Never been to Issan. Is there anything really worth seeing there?

[The manic]

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

LOL, I can live cheaply anywhere in Thailand if I stay in a dump, eat off foodcarts and use the hotel internet to waffle on TVF all day. Unfortunately I do spend far too much time on TVF- I really should get a life.

Anyway, I don't have a car, so any sightseeing has to be done with travel agents etc, and decent hotels do cost, plus I've never been fond of foodcarts, so if I was going to visit Issan I'd expect it to be spectacular enough to justify the extra expense I'd have to pay.

 

Thanks to all for the many replies. I never expected so many, which is why I didn't visit for a while.

If I can find a travel agent offering an all expense included tour I'll visit, but from the posts I've read I'd need a car, and probably a Thai companion, neither of which I have, so probably not by myself, other than perhaps a bus trip to Khon Kaen and back after a day or two, or I could try for a detour on my next trip south.

 

I have never used an agent in my extensive travels around Thailand. I hire a car and driver for some trips; use trains and buses and fly long distances.

[Kadilo]

I'll bite.
I enjoy seeing beautiful scenery. Think the land east of the 1020 going into Chiang Khong. I also like beautiful temples and forest.
At night some eye candy barbeers are always welcome.

I'm not sure what you are biting at. It's a genuine opinion. I enjoy some of the scenery on the area I stay.


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[thaibeachlovers]

23 hours ago, The manic said:

I have never used an agent in my extensive travels around Thailand. I hire a car and driver for some trips; use trains and buses and fly long distances.

Fair enough, but to see as much as possible in a short period of time I have always found tours to be the best way to get an idea of an area I am unfamiliar with. If I like it I'll go back for longer.

I'd hate to try and do a two week trip around Europe on my own, but if I had six months I would.

[metisdead]

An offensive post was previously removed as well as the replies.  A post commenting on moderation has now been removed. 

[watso63]

On 16/08/2017 at 0:24 PM, Jip99 said:

 

 

I can can buy cheaper in MAKRO in Pattaya than I can in MAKRO Buriram - to say nothing of the variety, and very often quality. I have saved 8 Baht a kilo on potatoes (used to use 4 x 10kg p.w.), 50 Baht on a box of San Miguel and 60 Baht on a bottle of Prosecco. Salmon King 150g salmon steaks were 79 Baht in Tesco Lotus, Pattaya vs 89 Baht in TL, Lahansai.

 

Then consider what is available (quality, price and availability)when you go to Friendship, Best supermarket, Food Mart, Foodland etc. If you think there is no difference in bigger stores just compare TOPS in, say, SURIN with TOPS in Central Festival.....try telling me there is no difference.

 

In Pattaya I can get kwitiow for 40 Baht that knocks the socks off anything I have had in Isaan and pad krappow (of decent quality) can be had for 35 Baht. Choice and quality scores big time over Isaan.

 

I can then wash that down with a large bottle of LEO (or Chang) at a bar for 65 Baht, whereas, in a like for like comparison, in Buriram I would pay 80 Baht.

 

Even accommodation is subjective (and I already conceded that one) because I can't find a 38 sqm one bed condo with swimming pool, gym, cafeteria and 50 Mbps wifi for 9,000 Baht in Buriram ?.

 

electric makes a good point; there are many Russians about (although I have come to accept them as they are rarely an issue) and if a tour bus load of Chinese, from a neighboring hotel, has descended on the local Tesco Lotus I will turnaround and come back later. They are a nightmare and, although. I not a racist, I would be happy if I never saw another Chinese tourist.

 

I would argue that I have the best of both worlds, enjoying my 20+ rai of Isaan and my condo at the seaside...... dividing my time as I see fit.

I second that but it's only 53 baht in my bar lol. I'm really pleased to be away from the hawkers and traffic though.

[Jip99]

1 hour ago, watso63 said:

I second that but it's only 53 baht in my bar lol. I'm really pleased to be away from the hawkers and traffic though.

 

Yes, Watso ........ but you get a volume discount !  

 

 

Actually, you are a very good example of someone who has sampled both 'city' living and rural Isaan living and have chosen the latter.

Edited August 30, 2017 by Jip99

[wildewillie89]

On 28/08/2017 at 0:45 PM, thaibeachlovers said:

Ah, this discussion about big dogs makes me nostalgic for when I was a doghandler in Antarctica. I had 24 Malamutes to look after. Now they really are big dogs. Broke my heart leaving them when my time was up. All the dogs in Antarctica were removed years ago, and the bases are the worse for it. Bl00dy bureaucrats.

 

boys do a lot better together than girls

Not mine. Same sex would rip each other up at any chance- fighting for supremacy and all that. I had to pair male and female on the trace to avoid problems.

Yep, many boy to boy have issues also. But more often than not it is a scuff up and it is forgotten about until the next one. Girl on girl is where vet visits happen, and the dogs will have issues forgetting the altercation. Although, of course, all breeds and all lines within the breeds are all different. There was some research done at the Animal Behaviour Clinic at the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. Results found, of the dogs that came in from same household attacks, that 32% were male to male conflict and 68% female to female. To massively stereotype, maybe it is not to different from humans, guys usually get over things easier haha.

Would have been a fantastic experience living in Antarctica with the dogs. 

[wildewillie89]

On 28/08/2017 at 1:26 PM, Jip99 said:

 

 

Please don't say the dentist thingy is crap, you simply show your ignorance. My opinion is based on fact... of using dentists in Buriram, Prakhonchai and Surin  vs Dr Warin Leepai in Pattaya. Vastly superior. Maybe Ubon is different, I said beforeyour mileage may vary...

 

As regards food I can get all those you mentioned; nothing wrong with a la carte (your negative comment tends to label you) but I was simply referring to comparable quality and price.

 

Do you get out much?

 

 

Unless you have used every single dentist in those areas then it can hardly be 'fact'.

Many of these things are hit and miss. For example, on the most part, many of the doctors/dentists in my city (in Isaan) are rubbish. However, the odd one is fantastic. I had to go through 20 odd doctors to find my current doctor, but she is amazing. Paediatric Cardiology is her specialisation, but she has informed the hospital she will be the 'family' doctor, so also treats me as a GP - which is not the norm in Thailand. However, she is one of few I trust, has 'farang' thinking if you like. She goes out of our way, she has my full record, and says if I ever need to admit in a different hospital just to call her and they can discuss my history with her. I was admitted in a different city hospital and she actually rang the radiologist in that hospital to discuss my results over her weekend. 

She is extremely thorough with my daughter also. Although she works at the private hospital, if we need anything expensive done (expensive scans), she will book us into the government hospital and meet us there as she knows we have free medical at government hospitals. 

I agree with the premise that many aren't that good in Isaan, but I found the same in the bigger cities also. So it is really just searching for one you can trust wherever you are in the country. 

[The manic]

On 29/08/2017 at 9:56 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

Fair enough, but to see as much as possible in a short period of time I have always found tours to be the best way to get an idea of an area I am unfamiliar with. If I like it I'll go back for longer.

I'd hate to try and do a two week trip around Europe on my own, but if I had six months I would.

One does not really need tours in Thailand. In general tours only take you to obvious

places, push you around like sheep among a group of people you may have nothing in common with and only introduce you to locals selling stuff with pre arranged commisions. If you are a tour group traveler them I suspect Issan is  not for you and maybe not Thailand.

 

 

[electric]

13 minutes ago, The manic said:

One does not really need tours in Thailand. In general tours only take you to obvious

places, push you around like sheep among a group of people you may have nothing in common with and only introduce you to locals selling stuff with pre arranged commisions. If you are a tour group traveler them I suspect Issan is  not for you and maybe not Thailand.

 

 

 

If I may offer an alternative opinion regarding tours.

 

For many individual travellers with limited holiday time, organised tours are perfect in a country they know little about. There are many benefits of joining a professionally run tour group.

 

1 - Yes , most tours only visit the major attractions, but that's because all tours have a definate time factor, whether it be 1 day, or an extended tour lasting several weeks. Cram as much into the tour as time permits. It's what tourists generally want.

 

2 - The hard work of researching which attractions are worthy, has been done for you. So many visitors waste precious holiday time sitting in hotel rooms wondering what to see first, or next.

 

3 - Solo travellers are often pretty clueless how to find notable attractions, then have no idea of the best way to get there. Personal transport is always problematic for visitors in any foreign country.

 

4 - Security of travelling with a group does mean a great deal to some people. There are many timid travellers out there that are not at all confident in a country where they cannot speak, read or write the language.

 

5 - A professional Tour Manager will hopefully always give his guests an expert commentary about attractions. You will learn interesting stuff that individual travellers never hear about.

 

6 - The "commissions" angle is interesting. Everybody thinks they know it is happening, but only the shop and the tour operator really know. So no big deal should be attached to this. Anyway, ultimately it's the customer who decides whether he-she opens their wallet. And of course, Thailand is not Robinson Crusoe in this regard.

 

For a solo traveller wishing to experience Isaan with just a few weeks to do it, I strongly suggest that some form of organised tour should be seriously considered.