"Travels in Isaan" a Pak Khat Travel Page by phil_uk_net

I recent undertook my first visit to the Isaan region in north-east Thailand. During my travels in the rest of Thailand I have heard about Isaan and met several people who come from the region. It is the poorest area of Thailand and many Thais that grow up there move to other cities in the Kingdom where there are better opportunities to earn money. The ones that do though normally send the bulk of the money they earn back home to their parents and families. It was an interesting experience.

In the north-east the Mekong forms the border between Thailand and Laos. The people living on the Thai side are more Laos than Thai apparently. Many people make a living on the Mekong. From what I can gather, people from Laos can come freely to Thailand but it does not work the other way.

Pak Khat is situated north-east of Nong Khai near the Mekong. In the photo above Laos can be seen on the opposite bank of the river..

This page is quite different to most of my other pages in that there are no tips as such. I did not travel independently as I normally do but was hosted by a local family. They housed and fed me, as well as showing me around, so I have no accommodation, restaurant or transportation tips. The intent of this page is just to give some general impressions of the area and to show how people live there.

I enjoyed my time in Isaan. It was an experience I will not forget in a hurry. However, I'm becoming a softer traveller as I get older and the basic facilities and limited cuisine made me long to return to a more developed part of the world.

Returning to Bangkok and enjoying a fabulous lunch at the Oriental while sitting on the verandah looking out over the Chao Phrya river was sheer bliss!