Isaan and southern Laos

Isaan, Thailand

Isaan is in the northeast of Thailand, bordered on three sides by Laos and Cambodia. It is the kingdom’s largest region, comprising one-third of its land mass and the same proportion of the population. Despite its size, it is the region least visited by tourists. That’s the reason we went. That plus the Isaan people’s reputation as the friendliest in Thailand.

We visited just one corner – the province of Ubon Ratchathani (Ubon for short), starting in the capital city of the same name. Our first day in the city cemented Isaan’s reputation for friendliness. We were given a free meal and two different couples invited us to visit their homes. Though largely a commercial centre, Ubon city has a number of beautiful temples and the Mun River, a tributary of the Mekong, running through it.

The city was really just our base to get into the countryside. We rented a car to get around and explore the sights. We were a bit anxious since the car Avis gave us had no licence plates. The attendant smiled, gave us a letter to show the police, and told us not to worry. She was right. We never got stopped. Driving in Ubon is not bad once you get used to 12-year-olds on 150 cc scooters racing towards you down the wrong side of the highway.

The countryside is beautiful, dotted with small farming villages. Beautiful Pha Team National Park, with 3,000-year-old rock paintings and fascinating geological formations, borders the Mekong River.

The locals see few foreign tourists. They were genuinely friendly and curious. They were excited to take selfies with the “blonde” Canadian woman! Enroute back to Ubon city we detoured to the village of Ban Yang Ka Dao to visit our new friends Ploy and Tony to see farming life in Isaan. A real treat.

Southern Laos

Pakse

Our next stop was Pakse, Laos, a two-hour drive from Ubon. Driving in Laos is not recommended so we took a local bus to the border. The bus dropped us 500 m from the border. We walked down the dusty road to the Thai exit checkpoint, through a decrepit tunnel under the border, then another 100 m to the Laos checkpoint. After waiting an hour for our visas, we walked another 500 m to catch a van to Pakse, negotiating through a herd of cattle meandering toward the Thai border.

Pakse was obviously once a beautiful city, with a lot of French architecture. It now has the feel of a frontier town that has seen better days. It is the centre of a popular tourism region though. A lot of foreigners, especially backpackers, use it as a base. One of the nearby attractions is Wat Phou, a Khmer/Hindu temple complex from the late 10th century. It is now a UNESCO site.

4,000 Islands

Pakse is also the gateway to the Si Phan Don (“4,000 islands”) region in the Mekong River. When the Mekong floods during the rainy season many of the islands are submerged. Most are not inhabited.

We visited the islands of Don Dhet and Don Khon. Access from the mainland is only by long-tail boats of dubious safety. Don Dhet has a circumference of just 7.2 km. It has no paved roads and no cars. There are few hotels on the island. The rest of the accommodations are wooden bungalows on stilts along the river bank. The bungalows are in various stages of disrepair but for a few dollars a day backpackers and lost souls can have a place to sleep. It is a backpackers’ mecca. The vibe is sleepy and laid back. Allegedly, and from what we saw it’s likely true, if you order a “happy drink” it is laced with pot. There appear to be a lot of westerners there who arrived in the 1980s and forgot to leave.

The only way to get around it is to rent a bike for 10,000 Laos Kip (about $1.50 CDN) for the day. No deposit or identification required. We cycled around Don Dhet and the adjacent island of Don Khon. Don Khon is another tiny island, though more upscale and quieter than Don Dhet. It has a few paved paths. The main attractions on this island are waterfalls. We learned the hard way that waterfalls are not very interesting when there is no water. We cycled a couple of kilometres on a gravelly non-trail to one of the famous waterfalls, only to be reminded that waterfalls have no water in the dry season. The cycle around the island is relaxing. The biggest obstacles are the water buffalo, cows and occasional sow on the paths.

To view more photos go to the Photo Albums menu and select the Isaan or Southern Laos gallery.