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true north
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FAHTHAI
expat who has lived here for five years, adding that the mixture
of northern Thai and Laotian cultures provides a unique
flavour to Isaan. “Life here is relaxed,” he says. “I used to teach
here; now I just ride my motorbike and play the blues.”
Not all in Udon Thani sparkles, however. Isaan has long
been known as the principal source region for Thailand’s sex
workers – young, poor women who migrate south in their
thousands to Bangkok and Pattaya to work in the country’s
booming sex trade, and who will often return home years later
with a foreign husband. Despite the exodus of young women,
the industry appears to be alive and well in Udon Thani, and
draws in tourists who come to Thailand with niche experiences
in mind. Along Sampantamitr Road, better known as
soi
farang
(or “foreigners’ street”), girls prop up bars and cat-call
to passing visitors. The arcade at the northern end of the street
is packed full of bars catering for the sex tourist, and is one of
the seedier aspects of Udon Thani’s otherwise impressive recent
development record.
Various treats await those willing to venture beyond the
town limits. Nang Horn Lake is better known by the nickname
it earns between December and March each year: the sea of
red lotuses. The water’s surface becomes carpeted in a vibrant
red, and for a small fee locals will take visitors for a serene
paddle on board a wooden longboat. Thais flock from around
the country to see the site, and others nearby like Phu Phra Bat
Historical Park and the UNESCOWorld Heritage Site of Ban
Chiang, where archeologists have uncovered remains of earthen
pots dating back more than 4,000 years.
While those areas remain largely intact, back in Udon Thani
town centre, some fear for the town as development speeds
forward. The growth in the restaurant trade, with the likes of
KFC and Starbucks recently joining the fray, has squeezed some
BACKWATERS
Udon Thani's
fishermen offer
great advice...
over a cold beer!
INSET IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES
