Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
West of Nong Khai
The people living west of Nong Khai are obsessed with topiary , and along Rte 211 you'll
pass hedges and bushes sculpted by ambitious gardeners into everything from elephants to
boxing matches. The river road (Th Kaew Worawut), lined with floodplain fields of to-
bacco, tomatoes and chillies, is another option for the first stretch of the route west,
though cyclists should note that it has no shoulder.
Wat Phra That Bang Phuan
Boasting a beautiful chedi that locals believe holds 29 Buddha relics, Wat Phra That Bang
Phuan (admission free; dawn-dusk) is one of the region's most sacred temples. Nobody knows
when the first stupa was erected here, but after moving his capital from Luang Prabang to
Vientiane in 1560, Lan Xang King Setthathirat commissioned grand temples to be built all
around his kingdom, including a new stupa built here over an older one. Rain caused it to
lean precariously and in 1970 it toppled. It was rebuilt in 1976-77. The current one stands
34m high on a 17-sq-metre base and has many unsurfaced chedi around it, giving the
temple an ancient atmosphere; and it's this, much more than the main stupa, that makes a
trip here rewarding.
The temple is 22km from Nong Khai on Rte 211. Take a Pak Chom-bound bus (20B,
45 minutes).
Tha Bo
Prosperous Tha Bo is the most important commercial centre between Nong Khai and
Loei, and the covered market, which spills out to the surrounding streets, is full of local
products. A large Vietnamese population lives here, and they've cornered the market on
noodle production. You'll see masses of sên lék (small rice noodles) drying in the sun on
the west side of town. From about 5am to 10am you can watch people at the factories
making the noodles, and then at around 2pm they start the cutting, all by hand.
Production used to be mostly spring-roll wrappers laid out on the bamboo racks, but
noodles are easier to make and sell so locals have made the switch. Ban Hua Sai, 10km
upriver just before Si Chiangmai, is now the area's spring-roll-wrapper capital.
Tha Bo is mostly a day-trip destination, but there are some guesthouses, if you want to
spend the night.
 
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