The pollution, the people and the general madness, as alluring as Bangkok can be, sometimes you just need to escape. I have felt an unusual sense of fatigue in Bangkok recently and craved something a little slower and a little more laid back.
I didn't want to fly out of the country. I wanted to feel the real Thailand. Pattaya wasn't an option. It's fun, of course, but even more crazy than Bangkok and hardly the real Thailand. Phuket I went off years ago. Ditto Samui. Hua Hin is pleasant but still too international. Chiang Mai reminds me of Phi Phi Island β look in one direction and it could be paradise, truly paradise, but then you turn around and there are ten thousand Westerners behind you and the temporary illusion is gone.
Chiang Rai? Mmm, I would prefer somewhere with a beach or at the very least, water. I have never really liked the south so that leaves Isaan. Somewhere on the Mekong would be nice. Nongkhai perhaps? Pretty place, but the people aren't as friendly as elsewhere in the region and there are way too many foreigners passing through.
Nah, the city just feels vapid and dull to me. Hmm, what about Nakhon Phanom? Pretty waterfront, few foreigners, relaxed and quiet. Perfect, let's go! Nakhon Phanom is km by road from Bangkok if you take the most direct route or closer to km if you go straight up highway 2 to Udon Thani and then turn right. The latter is recommended as the roads are much better and while it may be a longer journey, it takes less time.
Five and a half hours, kilometres and a baht speeding ticket later, I found myself in Udon for the second time in two months. Despite being home to a large shopping centre and a number of farang-oriented venues, Udon remains one of the poorest provinces in the country.
