On the road to Isaan - Buriram 55km, Surin 98km
I had long wanted to visit Buriram and see the Khmer ruins at Phanom Rung. I finally had the chance to go there last week.
Getting there involved quite a long trip from Surat Thani. First we took and overnight train to Bangkok and then spent half a day travelling by bus to Nang Rong in Buriram Province.
Arriving in Nang Rong we had a late lunch of some of Isaan's most popular and famous dishes - sticky rice, grilled chicken, fried beef and som tum (green papaya salad).
Some typical northeastern food
Nang Rong was a bit different to what I expected. The images of Isaan in my mind were of a hot and dusty place; villages with dirt roads and chickens and pigs running around everywhere. However, Nang Rong seemed surprisingly modern and prosperous. Also being at the tail end of the rainy season everything was green and lush.
We stayed at the Honey Inn which was a very comfortable and welcoming place. The afternoon was spent exploring the town and in the evening we enjoyed a delicious meal. We ate a Korean style BBQ which is popular throughout Thailand. YOu cook the meal yourself on the charcoal fired BBQ in the middle of the table. Like food everywhere in Thailand it is also cheap. A huge meal cost about 100 baht (US$2.50) for two people.
Korean style BBQ
Na enjoys her meal
The next morning we got up early and rode a motorbike out to Phanom Rung. The Khmer ruins are 1,000 years old. This was once an outpost of the Khmer Empire that was centred at Angkor Wat in Cambodia. The ruins are built a top of an extinct volcano which rises out of the surrounding plains.
Phanom Rung rises above the plains
Ancient Khmer ruins of Phanom Rung
Nearby Phanom Rung is another Khmer ruin, Muang Tam. While it lacks the spectacular location it is in every respect equal to Phanom Rung in terms of its beauty.
Khmer ruins of Muang Tam
The L-shaped ponds that surround the ruins create a perfect setting.
The ruins are beautifully reflected in the surrounding ponds
Stone carving at Muang Tam
Next we moved on to the provincial capital of Buriram. Unfortunately as we arrived it started raining and rained for much of the day and night curtailing any chances of fully experiencing all Buriram had to offer. In the evening we went to the Tawandang Brewery, a giant beer hall modelled on the place of the same name in Bangkok. Compared to the one in Bangkok it seemed a bit empty without enough customers to fill the cavernous interior.
The next day Na set off on the long trip back to Surat Thani while I moved on to the nearby city of Surin. Surin is famous for its elephants. I went to visit the village of Ban Taklang. The village is home to many elephants however I only saw a few while I was there. Many of the mahouts take their elephants walking around Thailand where they can make money by charging people ten or twenty baht to feed the elephant some bananas or sugar cane. You can often see elephants on the streets in the cities of Thailand, even in Bangkok! It is only in November, when the annual elephant round up is held that most of the elephants return to this village.
Road sign in Ban Taklang, Surin
A tusker in Ban Taklang
Although I didn't see many elephants, the trip to Ban Taklang gave me a glimpse of typical rural life in Isaan. The small villages, wooden houses and rice fields were more like the Isaan that I had imagined.
Surin had a bustling night market selling a variety of food. One popular snack that can be found in many markets are fried insects. They might sound disgusting but they are actually quite tasty.
Insects are a popular Isaan snack
I left Surin on an early morning train to Khorat. The train ride provided me with some interesting last glimpses of Isaan life before I moved on to the next stage of my journey.
