
you want some live music, the trick here (and elsewhere in Thailand) is to
have a wander round looking out for the big yellow diamond-shaped
illuminated Draft Singha Beer signs down side streets. They're a dead
give-away.
