Trip in the Northeast of Thailand (Isan)

1. After a short flight from Survanabhumi Airport in Bangkok to Udon Thani, I drove along Road 22
to Bang Khon on the way to Sakhon Nakhon. Then I turn left on Road 222 to the small village of Si Wan Chai, near Wanon Niwat.

From Udon Thani, Mueang Udon Thani District, Udon Thani

To Sakhon Nakhon, Mueang Sakon Nakhon District, Sakon Nakhon

2. I stayed over a week in the village attending local ceremonies and observing local life. 

Vegetable garden

Morning ceremony at local temple

Sunset

Village karaoke night

Water buffalos in a field during the dry season

3. I thought it would be interesting to report on the daily life and the local feat ivies while living there. So, I wrote an article on Si Wan Chai, which will be added to the section called 'Pages' with the other published articles.

Search Resul

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1. 

   Niwat District Sakon Nakhon
   
   4. Besides going to Sakon Nakhon, the provincial capital, I visited a few more interesting Buddhist shrines in this area.
   
   

   

   History of the temple

   
   

   

   Holy monk's shrine

   
   
   

   

   Main entrance

   

   New temple under construction

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   

   Temple pond

   
   5. After a brief stopover in Udon Thani, the regional capital, I headed north to drive along the Mekong River westwards.
   

   

   Map of the road along the Mekong to Chiang Khan in the Loei District

   

   View on Vientiane (Laos) across the river

   

   Roadside cafe with a view

   

   View over the Mekong & its islands

   
   6. Chiang Khan is a charming little town on the Mekong bank north of Loei. It is quite popular with backpackers and many Thai or Asian tourists.
   

   

   Sunset over the river from a guesthouse terrace

   
   

   

   A town corner

   

   Guesthouse entrance & decoration

   
   
   

   

   Temple at night

   
   
   

   
   
   
   
   
   7. From Chiang Khan, I drove on to Phu Ruea in the district of Loei. This area has the reputation of being the coldest zone in Thailand. Phu Ruea Peal is 1,365 m high and is a national park. Phu Ruea region has many orchards and a great variety of flowers.

   
   

   

   Colorful resort with flowers

   

   At the top of Phu Ruea (1,365m, 16ºC)

   
   8. Finally, I drove from Phu Ruea to Phu Tub Berk in Petchabun province. At 1,768m, Phu Tub Berk is the highest mountain in this region. It is inhabited by Hmong tribes, who now grow cabbages in place of poppies.
   Website on Phu Tubberk
   
   

   

   On top of Phu Tub Berk

   
   

   

   Hmong villages at night

   --> Link: Google+ slide-show

And encouragement from TripAdvisor

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	Hi Christian Sorand	536 reviews    308 helpful votes

In only 7 days, your reviews have had 1,404 readers Travelers really love your latest reviews.  Thanks for sharing your thoughts, they really do help. christmate11 Top Contributor   What's this? 536 reviews 308 helpful votes Your recent reviews  Review   Total readers*   Lovely beach and seaside  Farol da Barra beach 35 Jan 2015  Fascinating  Fundação Casa de Jorge Amado 13 Jan 2015  Great decor but poor service & average food  Pelo Bistro 6 Jan 2015  Interesting museum but would need a total revamp  The National Museum Bangkok 279 Jan 2015  Bangkok backpackers section  Khao San Road 1,059 Jan 2015  Exquisite food and ambiance  Maria Mata Mouro 12 Jan 2015

Postcard from Buenos Aires from Booking.com

Booking.com <noreply@booking.com>	9:04 PM (7 minutes ago)
to me

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Can you believe it's already been 3 months since you stayed at El Conquistador Hotel?

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Flight to Udon Thani (ISAN)

Thai Smile A320

A day after arriving in Bangkok, I left for ISAN.

Flying back to Bangkok

THAI Airways A380-800

Non-stop air route Paris/CDG to BKK/Suvarnabhumi

Flying West to East is shorter: the flight lasted 10:35 hours. But the aircraft was full, service and comfort (in economy class) was so so.