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Published: October 28th 2012
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Traveling by motorbike in Isan (Northeastern Thailand) is not for the faint of heart.............
Isan is hot, it is dry and it is flat in its most populous parts. These are the areas where rice grows in the most abundance and now large towns sit in flat valleys usually near an abundant source of water like reservoirs, very common in Isan, or along large rivers. The sprawling flatness, punctuated with sticky rice paddies, sugar stalks(and sugar factories), rubber trees and other cash crops like cassava that surround you, more than anything reminds me of following the main pathways through Texas with less grass. Despite this, there are plenty of cattle being grazed on the fringes of the main crops and there is plenty of dry grass. Watching trucks herded full of cattle at the Thai border crossing points headed to Vietnam gives a twinge of Texas flavor. The sprawling sameness of its towns, rather than being compact(or interspersed with mountains like in Northern Thailand), gives it a distinctly American feel as well.
Taking all of this in allowed me to imagine why many Thais from this region admire American cowboy movies so much especially the
hats which are very useful in the bright sunshine on these flat plains. Buddhist temples which pop up in every village and along the highways support some of the most dedicated remaining Buddhists in the kingdom. Whether or not you fancy Buddhism a religion or not, its embeddness in the local culture mirrors Christianity's impact in parts of Texas and the American Midwest. As I imagined this, amidst the strength sapping heat and allergy inducing air, I began to think driving a motorbike through Isan was not the best decision.
Isan's heat, which pervades even the hilly, mountainous, swampy and riverine parts, can quickly turn you into a dried chile if you are not careful. After several months of reinvigorating travel through the mountains, Isan has taken a lot out of my travel spirit even after only ten days.
Even though the climate is tough, it is a remarkably interesting place and I had some great conversations with a number of local folks along the way. Dinosaur remains, trapped in the region's abundant dinosaur era sandstone, pop up in national parks, fancy museums, caves and various tourist sites along the way. Important contributions in
Dinosaur Learning Hub
Sirinthorn Dinosaur Museum in Kalasin....a great museum even by international standards the form of new dinosaur species and evolutionary evidence are documented quite well here.
Some of the reservoirs like the one next to the Ubolrat Dam and Nong Han in Sakhon Nakhon are very beautiful and nice places to stay cool. I watched local fisherman pull in giant fish one afternoon out of a bayou like swamp not far from Sakhon Nakhon. We are talking large striped bass size here. There are some impressive freshwater specimens from this region including the world's largest freshwater speicies, the giant catfish. These areas are a reminder that it is not all flat plains here. Many town names, in fact, start with the prefixes Nong (swamp) or Huai (stream), this even if many of these Huai were dry because of this year's terrible drought. It has been strange to see a drought after such strong flooding last year. Many towns along the Mekong River have more reliable water sources, such as Mukdahan, Nakhon Phanom, Nongkhai as well as a number of smaller ones remind me more of Northern Thailand. I enjoyed these towns the most. For nature lovers, Mukdahan was really the only one with much appreciable forest in its immediate
Ubonrat Dam
The prettiest town not on the river that I have seen in Isan. A local couple at I-Ruk Guesthouse put me up free for the night and even took me out to dinner. surroundings, thus it seemed a bit cooler than the other towns.
Isan is a place undergoing rapid change as the new generation no longer wants to farm. They often move to Bangkok or other modern centers like others in much of the developing world. Larger scale agricultural projects and more real estate development appear inevitable as more and more farmland becomes alienated and put on the market.
Local markets were one of my favorite places to eat and much of the food here is similar to parts of Laos though not my favorite parts. I have to say that my favorite food comes from the mountainous regions. They eat more vegetables, use less chemicals and the food just seems more fresh (my opinion). However, there are some excellent dishes to be had here. The spicy meat salads and chili dips are top notch as are the noodle dishes with loads of veggies. Many of the local markets here are still quite brilliant and often I found great happiness hanging out there. I think they are perhaps the best place to learn about local culture. However, often I found the beating heat here made me
seek out western foods during much of my visit, a desire to escape.....when possible
The map shows the route I took and you can see that I just touched the surface of the northern part of the region. It reflects the path I took entering Isan from Laos at the Tha Li border crossing in Loei province until I crossed back into Laos at the Nongkhai-Vientiane crossing.
Pardon me for a brief digression (and no need to read if you dislike rants):
I visited a number of national parks around here but often got annoyed at the double pricing system for locals and foreigners (often 5 times the local price-with no special benefits I might add, such as an English speaking tour guide. When prices are still really cheap it is tolerable but with recent price hikes to 500 baht (per visitor!) it is not only no longer cheap but a privilege to those who can afford it. At $25.00, I could nearly go to Yellowstone for a week, including passengers and vehicle, for that). Thai parks that try to pass on these prices to visitors are begging for a boycott. I just
don't enter if they won't give me a discount. Even parks that charge 200 baht (Thai price 40 baht), and have nothing particularly special are not worth it. Sometimes I was able to speak in Thai and get the local price but not at the most renowned and impressive parks such as Phu Kradung. I ended up at some of the smaller parks and did my best to try and pick up the local geography, flora and fauna. Most of the best parks are West of where I was traveling, such as Khao Yai or Nam Nao, and I think they all push the maximum of 500 baht.
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