A Visitors Perspective of Udon Thani - Magazine Issue 5

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A Visitors Perspective of Udon Thani
By Chris Wagg © Udonmap.com (Magazine Issue 5 Page 38 April/May 2008)

As a UK resident coming to Thailand for a holiday it may seem odd to people that I would choose to come to Udon Thani…of all places! There are no beaches, there’s no nana plaza, and no big ruins…so what pulls people like me to your little corner of the world?
I admit that for myself, at least initially, it was having a friend who lives there that originally brought me to your lovely little town. Mind you, this is also what originally brought me to Thailand as a whole. And just as that first trip made me fall in love with the country my first visit to Udon made me fall in love with the town and the region of Issan.

At face value Udon Thani appears to be what so many guidebooks describe it as. Just a pleasant little town to spend a few hours or a couple of days as you pass through on your way to or from Laos or Nong Kai. Indeed it is this, but it is also so much more as well.

As someone who values chilled out and layed back places as somewhere to spend my hard earned holiday I have to say that Issan and Udon offer me a life line that few places do. I have visited and enjoyed other parts of Thailand, such as Bangkok, Phuket and Chang Mai. These places are fun, they are great to see and I had a great time. But they weren’t what I’d call chilled. Whereas I have just returned from a visit to Thailand during which I shot across the border and visited Cambodia too. This was a lot to take on in a two week holiday but knowing that most of my second week would be spent in Udon made it much easier…as I knew once I got there I could just relax. Cambodia was amazing, but it was also full on…whereas Udon allows me to switch off. This I think is what brings many people like myself to this part of the world, an opportunity to just settle into a quiet slow, way of life…probably the same reasons that make it an appealing prospect as a place to live for many of you who have decided to settle and make it your home.

I think that another thing that many guidebooks mention, certainly even the latest rough guide is guilty of this is a lack of nightlife! This is something that amazes me. I think that for such a small town Udon has a fantastic nightlife and one that astounds and surprises this visitor in so many ways. So much choice of places to settle and have a drink and a meal, from Farang alley and places opposite the complex like Mr Tongs to places for later night drinking such as Mambo or Little Rock or Full Moon Pub. I am amazed that such a small town can support so many places and certainly I have to say that on my recent trip I was astounded that yet more ex-pat places had opened but even more astounded that it meant that all the ex-pat bars appeared to be patronised by only one or two individuals who must be single handedly keeping these places going. And killing their own livers! Lol. These places make Udon somewhere where people could easily come as a visitor and adopt a nocturnal lifestyle for a while if this was your bag. However to do this would mean that you would miss out on some of the things that I personally love about a visit to Udon. What things do I mean? Well, I am talking about getting up early and just wandering around places like the produce market or taking an early morning stroll round one of the parks like Nong Prajack Park. Watching the locals doing early morning exercises or Thai chi at the side of the lake. Having a long and relaxing early afternoon massage before taking a stroll to one of the temples around the town.

I think that my feelings are best summed up by saying that I think Udon Thani is a great destination for anyone who like myself enjoys the simple pleasures of watching Thai life going by as it has done for years. You can intersperse this with some good nights out, and these can actually get quite full on I have found…which is not said as a bad thing, as you know that the next day you can chill out by the lake while a lovely smiley Thai lady massages your feet for you at a very reasonable price. I think if you want the flashing neon sex for sale Thai experience then stick to Pattaya or Bangkok but if you want to see Thai life happening around you and experience that in a friendly pleasant environment then come to Udon Thani. I have found a good way to see Thailand has been to use Udon as a relaxing buffer between more full on parts of a break e.g. One trip I spent a couple of days in Bangkok then couple of days in Ayuthaya before coming and chilling out in Udon for a few days then flew down to Phuket for the closing few days of my break. This way Udon provided a relaxed middle part to my holiday which was great. I shall continue to come to Udon whenever I am in Thailand as I think the place now has a hold on me just as I think it has on many people who have given it a chance. See you there next year!

[trubrit]

Lived here 7 years and couldn't have put it better myself. maybe see you soon Chris.