Isaan

Isaan is a region in Northeast of Thailand consisting of 19 provinces. Like other provinces in the country their names have the same name as their capital. This region on the border to Laos and Kambodja is the poorest in the country. Many of the girls working in Phuket are comming from this province. Periodically they send money home to their parents who in many cases take care of the children to the girl. The father to the children has in these cases abandoned the family. 

My friend Lennart Back, who is a real Thailand-freak tell us here about a fascinating trip in this region. The pictures are also taken by Lennart.

Little travelogue from Thailand , november – december 2009.

The one month long trip in Thailand did not start so well. Thai Airway´s airplane got some technical problem just when all sat onboard waiting for “take off”. It was a gasket to the fuel filter which needed to be replaced because there was a leak.
From beginning they told us the flight should be delayed about 2 – 3 hours but they were happy to serve us food at our places in the aircraft. Oh well, no problem with 2 – 3 hours extra when you is about leave a cold Sweden to a warm and pleasant Thailand .

Food was served without any alcohol because serve alcohol is only permitted when aircraft is in the air.

After dinner staff informed about more delay and passenger could leave aircraft but only to the gate inside airport. I was travelling in a better class so I decided to stay onboard and wait for take off. Six hours after exposed time for take off we finally lifted.

Then we have another 10½ hours in the air before our arrival to Suvarnibhum airport in Bangkok . But the trip was pleasant, no problem. Thai Airways airplane is littlebit old but very comfortable, whatever class you travel in.

I landed about 7 hours delayed in Bangkok and went after passport and custom control to domestic terminal. I checked in to my flight to Ubon Ratchatani in Isaan. The first destination this time was Surin but unfortunately there is no domestic flights nowadays between Bangkok and Surin so first it´s a flight to Ubon Ratchatani or Buriram and then bus, train or taxi.  

When I arrived to airport in Ubon I take a taxi to train station. Train from Ubon to Surin took about 3½ hours and cost 30 baht.

Thai citiziens don´t pay for go with train nowadays. However, they must have a ticket which they get without cost in the train station. To go with train in Thailand is a wonderful experience whith all small stations you stop at, fellow passengers, dealers, smells, etc
When I arrived to my hotel in Surin, about 27 hours after I left my apartment in Stockholm, I had a very very good sleep.

Surin is known for it´s elephant festival in end of november each year. That time more than 100 elephants come to Surin för different kinds of performance.  
A lot of tourists that time also make cost for stay in hotel is much higher than normal.
After my visit in Surin, I take taxi to Ubon and then domestic flight back to Bangkok .
I have been in Bangkok many times and therefore I only stayed 2 days in this very big city.

Now waited the “climax” for this vacation…. A trip to Thailand´s second national park, Phu Kradueng. Bus from Bangkok to Muang Loei in northeastern part of Thailand started 22.00 evening time and it was therefore a night onboard the bus.

I almost never go with bus in Thailand because many busdrivers drive in a very different way then back home in Sweden  

But this trip was good, the bus was good and comfortable.

Photo by Knut Ångström

After about 7 hours trip bus arrived to Loei. A songtaew take the passenger the last way to national park Phu Kradueng entry.

A high mountain in front of me and had I know what waiting, maybe I had choose to do something else then climb in that mountain..

I booked and paid for living in tent and also payed fee for entry the national park.

They hade some carrier who take luggage to a very cheep cost, only 15 bath per kilo.
Unfortunately I keeped a small shoulderbag, weight about 4 kilo. It was not so clever because it was heavier and heavier and heavier the higher I come..
From base to the mountain plateau it´s 1 288 meter high..

These beautiful trees are some kind of pine trees (K.Å.)

The stretch to go/climb to come there is 5 500 meter . Climbing normally implemented in 5 - 6 stages because there are places for relax, eating, drinking and go to toilet.
The last 200 meter was very hard because it was very uphill.

It was a tired but very happy climber who sat in front the sign with text Phu Kradueng Conqueror:

Many thai people aims to at least one time in their life visit Phu Kradueng. Somebody also use this climbing to test their love or their relationship.
If you make this climbing up to Phu Kradueng plateue with your partner and the relationship still is good after that, it will be good forever.

After come up to plateau, it was another 3 300 meter walking to Visitor Center and the tent camp.

Luckily it was already assembled tents so it was only to throw myself into the sleeping bag.

Phu Kradueng mountain plateau is about 60 square kilometer and a mix of many different types of nature. This three days was a real orgy in sunrises, waterfall, tree and plants and sunsets.

Some walking trails was closed some times during the day because there was wild elephants roaming that trails. I never saw any elephants. But still I think about how the elephants come up to the mountain.

I walked about 20 – 25 kilometer per day so I was tired in the evenings.

Fourth day morning I start climbing down to mountain foot. This time I gave all luggage to carrier people. I am very impressed of this men and woman who carry up to 70 kilo on their bamboo pole. Slowly but very safely they climb up or down the mountain.

They also can work 2 and 2 and carry people up or down the mountain. For this they charge

5 000 baht for one way.

I didn’t see so many farangs at Phu Kradueng, it was a lot of thai tourists visit the national park.

Climbing down take not so long time compared to climb up the mountain but I was much more tired after climbing down. My leg was like spaghetti and it take some time until I was ready to do anything again.

My body was finished and stiff in a couple of days after this adventure. I sleep in the bus back to Bangkok and it was like paradise to come in the hotelroom in Bangkok with hot water shower, clean bedclothes and a real bed again…

I will recommend everybody to visit Phu Kradueng. Probably I never visit this mountain plateau again but all nice natural experiences, memory and pictures from there, make I don’t want it undone. It was worth every step and every drop of sweat.

The last two weeks of this trip was more normal with sun and bath in Bangsaen and in Pattaya.

I am now home again, just plan my next trip, guess where ?

Lennart Back