From Wikitravel

Nong Khai (หนองคาย) is the provincial capital of Nong Khai Province in the north-eastern Isaan region of Thailand. The city lies on the western bank of the Mekong river, only 20 km from Vientiane, the capital of Laos.

Contents 1 Understand 2 Get in 2.1 By plane 2.2 By bus 2.3 By train 3 Get around 4 See 5 Do 6 Buy 7 Eat & Drink 8 Sleep 9 Get out

Understand

Nong Khai is a sleepy Thai town with strong Lao influences, and is home to small Chinese and Vietnamese communities as well.

Most locals speak both Thai and the local dialect called Isaan, which is closely related to both the Thai and Lao languages. Many locals speak a little bit of English, mostly tourism-related words, and are generally very friendly and helpful if you smile and are polite.

Get in

By plane

The nearest airport (on the Thai side) is in Udon Thani. There are direct shuttle buses four times a day between the airport and the Friendship Bridge.

By bus

There are departures to Udon Thani at least once per hour from the BKS station. The hour-long ride costs 20 baht in 3rd class (non-aircon).

There are several departures daily from Bangkok (~9 hours), and across the border direct from Vientiane (30 baht, one hour) via the Friendship Bridge.

A 1st class bus service connects Nong Khai directly with Suvarnabhumi Airport (the new BKK).

By train

Until the long-awaited extension to Vientiane materializes, Nong Khai is the terminus of the Thai railway line from Bangkok via Khon Kaen and Udon Thani. A first class sleeper ticket from Bangkok to Nong Khai or vice versa is currently about 1200 baht, and a second class sleeper ticket (surprisingly comfortable for the price) is about 700 baht.

Get around

The only mode of public transport in the city is by tuk-tuk. They are inexpensive (20-30 baht/person) to anywhere around the city centre. This price has gone up recently owing to the increase in gas price. Some tuk-tuk drivers will ask for much more than 20-30 baht/person, but you can generally bargain with them to reach a reasonable price. When bargaining, smile and be patient and polite.

See

Nong Khai has one sight that cannot be missed - Sala Kaew Ku (also known as Wat Khaek), located 6 km east of Nong Khai on Highway 212.

This utterly bizarre park of massive sculptures (some over 20m tall) is the handiwork of the mystic Luang Pa Bunleua Sulilat, who bought the land in 1978 when he was kicked out of his native Laos (a similar park of his earlier work remains near Vientiane). Synthesizing Buddhism, Hindu and Confucian ideologies, Buddhas, many-armed goddesses, naga snakes and all sorts of human-animal hybrids dominate the scenery. Entry 10 baht (as a donation, not obligatory). No direct public transport and you might find it a little tricky to get back, so you're best off arranging a return ride with a tuk-tuk (100 baht or so, including an hour's waiting).

Particularly noteworthy is the Wheel of Life, depicting his theory of the cycle of life; you enter via from a womb-shaped tunnel and walk the circle past statues depicting the stages.

Luang Pa's mummified remains are enshrined on the third floor of the Sala Kaew Ku pavilion itself.

Do

Nong Khai is a charming city to wander around on foot or rented bicycle (30 baht/day) and meet the friendly and helpful locals. It's also a good place from which soak up the Isaan culture of the neighbouring towns, which can easily be reached by bus from the main BoKorSor bus station in the city centre.

If you expect the usual tourist traps of Bangkok and Phuket, you will be disappointed. There are no super clubs, go-go bars and mega malls to fill your hours, this is a place to chill by the Mekong river watching pasenger and cargo boats transit between Thailand and Laos, or to finish that paperback that has been sitting in your luggage for weeks. You may also consider stocking up on travel necessities before trudging on to Laos. Many who have planned an overnight stay for transit means have ended up staying for weeks.

For those interested in Muay Thai boxing lessons on a long-term basis, go to the boxing stadium beside the Grand Hotel and enquire from ex-Muay Thai boxing national champion Arjarn Lart, a friendly local who speaks just enough English to get you by. This is the real deal so do not expect an air-conditioned gym with cushy floor mats surrounded by ceiling high mirrors.

During the months from March to May when the Mekong river level resides to its lowest, the Jomanee (Joe-Mar-Nee) 'beach' appears. Food and drink vendors readily provide mats and shade for those who patronise their stalls. An excellent spot to watch the sunset.

Buy

The recently renovated Ta Sadet market is a 2 km stretch beside the Mekong river, where one can find hand made Thai products, Chinese teas, cheap (and often low quality) electronics, clothes and a bewildering assortment of other items. It's open daily 08:00-18:00.

Eat & Drink

• Ruan Thai Coffee & Breakfast, Rim Kong Rd (near Surreal). Run by a very pleasant young Thai woman who does her best to speak English, the prices are a little high, but the food is excellent and the restaurant itself is also quite nice.

• Surreal, Rim Kong Rd (near the Ta Sadet market). A must-stop for many passing through. Surreal boasts a breathtaking view of the Mekong accompanied by the best fruit shakes, delicious cocktails and Thai snacks you can find in the Isaan region. The pool table is free to use as long as orders are made. You can also buy and sell second-hand books there.

• Dee Dee and Thai Thai on Prajak Rd, the main street in Nong Khai, are two Chinese-style diners right next to one another that serve good but relatively expensive Thai and Chinese food. They are open later than most other restaurants, sometimes until 1 a.m.

• Jose Ramone's Cantina, Thanon Takai. The best (and only) Mexican food in these parts.

• For cheaper fare, there are also many Thai food vendors along Prajak road that sell excellent food, although many sell only at night. You will have to order in Thai, so either bring a Thai friend or have a Thai friend write down what you would like to eat. Most will only serve water to drink, but some sell soda and beer.

Sleep

Budget accommodation is of good value, extensive and affordable relative to the other more popular cities of Thailand.

• Mut Mee Guesthouse, by the Mekong River. It often fills up by mid-day, but the friendly operator will help you find another place nearby, and they also take reservations. It's a nice place to drink beer by the river. Yoga & meditation classes are also available.

• Mekong Guesthouse, also by the Mekong river on the bridge side of the market has rather expensive rooms with aircon but they also have a dorm for 150 baht with hot shower and TV. Theres a good chance of being the only person in there too.

• Friendship Guesthouse, 402 Meechai Rd, next to Sawasdee G.H. near the Mekong river and only 10 minutes from the bus station by foot. A bit expensive, but one of the most beautiful and romantic places in town. A renovated dark-red wooden house set in a lush garden with beautiful double rooms for about 400 baht.

Get out

• Vientiane, the capital of Laos, is just across the Mekong. Citizens of most Western countries can get a Lao tourist visa on arrival at the Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge for 30 U.S. dollars. (You can also pay 1500 Thai baht, but this is more expensive; at the current exchange rates this is over 39 U.S. dollars.) Pick up the application form in front of the visa windows, and ask for an Lao arrival card when you hand over the completed form. There is also a 15 baht bus fee to cross the bridge, a 10 baht entrance fee to get in Laos, and on weekends and after 4 pm. there is an additional 40 baht 'after-hours' fee. You should also bring a passport sized photo of yourself, which you can buy in Nong Khai- you can usually pay an additional 40 baht if you forget to bring the picture. Beware price-gouging at the Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge - the tuk-tuk from Nong Khai to the Thai-Laos Friendship should not cost more than 50 baht per person (about 30 baht from the railway station, as it is only 2km from the border).

• Once you pass through immigration on the Lao side of the border, you'll be surrounded by a crowd of drivers and touts shouting all kinds of outrageous prices for the 30 minute trip to Vientiane, but the numbers fall rapidly as you walk further away. A few of them will lie to get your money, saying the other vehicles are dangerous, the bus is broken, and so on. If you are happy sharing a Lao-style big tuk-tuk (aka Jumbo) into Vientiane, you'll easily be able to bargain the price down to 30 or 40 baht per person. A proper taxi from the bridge to Vientiane should cost around 200 baht for a comfortable air-conditioned vehicle (not shared with others), definitely no more than 300 baht. You shouldn't pay before you board the vehicle, and ideally not until you arrive in Vientiane, to ensure the quality of the transport. There is also a big, battered local bus which charges a few thousand kip (less than a dollar), but this runs infrequently and can be hard to find.

• It is also possible to get a bus directly from the Nong Khai bus station to Vientiane. This saves money and the trouble of negotiating tuk-tuk and taxi rides from Nong Khai to the bridge and from the bridge to Vientiane, but you will need to arrange your Laos visa beforehand.

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!