udon to laos?

[thai3]

 

 

What are the options here? is there a bus or what would a taxi/car cost from udon thani town to Nong kai for the crossing? Do you think it is worth staying in Nong kai the night before going to Laos?-peter

[Falang]

Just did that last february, we stayed in Nong Khai the night before crossing the border to Laos and intend to do it when coming back but we change it on the return trip because we buyed our flight tickets in Vientianne at the Thai Air office (around the same price that they sell in Thailand) and they say to us to go to the Thai Air office in Nong Kai and they provide mini-bus service to the Udon airport for 500 bahts if my memory is good. We decided to do that and not spending a other night in Nong Kai but take notice that you have to leave Vientianne early to catch the 10 am flight to Bangkok. After crossing the border at the Friendship Bridge, a Thai guy offered us his mini-bus to the Udon airport for 400 bahts so we took him and save a 100 bahts and a lot of time.

 

 

[Old Hippie]

I went by private van from Sakhon Nakhon to Udon Thani, and to Vientiane the same day, no bib deal. I think you can get a car to take you up to The Nong Kai crossing, but you will have to get a Lao driver on the other side. If you stay overnight in Laos, then you would need to arrange a different driver to pick you up and bring you back to Udon. Of course there are the local buses, but the schedules may clash with yours. Not sure about train service.

[pattaya127]

if you have not been in Nong Khai before, i think it's worth to stay. The silver work in the market, near the immigration pier, is the cheapest in Thailand. And Wat Kaek, 2 or miles out of town, is unique in Thailand, sort of a Buddhist/hindu dysneyland with towering nagas, buddhas, elephants and mischievous imagery.

[Guest]

pattaya127,

 

So Nong Kai is worth a visit is it ?? Think i may venture north on my next visit to Los and a BG i've been seeing might be up that way so might kill 2 birds with 1 stone. I tried to do a search on hotels u[p that way but drew a blank. Any ideas ??

 

 

 

Cheers

 

 

[pattaya127]

check this: http://isan.sawadee.com/nongkhai/

 

 

 

Not too many hotels, but don't worry, there are plenty of guest houses and hotels. The mat mee GH near the river is OK, a bit spartan, but atmospheric, more backpacker style. sawasdee GH is newer, a bit of an upgrade, not so well located. Phong wichit hotel has even more choice, TV, air con, and there are a few more. i think Nong Khai is a cool place, with plenty of river activities (ie. monks sleeping by a tree), and the odd elephant once in a while.

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

Cheers pattaya127

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

 

 

Guess opinions vary.

 

 

 

I just returned from Nong Khai a few days ago, and did not like it at all. Also spend a day/night there before crossing into Laos, but found that there was nothing to do in Nong Khai. We did check out the market, but found it selling pretty much the same stuff as every other market in Thailand.

 

 

 

Also the hotel we stayed at, Pavanee, sucked. It was clean enough, but the owners seemed to be into advertising just a little too much. Every square inch of the hotel walls, and that includes all the guest rooms, was covered with ads, diplomas, pictures of the services they offer. It really annoyed the hell out of me.

 

I for one, will never stay at this place again.

 

 

 

Sanuk!

 

 

[lopburi3]

Nong Khai is one of the first towns/cities outside of Bangkok with a great deal of local wealth (from the many drug stores selling to visitors from Laos as one reason). As such it impresses most visitors (or at least did in the past). A clean town that showed some planning. A few years ago some reporter wrote it up as one of the retirement havens of the world. His logic did not make sense to me but I suspect the motivation was cash. Believe a traveler would be better served to stay in Udorn Thani for a good choice of hotels/transpotation.

[pattaya127]

About the market, you can indeed find most of the same stuff in Thailand, but i've seen these things inflated to 4 times the price seen in Nong Khai. I know because i used to buy a lot of silver there, and comparing it with Chiang mai and BKK prices. As far as enjoying Nong Khai, let's admit that in Thailand, a lot of these riverine places can be appreciated by the slow rythm of life, not the amount of things to do. And if you stayed only one day, it is hard not to rely on 2 or 3 wrong impressions gathered in town. Little pleasures are often lived by wandering off, or seeing the quiet life along the river banks. laos is a lot like that too. did you visit Wat Khaek, and talk to the son of the late Phra Luang Po Surirat? Interesting father and son, from LA, who is now attending to the sculpture garden. More of a Dysneyland now, but what to expect from a LA guy? One other thing, I do not think i can judge myself a city, if i cannot have a few days in it to wander off with my own transportation. Even a bicycle makes a big difference.