Anyone From Phen?

[Nicole79]

I will be spending some time there during my November/December trip, and I was wondering if anyone can suggest things to go see and do there. Is there a movie theater per chance? Or a place to listen to some traditional/classical Thai music?

Thanks much.

Edited September 2, 2012 by Nicole79

[Boo]

Where is Phen?

It helps to list the province & closest big town.

[Nicole79]

Phen is southeast of Nong Khai, and northeast of Udon Thani.

Edited to add a Google map link.

Edited September 4, 2012 by Nicole79

[Towzak]

Highly unlikely Phen has a movie theatre, for that you would need to go to Udon Thani.

There are many things in the area to do and see and you could also visit Laos via the friendship bridge at Nong Khai. I guess it depends on whether you have your own transport and how many things you can pack into a day. I would suggest looking at some online tourist maps of Udon Thani and Nong Khai as Phen is roughly between the two, these will give an extensive list of the most popular places and from there you can decide where you would like to go...... and how you are going to get there.

[MeMock]

You could go here for Lunch.

http://www.thaisabai.org/2012/09/a-taste-of-the-country-the-steak-baan-tung-restaurant-in-udon-thani/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BeyondTheMangoJuice+%28Beyond+The+Mango+Juice%29

[Nicole79]

I'll check out some maps, thanks for the suggestion Towzak.

MeMock, nice find! I'll have to stop on by there at some point.

[Towzak]

I would certainly recommend a trip to Nong Khai even if it is just to see the Mekong and Laos on the other side but the Indochina market and many other places to eat and shop sit along the side the Mekon promenade. There is also a very old Post Office there. In Nong Khai you will also find Sala Kaew Ku so load up the camera ! It's a very interesting sculpture park. If you want to eat local with the locals head for the Rimkhong area and for local produce/culture a visit to Jom Jang might also be of interest. You can get around NK on foot or even hire a bicycle for the day. For countryside I guess Loei would be the obvious choice, especially Phu Kradueng

[Nicole79]

I might do the bicycle bit, but actually I will probably need to find a taxi service of some sort that can run me from Phen to Udon Thani at some point. Any suggestions on that would be marvelous.

[Towzak]

I would imagine the local bus service can take you into Udon Thani (very cheaply) though in my experience they tend to stop working late afternoon/ early evening. You may also need to take a tuk tuk or Songthaew from the bus station as Udon is a fairly large city.

I am not familiar with the Phen bus service but it It really isn't that far to Udon so perhaps a taxi might be a better idea if you know exactly where you want to go and this will negate getting city transport once you arrive, but, arrange the price before you get in and if it seems a bit steep its not impolite to barter a price with a smile. The hotel you will be staying in can easily arrange taxis for you or if you are staying with friends they will know a taxi driver who can take you. If you are returning late from Udon then it will probably have to be a taxi.

[JRinPDX]

Phen itself is very small but it’s close to the city of Udon Thani (about 20-30 min drive). In that much wider area, things to do include:

Ban Chiang, the oldest Bronze-Age site in Asia. It has a world-class museum.

The Nong Khai Freshwater Aquarium is also well worth visiting.

The Sala Kaew Ku Sculpture Park is odd, yet fascinating. Bring a camera!

Be sure to cross into Laos and visit Vientiane to see the arch (not spectacular but still worth seeing once.) also for shopping.

And there are some beautiful wats in the area as well as a provincial museum in Udon. (Udon: Small to medium-sized city, with malls, Starbucks, everything.

All of these are probably a bit distant for bike rides from Phen.

To get back and forth to Udon, there are baht-buses but I don't know their schedule. And you may be able to get a taxi from Udon to Phen, not sure about the other way. I'm assuming that if you're staying in Phen, you must have someone guiding you, who can give you more detailed info.

I hope this helps!

[diggledunc]

Have a look at Ban Dung nearby. A couple of farang bars, one has a great menu with Indian food as well if you want a change - Eddies sports bar (has small farang shop at rear), and their is another farang type bar. Otherwise Nong Khai - maybe try White Hotel if you stay, good location, new, car park and cheap. Nong Han is a bigger town but not much there. You have Udon of course. Could look at Birds Paradise Extreme on internet near Sawang Daen Din - been there. not stayed and loads of activities, resort looks nice up market. Ban Chiang I think is a disappointment. I live near SDD know area well. Can PM any time.

[JRinPDX]

I almost forgot the waterfalls at Phu Wua! They're also known as the Nong Khai waterfalls, but are now located in Bueng Kan Province. Only in the rainy season, though. And no, the waterfalls didn't move; :-) they just created a new province a year ago, separating it from Nong Khai. .

[JRinPDX]

My mom was an archaeologist.. I could be biased. And only been once. (Spouse from near Phen)

[Apache704]

Hi, My name is David and I have lived in Phen over 4 years now. Give me a call when you get here and I will help you out. My phone number is 0885573084 or e-mail me at [email protected].

[Nicole79]

Thanks for all of the suggestions everyone! Yes, I do have a friend who will be guiding me, but he's not been in Phen all that long himself.

Ban Chiang is getting marked on my must-see list. I happened to be rather fond of archaeology (the hat I'm bringing for this trip somewhat resembles Indiana's fedora, I've been told ). Waterfalls are up there on the list too, and that aquarium sounds interesting.

David, thanks for your contact info. I'm writing it down and will keep you in mind once I arrive!

[elliss]

I might do the bicycle bit, but actually I will probably need to find a taxi service of some sort that can run me from Phen to Udon Thani at some point. Any suggestions on that would be marvelous.

there is a bus service from phen to udon ,

a better description, would be sitting on a bench seat in the back of a lorry .

incidentally , the lorry / bus does not arrive or depart from either of udons two bus station ,

but from a market , just outside udon central . a tuk tuk will take you there , from udon 50 bht.

there is no regular taxi service in phen , you can try and stike up a deal with a local , though i would not .

please forget about biking ,it is to dangerous on a bike, and both places are too far .

phen has only recently had a small tesco , and this is the only , connection you have in phen to western civilisation .

cinema , not on this part of the planet , although there is a very small market ,it will take you all of 5 minutes to walk around ,

i have visited phen a few times , to meet a farang friend who has bulit a house there,

i certainly , would not live there , to isolated for my liking ,though each to their own .

hope you enjoy your visit .

Edited September 13, 2012 by elliss

[charliemike11]

Hi Nicole,

my thai family is from just up the road a place called Sangkhom, we often pop to Phen for fresh fruit as our local village market is very lacking. Phen Is not at all a tourist attraction and as a female myself I can advise that travelling alone is not advisable there. one main street with shops on both sides provides your sole entertainment in Phen. There is a small 7/11 and bank a hospital and police station. Phen is an area best visited by car easy to get around and about you can hire a car/truck from Lek car rentals check them out, essential for sight seeing the museums temples and parks. They can meet you anywhere Lek is a woman speaks good english and are helpful in every sense in my experience. There is a hotel up the road from phen that has opened a water park wonderful when you cant handle the heat, enjoy your stay it is rural and has an honest rugged side to it which I personally enjoy.

Regards

Claire James

South Wales

United kingdom

[thirteenalpha]

I live not too far from Phen.

Big Jieng in Nong Khai has a movie theater. It is probably closer and less crowded than Udon Thani. I never go though so I'm not sure about the movie selection or English subtitles. There is also a Tesco and a big shopping complex there.

Sala Kaew Ku is interesting.

Go for a walk along the Mekong in Nong Khai and Tha Sadet market.

Nakhaburi Resort on the highway to Udon Thani has a nice pool and some water slides. Might be a nice place to spend an afternoon. http://www.nakhaburi.com/about-e.html

Near Nakhaburi Resort there is a nice restaurant with wooden huts around a fish pond that serves pretty good food. I think this link shows the location. https://maps.google.com/maps?q=17.524647,102.798808&ll=17.524176,102.799244&spn=0.011479,0.021136&num=1&t=h&z=16

The aquarium is at the Khon Kaen University on the way to the Thai-Lao Friendship bridge.

I've never seen traditional or classical music around here. There might be a Morlum concert going on nearby one night. Just follow the loud music and all the motor bikes.

If you are here during Loy Kratong you can go release a paper lantern into the sky at Nong Thin park in Nong Khai or maybe even at the big lake near Ban That right next to Phen.

If you play golf there is Victory Park nearby.

I don't know Udon Thani other than Central Plaza, but if you want food, shopping, and night life you can find it there.

Waterfalls are a couple hours away. I have only been to Than Thong waterfall near Sangkhom, but don't know if there is water there in November/December.

Good luck with transportation and be careful. If you have any questions send me a message.