Chasing the majestic Mekong by road as it threads its way around Nong Khai and Loei
By: Story and photos KARNJANA KARNJANATAWE
Published: 8/01/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: HorizonsTravelling northeastern Thailand during the cool season is pleasant, especially when driving along the banks of the mighty Mekong River that demarcates Thailand and Laos
Sun sets over the mighty Mekong as the river snakes past Chiang Khan in Loei.
Last week we introduced places along the river starting in Ubon Ratchathani to Mukdahan, Nakhon Phanom and ended in Udon Thani. This week, we take you to Nong Khai and Loei via Highway 211.
Before leaving Udon Thani town, we did a short tour of Phu Foilom Ecotourism Project in Nongsaen district of the province. It used to be a forest park, turned into an ecotourism project in 2002 to stimulate the local economy.
For its part, the government allocated a budget to build public accommodations, toilets and meeting rooms. The facility was adorned with a garden and decorative plants, life-size imitations of dinosaurs and wildlife that once roamed the region, together with an account of evolution of the human race from apes until the present day.
Today Phu Foilom is a popular camping site attracting students, boy and girl scouts on study trips, although the same can't be said of adults who are easily distracted by its poor maintenance.
Easily accessible, Than Thong is a bubbly waterfall only a short walk from Highway 211.
Travelling from Phu Foilom to Nong Khai we stopped at Ban Nakha, a community of peasants 16 kilometres north of the provincial town where on sale in a lane next to Wat Nakha Thawee were cotton and silk scarves, dresses and clothes for home decoration at prices attractive and bargainable. The trademark product of this community is called pha khid, a type of cloth that requires a special technique of weaving to create designs, used in making women dresses, three-sided pillows, bags and shawl.
Proceeding to Nong Khai, our first stop was the first Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge across the Mekong built in 1994. The bridge links the town of Nong Khai on Thai side with Vientiane in Laos. Here you can taste delectable grilled pork balls eaten with rice-flour sheets, raw vegetables, fruits and a special dip - a Vietnamese specialty - at Daeng Naem Neung (http://www.dn-nongkhai.con.nu), a restaurant more than 40 years old located close to the Indochina Market.
We then moved onto Highway 211 that connects Loei. The two-lane road proved a very pleasant ride as it clings to the scenic Mekong from Nong Khai all the way to Chiang Khan district, a distance of almost 200 kilometres. It is in good condition and flanked by towering trees.
Driving at a leisurely pace we spotted plenty of activities along the route: locals fishing by the banks or tilling the land for corn and vegetables. They start planting corn this time of the year as water in the Mekong has receded, exposing its fertile banks.
A museum dedicated to Luang Poo Thes at Wat Hin Mak Peng in Nong Khai.
Most of them are contract farmers, selling their produce to the company providing them the seeds. Each year the farming window lasts some six months starting now until the monsoon rains arrive. In between, if the weather holds, they can reap two crops a year. Come April the Mekong shoreline is a pacthwork of sand dunes, and when the rainy season is upon them all
they can do to make a living is go fishing.
We drove further to Si Chiang Mai town, the closest point between Thailand and Laos that used to be a hub where boats both sides of the river called to trade goods before the Friendship Bridge was built. Now it's deserted, like a ghost town, with very few vessels or tourists calling.
Further up the 211 sits Wat Hin Mak Peng (http://www.hinmarkpeng.org), a temple held in high esteem by Nong Khai residents for it's the seat of abbot Luang Poo Thes, noted for his teachings on dhamma and meditation. It also has a museum. As visitors pass the museum's entrance, sensors automatically activate a recording of his teachings that keeps going until they've exited the museum, which also bears a life-size statue of the abbot, his belongings and life's works.
Rustic ambience awaits tourists visiting the fresh food market in Chiang Khan.
Driving on, eight and a half kilometres to the right from the temple is Than Thong, a waterfall that seemed a shadow of itself - for it is at its raging best July to October - but it still drew a healthy number of locals who had converged there to picnic.
Every morning Chiang Khan residents line up to offer alms—sticky rice—to monks who themselves stand in a queue.
Crossing into Loei we stopped at Kaeng Khut Khu, a quiet picnic spot a decade ago but now boasting stores selling cotton shirts, pants and sweet coconut, or maprao kaew, made from coconut meat stir-fired with sugar and a dash of salt, which like banana chips is a popular snack among tourists in this part of the country. Here, you can break for meals and enjoy majestic views of the Mekong, or hire boats (400 baht) for a cruise on the river.
Biking along this embankment is a popular tourist activity in Chiang Khan.
We hit Chiang Khan, a peaceful town, late afternoon but it was still cold. Actually the weather here is chilly most time of the year, but it can get quite cold in winter. The town is famous for thick cotton blankets it residents make to shield themselves from the cold. These blankets make the list of Otop products made in Chiang Khan.
Most shops and buildings are two storied, with those doubling as guesthouses located near the river. Separating them is an embankment built to prevent soil erosion and a barrier against seasonal flooding.
Farmers plant corn this time of the year when water in the Mekong has receded to a sufficient level, exposing fertile soil.
Despite the cold, Chiang Khan residents are early risers. The blacksmith or food vendor begin their daily chores before dawn. The same is true of locals who queue in the streets to offer alms to monks, and like Luang Prabang in Laos, all they have to offer is sticky rice, although later in the day they may show up at temples to provide monks with more food.
We walked to the only fresh food market in town one early morning and found it already busy. On sale were fresh vegetable, meat, hot meals and snacks. But if you want to break fast like a local, go to Soi 14 and look for the only khao pun (a bowl of rice noodles) shop located in the middle of the soi (lane).
The dish is cooked in Vientiane style, explained Thanayot, a local patron. The bowl contained clear soup with several pieces of pork meat and innards. Laid out on the table were a basket of fresh vegetable, lemon and shrimp paste for extra seasoning, but we didn't need any because it already tasted good.
"We locals eat the dish with sticky rice that we bring from home," he said, and offered to share his sticky rice with us. We only had one bowl each, that was enough.
When in Chiang Khan time passes slowly. Tourists can tour the town on foot or rent a bicycle, relax over a meal chatting with locals, or enjoy sunset over the Mekong and look forward to a good night's rest.
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