|
Nong Khai (population 25,000) is the last stop on the North Eastern Railway line and some 620 km north of Bangkok. The town is long and narrow and follows the banks of the Mekong River. Directly opposite central Nong Khai is Tha Deua in Laos accessible by either ferry or bridge. The Lao Capital Vientiane is actually 26 km further upriver and cannot be seen from Nong Khai.
Nong Khai has no airport so the jetsetters usually fly into Udon Thani, 55 km to the South, before heading off on their lightning fast half day bus tours of Vientiane. Cheaper options are an express bus or train from Bangkok. My lingering memory of Nong Khai will always be arriving by train to find hundreds of Bangladeshi workers from Laos struggling to board the train and find a seat without any thought for the passengers attempting to disembark. Only by using one's luggage as a weapon was escape possible.
Nong Khai is a fascinating town memorable for its beautiful temples and busy all day market running along the river banks. There are numerous rickety elevated restaurants where you can while away the day drinking and enjoying views of the murky Mekong River. And looking is all you can do - the Mekong's powerful currents are such that diving in for a swim would be suicidal.
Every morning when the tour buses rush in to town the prices double to cater for gawking Japanese tourists then everything slows down again. Nong Khai has numerous hotels and guest houses around town and all are reasonably priced.
The high rise Grand Hotel located out of town near the Friendship bridge is the best hotel in town. It is opulent and caters mostly to package tourists. There is a nice bar with great view on the roof top which is worth a visit. Hotelz Asia can offer you great rates for the Grand and other hotels in town.
The are several pleasantly decaying temples around the river front area and the town itself is compact and easily explored on foot. Many of the cheaper hotels and restaurants are located near the river. The night market is a short walk from the river front and has an amazing variety of food on offer.
One sight not to miss whilst in Nong Khai is Wat Sala Keow about 5 km out of town. This temple sports a huge collection of concrete images and statues set amongst trees and shrubs - many of them quite weird and fascinating (see picture above). Set aside a few hours to wander the grounds. You can get there cheaply by public Songthaew or just charter a tuk tuk for a few hours to show you around.
Nong Khai has a lively nightlife consisting of dark bars and karaoke lounges and numerous dubious establishments. Thai style open air restaurants abound all with live music and over priced drinks and food. Most of these places double as brothels hence the number of ladies on stage entertaining the crowd tends to dwindle as the night wears on.
Most travelers to Nong Khai are en route to Laos. Visas to cross into Laos are granted on arrival and cost around 1500 Thai Baht.
|
HOTEL RESERVATIONS 
