Isarn - quaint rural exploring + accommodation - your experience?

[henrik2000]

Hello, next December till early February I have 70 days to explore Isaarn and maybe more by 

• car 
• bicycle in back of car 

(with some rest days before and after, aware of visa rules). I use the bicycle for many leisurely day trips only - in the countryside, often on field tracks; never sportive, no bikepacking, no highway. An outdoor app based on Open Street Maps and showing satellite pictures is good for that. I wanted to ask if you have any good advice from your own experience - areas, accommodation, inviting venues etc. I DO NOT look for bicycle lanes or such.

 

My qualifications: 

• I already cruised many Thai areas with car + bicycle and like it a lot
• I speak enough basic Thai to get along with landlords, waiters and people  (also a bit of Isarn-Lao)
• I don't need the lower and upper North because I have been there. Same for the Isthmus from Samut Sakhon down to Nakhon Si and for Central Thailand from Ayutthaya to Phichit and Uttaradait

 

I LIKE: 

• small towns and villages + quaint rural idylls with at least 1 casual relaxing eatery (NOT totally isolated accommodations in the middle of nowhere where you completely depend on your host) 
• casual country restaurants that make a good lunch stop on a full day bicycle outing
• casual small places on the Mekhong coast (not paved airport-like promenades); hot springs
• old Thai live music: morlam, luukthung, Carabao-style songs for life; but not rock, rap, folk or “90s”. Just one cheery live music venue in an otherwise dull small town makes all the difference for me
• staying 5-7 days in one place, prefer apartment or bungalow over hotel room, best with possibility to sit outdoors, but difficult to get

 

I DO NOT NEED: 

• tourist attractions, fine dining, beer\girly bars, caves, sports bars, Instagram hotspots, 4 star hotels, dinosaurs, dedicated bicycle lanes or parks (boring), Christmas celebrations, New year's “countdown”

 

OTHER QUESTIONS:

From December 1st to Feb 11, do you recommend a certain order of destinations or to visit or avoid certain areas\places at certain times? I want to AVOID any festival (yes), even if it's a must-see. I'm happy to avoid very cold nights\mornings and rainy spells. 

 

10 - 20 years ago I've been to many bigger towns like Ubon, Udon, Khon Kaen, Nong Khai, 101. This time it would be interesting to have NICE accommodation in any SMALLER place that I never heard about - your suggestion? Maha Sarakham? Amnat Charoen? Bueng Khan? Big or small town, I'd prefer apartment over hotel room.

 

Thanks for all suggestions from experience!

Edited May 22 by henrik2000

[Hummin]

21 minutes ago, henrik2000 said:

Hello, next December till early February I have 70 days to explore Isaarn and maybe more by 

• car 
• bicycle in back of car 

(with some rest days before and after, aware of visa rules). I use the bicycle for many leisurely day trips only - in the countryside, often on field tracks; never sportive, no bikepacking, no highway. An outdoor app based on Open Street Maps and showing satellite pictures is good for that. I wanted to ask if you have any good advice from your own experience - areas, accommodation, inviting venues etc. I DO NOT look for bicycle lanes or such.

 

My qualifications: 

• I already cruised many Thai areas with car + bicycle and like it a lot
• I speak enough basic Thai to get along with landlords, waiters and people  (also a bit of Isarn-Lao)
• I don't need the lower and upper North because I have been there. Same for the Isthmus from Samut Sakhon down to Nakhon Si and for Central Thailand from Ayutthaya to Phichit and Uttaradait

 

I LIKE: 

• small towns and villages + quaint rural idylls with at least 1 casual relaxing eatery (NOT totally isolated accommodations in the middle of nowhere where you completely depend on your host) 
• casual country restaurants that make a good lunch stop on a full day bicycle outing
• casual small places on the Mekhong coast (not paved airport-like promenades); hot springs
• old Thai live music: morlam, luukthung, Carabao-style songs for life; but not rock, rap, folk or “90s”. Just one cheery live music venue in an otherwise dull small town makes all the difference for me
• staying 5-7 days in one place, prefer apartment or bungalow over hotel room, best with possibility to sit outdoors, but difficult to get

 

I DO NOT NEED: 

• tourist attractions, fine dining, beer\girly bars, caves, sports bars, Instagram hotspots, 4 star hotels, dinosaurs, dedicated bicycle lanes or parks (boring), Christmas celebrations, New year's “countdown”

 

OTHER QUESTIONS:

From December 1st to Feb 11, do you recommend a certain order of destinations or to visit or avoid certain areas\places at certain times? I want to AVOID any festival (yes), even if it's a must-see. I'm happy to avoid very cold nights\mornings and rainy spells. 

 

10 - 20 years ago I've been to many bigger towns like Ubon, Udon, Khon Kaen, Nong Khai, 101. This time it would be interesting to have NICE accommodation in any SMALLER place that I never heard about - your suggestion? Maha Sarakham? Amnat Charoen? Bueng Khan? Big or small town, I'd prefer apartment over hotel room.

 

Thanks for all suggestions from experience!

Elevation? 

 

Check out 2016 and 2216 in Loei

 

Loei is a nice district with many options. 

[Hummin]

GT rider 2016 2216

 

https://www.gt-rider.com/se-asia-motorcycling/threads/a-cool-detour-just-south-of-loei.14430/

[Lorry]

1 hour ago, henrik2000 said:

Maha Sarakham?

I like it a lot.

It is a college town, though,  and they do have a Starbucks.

Everything south from Sarakham, Yang Sisurat, Payak, Thatum until Surin is about the most boring region you can find in Thailand.

Defintely no fine dining and no Instagram. Highlights may be the tower of Thatum and the truck owner in Payak looking for a foreign spouse.

You might like it.

[henrik2000]

Hummin and Lorry (named so by a Payak truck owner?) - thanks for input!

 

Hummin, thanks for the link. That area south of Loei looks lovely. On bicycle, i'd love even smaller roads than shown in those pics, but they can be found certainly - the environment is nice.

[henrik2000]

Young green rice fields - i forgot to mention them as a preference in the first post.

 

If you know of areas that should have young green rice fields (ideally still flooded) in December, January, i'd be interested.

[Will B Good]

2 minutes ago, henrik2000 said:

Young green rice fields - i forgot to mention them as a preference in the first post.

 

If you know of areas that should have young green rice fields (ideally still flooded) in December, January, i'd be interested.

Area around Nong Bua Daeng, Chaiyaphum......First Inn resort is ideal for a few days stop over....actually lived there for two months waiting for the our house to be built

[Hummin]

11 minutes ago, henrik2000 said:

Hummin and Lorry (named so by a Payak truck owner?) - thanks for input!

 

Hummin, thanks for the link. That area south of Loei looks lovely. On bicycle, i'd love even smaller roads than shown in those pics, but they can be found certainly - the environment is nice.

It is not really trafficked unless it's on holidays and weekends. There are plenty of dirt roads and smaller concrete roads everywhere. Also follow mekong from North of Isaan, via Chian Khan to Udon Thani. There are nice, bigger roads, but still not very much Traffic unless holidays and weekends. Chaiyaphum is also a mekka when it comes to smaller hills and valleys. 

Saraburi to korat via the smaller hilly roads, great. 

 

Have you been to Suan Phueng yet? Not Isaan, but easy to take a train to Kanchanaburi and go from there down to the coast. 

[henrik2000]

Hummin and Will, thanks for new input.