Blogs from Nong Khai, North-East Thailand, Thailand, Asia

We left Penang and got a ferry to Butterworth, where we waited for our train to Bangkok. A quick stop at the border and we were soon in Thailand, enjoying a Thai curry and a beer, before our seats where turned into beds and we woke up in Bangkok. After spending about eight hours in Bangkok we boarded another overnight train to Nong Khai. We arrived, not particularly refreshed, and bundled into a Tuk tuk which took us to the Mut Mee Hostel. After a much needed shower and rest we visited the hostel bar where Stuart played guitar and drums with a group of Thais until it was time to go to bed. On New Years Eve we hired pushbikes and cycled through the town until we reached the sculpture park. There were many large ... read more

The simple life. It's all you can do to sit on the porch and watch people go by. Reading a book is exciting. The only news is what the clouds look like, and it's always good news. Everything moves slow and has plenty of time to get there. Nothing's better than a good pair of shoes, or some fresh laundry, or a refreshing swim. There are no "should"s. Disdain fades into the past and Love cracks a smile. It's the simple life man, words can't describe it. I am, however, a product of a technological upbringing. So here, from my simple, sunny perch, I watch, starry eyed, as the western world cracks its caccoon and unfurls its techno-colored wings. Fly oh western world, fly. Heed Icarus' plight. Mad love to all my home boys and home ... read more

We didn’t get much sleep on the overnight VIP bus, but were happy to reach Udon Thani around 9am and find a seat on the hour long local bus to Nong Khai. The journey was pretty uneventful, and on arrival we found a tuk-tuk to drop us in town and checked in to a nice little guesthouse near the river. We spent the afternoon walking around the market before having dinner at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the Mekong river. There were not many tourists in Nong Khai, and the only others we saw tended to be older European men – some with their young Thai girlfriends – who had come to renew their visa by hopping across the river to Laos and back again. Next morning we hired out a scooter – with Debbie’s lack of ... read more

From Chiang Mai we took an overnight bus to Udon Thani to transfer up to the border town of Nong Khai. Now normally the bus journey itself wouldn’t warrant much mention but on this occasion feel it is worth it. We arrived at the bus terminal knowing that we could get a bus at approx 7 pm for the 12 hour journey to Udon Thani. When we arrived at 5pm and went to the window we were told that the last bus out was at 7 pm and the only remaining seats were at the back of the bus and did not recline - we hesitated and checked that it had aircon and that there were no other buses going later that evening - after being told this was the last one we reluctantly paid and ... read more

Ueber den heutigen Tag gibt es nicht viel zu berichten. Nachdem wir aufgestanden sind, haben wir uns Fahrraeder ausgeliehen und uns auf den teils abenteuerlichen Weg in einen Skulpturenpark gemacht. Unterwegs mussten wir einen 6-spurigen Highway ueberqueren und Hunde haben sich uns an die Fersen geheftet... Wir waren schneller :D Der Park an sich war nicht so spannend wie die An- und Abreise dorthin. Den Nachmittag verbrachten wir mit Buch und Zeitung in der Haengematte am Guesthouse. Jetzt werden wir uns noch einen Gin-Tonic an der Schiffsbar genehmigen. Morgen gehts dann ueber die Freundschaftsbruecke nach Laos.... read more

Nun sind wir schon im Nordosten Thailands, wo wir noch bis Sonntag bleiben werden, angekommen. Unser 2. Tag in Bangkok verlief relativ ruhig, einzige Hoehepunkte waren der Besuch des Lokus (o-ton Angela, eigentlich Lotus-einkaufszentrum) mit einer Auswahl an unterschiedlichen Produkten (Bau-markt, Fahrradladen, Elektroladen, Bekleidungsladen, Drogerie, Supermarkt, etc in Einem) und die Suche nach verloren gegangenen Malerone-Tabletten (Ludwig bekommt 1000 Euro von angela, aufgrund seiner gewonnenen Wette - danke, Peter - nachdem die 3. Packung zufaelligerweise in seinem Rucksack aufgetaucht war). Sobald wir uns von unseren Gastgebern verabschiedet hatten, machten wir uns auf den Weg zum Hua Lamphong Bahnhof. Puenktlich um 8 ging unser Zug. Wie es im Zug zuging und aussah entnimmt man am besten den Fotos, da es relativ schwierig ist dieses Erlebnis zu beschreiben. Nur soviel: offene F... read more