Udon Thani is underrated

[BarraMarra]

Most 1st time visitors always remark how laid back it is compared to other big cities and have returned and even settled in Udon. Of course, there are some who prefer to slag it off probably because they were disgruntled about it but as seen there few and far between.

Edited May 11, 2023 by BarraMarra

[bignok]

17 hours ago, BarraMarra said:

Most 1st time visitors always remark how laid back it is compared to other big cities and have returned and even settled in Udon. Of course, there are some who prefer to slag it off probably because they were disgruntled about it but as seen there few and far between.

Laid back in what regards? Fairly busy traffic. Nong Khai is laid back.

 

Seems plenty don't like it that much. Hardly few and far between.

[BarraMarra]

1 hour ago, bignok said:

Laid back in what regards? Fairly busy traffic. Nong Khai is laid back.

 

Seems plenty don't like it that much. Hardly few and far between.

I dont need to start explaining what laid back means.

[bignok]

3 minutes ago, BarraMarra said:

I dont need to start explaining what laid back means.

Seems fairly busy city to me. Hat Yai is laid back.

[KhunLA]

3 minutes ago, bignok said:

Seems fairly busy city to me. Hat Yai is laid back.

Very busy, and you don't want to be on the roads during rush hour, 7-9+ am, 3-7 pm.  

 

Pleasant 1000-1400 hrs and when we use to go into town, weekdays.  Avoided weekend completely.

[bignok]

I can't wait to visit Loei. Udon just a launching pad. Within 3 hours of Udon you have lots of points of interest and direct flights from Phuket. Otherwise I'm not sure why you would go there.

 

 

[Pink Mist]

An inappropriate troll post with name calling of expats has been removed.

[sidneybear]

On 5/8/2023 at 11:48 PM, GameMaster said:

Well... Sorry to hear that. I'm an outsider and everyone is nice with me. Maybe a seasonal thing

Maybe that's because you're nice too. Thailand tends to reflect one's own temperament. 

[LaosLover]

Direct flights from Chiang Mai to Udon. Not my first choice for a fly-in getaway, maybe not even my 5th. But eventually, I'm going to run out of new-THailand.

 

There's an Irish pub in downtown Udon with rooms that I'd like to stay in. In my solo Issan travels, the pub with rooms was great to book cars and guides. Prob an endangered species in the face of new-build boutique hotels these days. Any accounts of such places would be welcome. The Wrong Way Inn in Ubon was just such a perfect place.

 

Another good route would be Udon, mellow bus ride day, Ubon, slow train back to BKK in a week. Def a vacation to bring a book along on.

 

I had my first and only soapy (OK, I went twice) in Udon about 20 years ago. They're still in biz.

[KhunLA]

3 hours ago, LaosLover said:

Direct flights from Chiang Mai to Udon. Not my first choice for a fly-in getaway, maybe not even my 5th. But eventually, I'm going to run out of new-THailand.

 

There's an Irish pub in downtown Udon with rooms that I'd like to stay in. In my solo Issan travels, the pub with rooms was great to book cars and guides. Prob an endangered species in the face of new-build boutique hotels these days. Any accounts of such places would be welcome. The Wrong Way Inn in Ubon was just such a perfect place.

 

Another good route would be Udon, mellow bus ride day, Ubon, slow train back to BKK in a week. Def a vacation to bring a book along on.

 

I had my first and only soapy (OK, I went twice) in Udon about 20 years ago. They're still in biz.

Irish Pub would be the 'Irish Clock', and was my 'go to' 15ish yrs ago, and was starting to show it's age already, even though only open a few years.  A few management changes didn't help any.  Unless they did a revamp, I think one of the newer places would be a better choice.

 

Was you soapy at Paradise or Ton Koon:

[LaosLover]

Irish Pub is super-well reviewed and usually needs to be booked about a week out.

 

The pleasures of a farang crossroads-type bar still entice me . I make my lodging plons based on who has the most framed football shirts in their Agoda picture.

 

Couldn't fault the Paradise Soapy. She walked on my back. I'm lucky I'm not in a wheel chair.

[bignok]

On 5/14/2023 at 4:21 AM, LaosLover said:

Irish Pub is super-well reviewed and usually needs to be booked about a week out.

 

The pleasures of a farang crossroads-type bar still entice me . I make my lodging plons based on who has the most framed football shirts in their Agoda picture.

 

Couldn't fault the Paradise Soapy. She walked on my back. I'm lucky I'm not in a wheel chair.

I think you should try other cities.

[KhunLA]

5 minutes ago, bignok said:

I think you should try other cities.

Does seem to be going for the 'farang' experience, so not a bad choice.  May be bored with or think bkk, patts, bangla rd are OTT.

[bignok]

On 5/13/2023 at 10:07 PM, LaosLover said:

Another good route would be Udon, mellow bus ride day, Ubon, slow train back to BKK in a week. Def a vacation to bring a book along on.

Has merit. Surin plus Burilam plus Phanom Rung. 

[bignok]

2 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Does seem to be going for the 'farang' experience, so not a bad choice.  May be bored with or think bkk, patts, bangla rd are OTT.

Do you know what times buses go from Udon to Ubon? 

[KhunLA]

4 minutes ago, bignok said:

Do you know what times buses go from Udon to Ubon? 

Haven't a clue, been years, and won't ride them again, unless a local at Krung Thep.  Would think thing fairly regular, as things are getting back to normal, sort of.  At least a couple a day.

[bignok]

I think we are going to Korat/Burilam. Have the most to do. Phanom Rung and Phimai closeby.

[LaosLover]

48 minutes ago, bignok said:

I think you should try other cities.

Me too, but where?

 

When we travel, we want what we call the French Quarter equation (A walkable historic downtown of low-traffic streets, imaginative restaurants, bit of a cafe/bar scene, a few one-dish tile wall restaurants).

 

That's basically Chiang Mai, bits and bob of Bangkok, or Old Town, Phuket. Are there such places in Issan?

 

Yes, but lacking in the range and quality of the above.

 

Ubon has that few streets off of the park with the pond; Khorat inside the wall is like mini Chiang Mai on a budget. Nong Khai's river walk area warrants a second day. A lot of Issan towns  are downtown-lite and just traffic circles and Central Malls.

 

I like that so many 60's-70's flat roof/sunbrick buildings survive mixed in with old shophouses and old teak. I guess I am looking for the Issan equivalent of Miami's Art Deco District. 

 

What are the towns that I might want to book into an old town b+b and walk around for a couple of days without a car?

[bignok]

7 minutes ago, LaosLover said:

Me too, but where?

 

When we travel, we want what we call the French Quarter equation (A walkable historic downtown of low-traffic streets, imaginative restaurants, bit of a cafe/bar scene, a few one-dish tile wall restaurants).

 

That's basically Chiang Mai, bits and bob of Bangkok, or Old Town, Phuket. Are there such places in Issan?

 

Yes, but lacking in the range and quality of the above.

 

Ubon has that few streets off of the park with the pond; Khorat inside the wall is like mini Chiang Mai on a budget. Nong Khai's river walk area warrants a second day. A lot of Issan towns  are downtown-lite and just traffic circles and Central Malls.

 

I like that so many 60's-70's flat roof/sunbrick buildings survive mixed in with old shophouses and old teak. I guess I am looking for the Issan equivalent of Miami's Art Deco District. 

 

What are the towns that I might want to book into an old town b+b and walk around for a couple of days without a car?

Songkhla old town plus Nakhon Si Thammarat have some trendy spots.

 

Cool cafes. Phattalung is a cool town for temples and caves.

 

All south!

 

 

[LaosLover]

I'm grateful that Thailand throws up so many choices of quaintsville and tricked up somtum as it does.

 

Call Thailand the size of a couple of US states. It's got 3 cultural tourist area's, plus Hawaii-level beaches, and tons of national park. 

 

But when the OP said places like Udon are "very underrated", I think they're move overlooked than underrated. They don't claim to, and they don't offer much to tourists.

 

What draws you so much to Issan?

[bignok]

29 minutes ago, LaosLover said:

I'm grateful that Thailand throws up so many choices of quaintsville and tricked up somtum as it does.

 

Call Thailand the size of a couple of US states. It's got 3 cultural tourist area's, plus Hawaii-level beaches, and tons of national park. 

 

But when the OP said places like Udon are "very underrated", I think they're move overlooked than underrated. They don't claim to, and they don't offer much to tourists.

 

What draws you so much to Issan?

I like a mix of things. Beach, north and Isaan. If you like books and coffee you can enjoy anywhere.

 

We went to 2 nice cafes and 2 good restaurants in Udon. I'm sure Korat and Buriram have a number.

 

Udon isn't a good walking city. You need to use Grab or something. All spread out like Khon Kaen. Nong Khai much better for walking.

 

I think Nakhon Phanom, That Phanom and Mukdahan are pretty ordinary. The drive is pretty good there but these towns don't have much going for them. Do it once is enough.

 

I think Korat, Burilam, Khon Kaen, Nong Khai you can dig deeper.

 

 

[KhunLA]

2 hours ago, LaosLover said:

What draws you so much to Issan?

Nothing

[bignok]

44 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Nothing

Mostly women lets be honest. Same with whole country.

[TimeMachine]

I'm off to Udon on Friday. First order of business, check out the price of solar panels. And by solar panels I mean ladies.

[bignok]

On 5/16/2023 at 7:54 AM, TimeMachine said:

I'm off to Udon on Friday. First order of business, check out the price of solar panels. And by solar panels I mean ladies.

So you don't like the moon.

[ArnieP]

Some posts here suggest that Udon Thani is a great place to visit and even live in. Well, I’ve lived here for a decade and have mixed feelings about the place and have to admit to being in agreement with posts that underline the negatives of Udon.

 

Firstly, I do acknowledge that UT has positive aspects. The shopping options are quite impressive, and there are numerous indoor and outdoor eateries that offer a variety of food, some international, at very low to significantly higher prices. 

 

The presence of a couple of parks with lakes is also a nice touch for open air enthusiasts. The large Nong Prajak Park offers bicycle, tandem and triplet hire which can be great fun for going round the lake for however long you wish.

 

The bar scene, limited and expensive as it may be, is there in the city centre for those who need it. The customers are mostly elderly Western men.

 

Having said all this, I must admit that I find myself struggling to fully enjoy the city. In my experience, I find Udon Thani to be quite noisy and dirty, which takes away from the overall experience. Additionally, I've encountered many instances of vermin, rats in particular, on roads and broken pavements. These aren’t pleasant to see. 

 

Furthermore, as someone who values cultural exchange, I often find that interactions with certain Western visitors can, to put it politely, prove challenging. While this doesn't represent the entire visitor population, it's something I see all too frequently.

 

I must emphasise that these are personal views and opinions. I realise that I don’t have to stay and will indeed leave when circumstances permit. I get that some people think Udon is some sort of paradise but for me it’s a dump and I’ve had enough.

[Nemises]

On 5/21/2023 at 11:16 PM, ArnieP said:

but for me it’s a dump and I’ve had enough.

 

 

On 5/21/2023 at 11:16 PM, ArnieP said:

will indeed leave when circumstances permit

Where will you move to?

[NORDO]

When I worked contracts  in VTE, I would quite often go to Nong Khai and UD for entertainment and medical.

Always enjoyed my time there.  Usually stayed at Centra and was within walking distance of venues.

Friday and Saturday eves in Nong Khai on the boardwalk was usually entertaining as well.  Never had any issues or problems there.

 

Only went BKK if I had a specific reason.

[MrJ2U]

Great city!!

 

 

[MrJ2U]

On 5/21/2023 at 8:16 PM, ArnieP said:

The customers are mostly elderly Western men

Sounds like your not enjoying UT. 

 

Udon Thani is packed with Universities.  Second most in Issan.  It's loaded with young people. 

 

 

Edited May 27, 2023 by MrJ2U