Isaan

[james24]

Got a few days off from work, I live in Bangkok and wouldnt mind a short trip to Isaan as Ive heard so much about the place over the last year, can anyone recommend where to go for a bit of peace and quiet but is use to seeing tourists with a few attractions and is cheap and reasonably easy to navigate around. All I know of Isaan (excuse my ignorance) is rice paddies and villages. Am I better going west towards Ratchaburi and Ganchanaburi???

Cheers :-)

[happylarry]

Take a taxi to mo-chit bus station and catch a bus to Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) and stay there in a hotel. Its a real nice city and you will have ferang restaurants and pubs to visit in the evenings where you can chill out a bit. Then do a deal with a taxi or tuc-tuc to take you out in the sticks for the day or just jump on a bus. There is no need to travel for miles (Korat is only a three hour bus ride) to see the real Isaan. It is on your doorstep.

HL

[ubonjoe]

Moved to here.

[blue eyes]

Yes do go to Korat for a few days,great place to visit if you want a change from Bangkok for a while.Not alot to do but different then Bangkok.Don't take the bus.Take the train,express or local if you have all day.Yes the bus is cheaper and faster but you see much less of the countryside on the bus,it moves to fast.Get the train in the morning right when the sun is coming up,best time.Try to get a seat on the left side of the train,why you ask?Because the Thai's will want to keep the curtians closed to keep the sun out wich is coming from the east in the morning,if you bought the 1st class ac car that is.Got to stay as white as possible.When the train goes through the "mountians" it is really much better then by bus or car.Enjoy your time away from the shhhh hole of bangkok.

[bergen]

Got a few days off from work, I live in Bangkok and wouldnt mind a short trip to Isaan as Ive heard so much about the place over the last year, can anyone recommend where to go for a bit of peace and quiet but is use to seeing tourists with a few attractions and is cheap and reasonably easy to navigate around. All I know of Isaan (excuse my ignorance) is rice paddies and villages. Am I better going west towards Ratchaburi and Ganchanaburi???

Cheers :-)

Hmm..............

You live in Bkk, you've heard a lot about Isaan over the last year, and you wonder if it's west towards Ratchaburi and Kanchanaburi

At least Happylarry & blue eyes put you in the right direction

[Roadman]

Got a few days off from work, I live in Bangkok and wouldnt mind a short trip to Isaan as Ive heard so much about the place over the last year, can anyone recommend where to go for a bit of peace and quiet but is use to seeing tourists with a few attractions and is cheap and reasonably easy to navigate around. All I know of Isaan (excuse my ignorance) is rice paddies and villages. Am I better going west towards Ratchaburi and Ganchanaburi???

Cheers :-)

When in Thailand our Isaan family is always going towards Ratachaburi and Kanchanaburi to chill out for peace and quiet. The fish is sea fresh in the ChaAm / Hua Hin area. The beach at ChaAm is good to chill for a day with food and beer at your beck and call. Awesome resturant about halfway between ChaAm and Hua Hin on the beach for evening meal.

There is also a brillant big beer garden with huge tree and grass areas and a river for swimming just inland from ChaAm. Some one else might know it. Awesome place for swimming, beer and food

In the Kanchanaburi area a visit to the Erewhon falls (take your swimming gear) and surrounds is great for a couple of days. Evening dinning on the Kanchanaburi river boats is great. The river water is actually the right colour . Also good bands play at quite a few establisments around the town.

As much as I love Issan head south west young man, south west.

[farangconnection]

Got a few days off from work, I live in Bangkok and wouldnt mind a short trip to Isaan as Ive heard so much about the place over the last year, can anyone recommend where to go for a bit of peace and quiet but is use to seeing tourists with a few attractions and is cheap and reasonably easy to navigate around. All I know of Isaan (excuse my ignorance) is rice paddies and villages. Am I better going west towards Ratchaburi and Ganchanaburi???

Cheers :-)

When in Thailand our Isaan family is always going towards Ratachaburi and Kanchanaburi to chill out for peace and quiet. The fish is sea fresh in the ChaAm / Hua Hin area. The beach at ChaAm is good to chill for a day with food and beer at your beck and call. Awesome resturant about halfway between ChaAm and Hua Hin on the beach for evening meal.

There is also a brillant big beer garden with huge tree and grass areas and a river for swimming just inland from ChaAm. Some one else might know it. Awesome place for swimming, beer and food

In the Kanchanaburi area a visit to the Erewhon falls (take your swimming gear) and surrounds is great for a couple of days. Evening dinning on the Kanchanaburi river boats is great. The river water is actually the right colour . Also good bands play at quite a few establisments around the town.

As much as I love Issan head south west young man, south west.

Not trying to put you off, but the guy did ask about Isaan, not Hua Hin. It's a bit like someone asking about Scotland, and answering " Yeah Wales is great" :D

Isaan is vast, probaly about 1/3 rd of Thailand ( one more reason why it seems crazy just to have one forum on it), but I would disagree that the best center to see it is Korat. More East is better, Buriram,Surin, Sisaket or Ubon. Buriram is a small town, but big province, whereas Surin is a larger town, with a pretty good night life. Sisaket is much the same as Buriram. Ubon is a large city, but as mentioned about Korat, has great outlying attractions. If you want to see parks and waterfalls, cave paintings,go horse riding, then I would suggest you head for the Kong Chiam area of Ubon, on the Mekhong. There you can bathe in luxury at the Kong Chiam Toshang resort, or settle for one of the 20 odd family guest houses in the town. From here you can see everything the area has to offer. Here is also a cluster of great restaurants, one of which offers you a boat ride into Laos, where you can land and wander through the local village, which comprises of about thirty duty free shops. There is a small immigration post there which charges you around 60 ฿ for a two or three hour stay. To enter Laos properly , Chong Mek border crossing is only 20 kms away. You can also go to " Little Pattaya" a collection of restaurants on the edge of the Sriithon resorvoir. By the way, the tables are IN the resorvoir.

Back to Surin and Buriram if it's Temples, silk weaving, silverware, baskerty, and Elephants that interest you.

For more, with some pics, click on http://www.farangconnection.com. There are links to other great sites in the area from there.

Edited February 21, 2009 by farangconnection

[bergen]

Got a few days off from work, I live in Bangkok and wouldnt mind a short trip to Isaan as Ive heard so much about the place over the last year, can anyone recommend where to go for a bit of peace and quiet but is use to seeing tourists with a few attractions and is cheap and reasonably easy to navigate around. All I know of Isaan (excuse my ignorance) is rice paddies and villages. Am I better going west towards Ratchaburi and Ganchanaburi???

Cheers :-)

When in Thailand our Isaan family is always going towards Ratachaburi and Kanchanaburi to chill out for peace and quiet. The fish is sea fresh in the ChaAm / Hua Hin area. The beach at ChaAm is good to chill for a day with food and beer at your beck and call. Awesome resturant about halfway between ChaAm and Hua Hin on the beach for evening meal.

There is also a brillant big beer garden with huge tree and grass areas and a river for swimming just inland from ChaAm. Some one else might know it. Awesome place for swimming, beer and food

In the Kanchanaburi area a visit to the Erewhon falls (take your swimming gear) and surrounds is great for a couple of days. Evening dinning on the Kanchanaburi river boats is great. The river water is actually the right colour . Also good bands play at quite a few establisments around the town.

As much as I love Issan head south west young man, south west.

Not trying to put you off, but the guy did ask about Isaan, not Hua Hin. It's a bit like someone asking about Scotland, and answering " Yeah Wales is great"

Isaan is vast, probaly about 1/3 rd of Thailand ( one more reason why it seems crazy just to have one forum on it), but I would disagree that the best center to see it is Korat. More East is better, Buriram,Surin, Sisaket or Ubon. Buriram is a small town, but big province, whereas Surin is a larger town, with a pretty good night life. Sisaket is much the same as Buriram. Ubon is a large city, but as mentioned about Korat, has great outlying attractions. If you want to see parks and waterfalls, cave paintings,go horse riding, then I would suggest you head for the Kong Chiam area of Ubon, on the Mekhong. There you can bathe in luxury at the Kong Chiam Toshang resort, or settle for one of the 20 odd family guest houses in the town. From here you can see everything the area has to offer. Here is also a cluster of great restaurants, one of which offers you a boat ride into Laos, where you can land and wander through the local village, which comprises of about thirty duty free shops. There is a small immigration post there which charges you around 60 ฿ for a two or three hour stay. To enter Laos properly , Chong Mek border crossing is only 20 kms away. You can also go to " Little Pattaya" a collection of restaurants on the edge of the Sriithon resorvoir. By the way, the tables are IN the resorvoir.

Back to Surin and Buriram if it's Temples, silk weaving, silverware, baskerty, and Elephants that interest you.

For more, with some pics, click on http://www.farangconnection.com. There are links to other great sites in the area from there.

Well put Khun FC

[blue eyes]

Not trying to put you off, but the guy did ask about Isaan, not Hua Hin. It's a bit like someone asking about Scotland, and answering " Yeah Wales is great"

Isaan is vast, probaly about 1/3 rd of Thailand ( one more reason why it seems crazy just to have one forum on it), but I would disagree that the best center to see it is Korat. More East is better, Buriram,Surin, Sisaket or Ubon. Buriram is a small town, but big province, whereas Surin is a larger town, with a pretty good night life. Sisaket is much the same as Buriram. Ubon is a large city, but as mentioned about Korat, has great outlying attractions. If you want to see parks and waterfalls, cave paintings,go horse riding, then I would suggest you head for the Kong Chiam area of Ubon, on the Mekhong. There you can bathe in luxury at the Kong Chiam Toshang resort, or settle for one of the 20 odd family guest houses in the town. From here you can see everything the area has to offer. Here is also a cluster of great restaurants, one of which offers you a boat ride into Laos, where you can land and wander through the local village, which comprises of about thirty duty free shops. There is a small immigration post there which charges you around 60 ฿ for a two or three hour stay. To enter Laos properly , Chong Mek border crossing is only 20 kms away. You can also go to " Little Pattaya" a collection of restaurants on the edge of the Sriithon resorvoir. By the way, the tables are IN the resorvoir.

Back to Surin and Buriram if it's Temples, silk weaving, silverware, baskerty, and Elephants that interest you.

For more, with some pics, click on http://www.farangconnection.com. There are links to other great sites in the area from there.

Never been to the Kong Chiam area before.Thanks to you I now have another trip planed.It sounds like a place that the family and I would enjoy.Thanks

[farangconnection]

Not trying to put you off, but the guy did ask about Isaan, not Hua Hin. It's a bit like someone asking about Scotland, and answering " Yeah Wales is great"

Isaan is vast, probaly about 1/3 rd of Thailand ( one more reason why it seems crazy just to have one forum on it), but I would disagree that the best center to see it is Korat. More East is better, Buriram,Surin, Sisaket or Ubon. Buriram is a small town, but big province, whereas Surin is a larger town, with a pretty good night life. Sisaket is much the same as Buriram. Ubon is a large city, but as mentioned about Korat, has great outlying attractions. If you want to see parks and waterfalls, cave paintings,go horse riding, then I would suggest you head for the Kong Chiam area of Ubon, on the Mekhong. There you can bathe in luxury at the Kong Chiam Toshang resort, or settle for one of the 20 odd family guest houses in the town. From here you can see everything the area has to offer. Here is also a cluster of great restaurants, one of which offers you a boat ride into Laos, where you can land and wander through the local village, which comprises of about thirty duty free shops. There is a small immigration post there which charges you around 60 ฿ for a two or three hour stay. To enter Laos properly , Chong Mek border crossing is only 20 kms away. You can also go to " Little Pattaya" a collection of restaurants on the edge of the Sriithon resorvoir. By the way, the tables are IN the resorvoir.

Back to Surin and Buriram if it's Temples, silk weaving, silverware, baskerty, and Elephants that interest you.

For more, with some pics, click on http://www.farangconnection.com. There are links to other great sites in the area from there.

Never been to the Kong Chiam area before.Thanks to you I now have another trip planed.It sounds like a place that the family and I would enjoy.Thanks

And of course if you traverse the full length of the Srithon,after leaving the lake behind, you come to the Emerald Triangle, where it was planned to have a golf course with holes in all three countries. We were last there three years ago and the road was under constuction. Any input on this subject would be appreciated. And then if you go towards the Khow Pra viharn National Park (part of which re-opened last week,)on the 2248, just after Nam Yun, you should stumble across Suan Loong Daeng Farm Stay, run by Trond & Nok, a delightful Norwegian gentleman and his boss.

This whole area 100kms either side of Kong Chiam is studded with waterfalls,spectacular vies of the Mekhong( if you go north)rock paintings, balancing rocks & friendly locals.

Oh, I forgot, at Kong Chaim you have the "Two Coloured River" where the blue Moon River meets the brown Mekhong

Edited February 23, 2009 by farangconnection