"Kalasin" Kalasin by scott_dallas

My friend Ning is from Kalasin. I went with her to Kalasin where I spent a little more than a day. Kalasin is the provincial capital of Kalasin Province. It is a city of about 30,000 people. It is absolutely off the tourist path and I don't think I saw another westerner there. Not much English is spoken there, but the people I met were so extremely friendly, helpful, and generous. Ning's family owns and operates a couple of markets in town. We arrived in the afternoon and as this was Ning's return home it was a big homecoming. That evening we went to get the ingredients for suki pots and other food at a local restaurant. That was my first encounter with an elephant on the street. We went back to one of her families markets, where they set up tables and chairs on the sidewalk in front of the store and had a feast. That night her brother, who speaks fair English, took me to his friends bar and restaurant which was a laid back little place and then to a big "discotheque". There they had a very large crowd as it was Friday night and a band and dance troups on stage as well as a DJ between sets. The women there seemed quite curious to see a falang : ) but also seemed to be a bit afraid of me : ( It was a good time though.

On Saturday morning, Ning's father took us sightseeing. We went to a park with an archaeological dig with dinosaur skeletons. It was interesting for a short visit. We then drove to a nice peaceful temple on a hill top surrounded by trees. It was very quiet and peaceful, and very beautiful. It would be a very good place to go and pray and meditate. Ning and her father are Buddhist so they prayed while I wandered and took pictures. I am not Buddhist, but Ning invited me to kneel at the alter and "make a wish" so I did. The great temples of Bangkok and Chiang Mai are spectacular, but I think it is so worthwhile to go to a temple like this when you are in Thailand, to see how most temples are and to take in the peacefulness and serenity.

Lunch at the Lakeside

After leaving the temple we went to a large lake. There is a resort there with cabins that you can rent and a restaurant. We ordered lunch from the restaurant. They have these barges were you can relax and they bring your lunch to the barge. The food was delicious, we had Tom Yam Goong, Som Tam, and a couple of other dishes. It was very relaxing to eat in the shade, with the nice breeze blowing and the barge gently rocking on the water.

• Pros:No tourists. Very authentic Isaan Thai culture
• Cons:None really. Not many "attactions".
• In a nutshell:Great place for a day or 2. Must speak a little Thai here.