Thai Isan Region

Vientiane to Udon Thani

The bus left without me — how was I going to manage this situation? I didn't even have a SIM card or Thai cash. But just then, I found two people who had also been left behind like me. I talked to them and luckily one of the guys was also heading to the same destination as me — Udon Thani. Udon Thani is about 60 km from the border, so we looked for a van together. He spoke a little Thai, so he negotiated the price for us. In the end, we got a van for 500 baht and made it through!

He was from Korea and planned to fly back that day. He was very kind — I only paid a little for the van and he even treated me to a coffee lol. We became friends and I hope we can meet again someday.

In the afternoon, I arrived in Udon Thani and the first thing I did was go to the mall to buy a SIM card and eat (it was my first meal of the day). As for the plan from here, I was going to head to Bangkok by land but would stay in three cities before that — Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, and Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat). These cities are in what's called the "Isan Region", the northeastern part of Thailand.

Isan is the northeastern region of Thailand, bordering Laos and Cambodia. It's the largest region in Thailand but also one of the least touristy. The culture here is heavily influenced by Laos — many locals speak a dialect very similar to Lao, and the food shares a lot in common with Lao cuisine. Isan is famous for its spicy food, especially som tum (papaya salad), larb (minced meat salad), and sticky rice. It's considered the heartland of authentic Thai-Lao culture.

I stayed one night in Udon Thani and went to Khon Kaen by train the next day. It was my first time using a Thai train but I could buy a ticket smoothly. There seems to be a mobile app too but I bought it at the ticket counter. Thai trains basically have 2-3 classes and I chose the cheapest one this time. From Udon Thani to Khon Kaen, it takes around 1.5 hours but the price was only 25 baht — less than 1 USD!

Udon Thani to Khon Kaen

The train came a little later than scheduled. Class 3 doesn't have AC so it was a bit hot, but it wasn't a problem. I saw some monks on the train and there were reserved seats for them too. What was memorable was that many vendors were selling food and drinks on the train — since the train stops for only a few minutes at each station.

I arrived in Khon Kaen on time and headed to the hotel. Khon Kaen is the central city in Khon Kaen province and the city was much bigger than Udon Thani.

I was moving south from Laos so I felt it getting hotter and hotter lol. This time, I booked a hotel so I stayed in a private room (finally!) and it was very comfortable. I only stayed one night so I didn't visit any landmarks — just a cafe and a big mall.

Khon Kaen to Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat)

The next morning, I checked out the hotel and moved to Nakhon Ratchasima. Nakhon Ratchasima is also called Korat in Thai and most locals use Korat.

Unfortunately, there's no train from Khon Kaen to Korat, so I took a bus. I searched the bus schedule in advance and it seemed they have many buses every day. The bus terminal was a bit far from the center, so I used Grab to get there. The bus terminal was huge but a driver helped me find the ticket counter. The ticket was 176 baht and the bus came soon after buying the ticket.

By the way, the cost of living in Thailand is really expensive now — not only Bangkok but also other cities. The Thai baht has been getting stronger over the past few years and on top of that, the Japanese yen is weak. So for Japanese like me, it's a double hit lol. Some products are definitely more expensive than in Japan — Thailand is no longer an affordable country.

Anyway, back to the story — the bus was very clean and it was a comfortable trip. I arrived in Korat in the afternoon. Korat is the biggest city in the Isan Region and it's known as the gateway to Isan. I had been moving almost every day, so I stayed in Korat for two nights and took some time to rest and do laundry.

I liked this hotel since it had a small restaurant inside. They had a big menu but my favorite was Thai basil pork rice — I lost count of how many times I ate this...

The next day, I went to a pagoda and a shopping mall. Korat has Terminal 21, which is a major shopping mall in Thailand, and I remember going to the one in Bangkok too. Food courts in Thailand are always good and affordable!

Bangkok is almost there. I will share it in the next article!

\~Continuing to Bangkok\~