Nong Khai

Nong Khai is located more than 600 km north of Bangkok. You can get there by bus or by train, but that takes a lot of time. The most convenient way is a plane to Udon Thani, and from there the last 55 km by bus.
Nong Khai borders the Mekong river, on the other side of the river is Laos, and that's why this city is a nice place to visit. A couple of years ago, just outside the city, a bridge was build across the Mekong.

We have visited Nong Khai a couple of times. The first few times short day-trips with friends from Udon Thani. In 2000 we've stayed for three days. That way you get to know the city a little beter. The first of that three day visit was very special, it was cold! We were lucky the hotel had hot water, and we had to buy sweaters (with a Dutch label!) and socks.

During the day-trips we have visited some temples. One of these, Sala Kaew Ku, sometimes named Wat Khaek, is very special. Maybe for Thai people it is not a real temple. Sala Kaew Ku is founded in 1978, by someone, who united Buddhist and Brahman ideas. If you read more than one travel guide, or if you talk with some people, everybody tells a different story about the founder.
Sala Kaew Ku is strange, very strange. You often see gigantic statues in Thailand, but here they are different, a very different style. A litte threatening, unreal, not beautiful, but still …. Maybe it looks a bit like the paintings of Jeroen Bosch.

Along the Mekong is a vast market with goods, mostly from Laos, China and Vietnam. No fresh food, but apart from that, almost everything you can imagine. Quality varies, guarantee stops as soon as you have paid. We have bought very good silk, made in Laos, but it was not cheap! Spreaded through the market, on the banks of the river, but also outside the market, are some restaurants. Nice places to sit, the food is reasonable, the view over the river and to Laos is stunning.

Just outside Nong Khai, near the bridge, you can site on a beach. You can sit in the shade, and of course you can buy food and drinks. This beach is about 50 meter wide and a few kilometers long. You can only sit there when the water is low, in the wet season, the water is 10 tot 15 meter higher.