On the 3d and final leg of my journey through Loei province, I stopped in the small town of Pak Chom. Situated on the Mekong River about 1 1/2 hours east of Chiang Khan, Pak Chom was a rather pleasant city, but lacked the charm and the tourist infrastructure of Chiang Khan. The cute gift shops, boutiques and trendy coffee shops that were so abundant in Chiang Khan were nonexistent in Pak Chom. Furthermore, Pak Chom, with a population of about 50,000, was a considerably larger town than Chiang Khan – it even had its own hospital.

Tourist friendly accommodations are relatively scarce in Pak Chom - there are just a handful of small bungalow style motels, most of them located just off the highway and close to the river. Most travelers stay in Pak Chom for only night before they move on to their destination. From what I have read, a lot of bikers will often overnight in this small city.

I stayed at Ruenrat Resort, a place I found listed in the Internet. A small family run motel, Ruenrat Resort was located about 1 mile from town. The owners were very friendly and tried to make my stay as comfortable as possible. During the days, I kept myself occupied by bicycling around town and along the Mekong River.

Looking back, I enjoyed my brief four-day stay in Pak Chom – it gave me an opportunity to be away from my fellow tourists – both farang and Thai – and experience a part of Thailand that few visitors are able to.

My exploration of Loei province started in the small mountain hamlet of Phu Ruea. From there, I proceeded to Chiang Khan, a sleepy town situated on the banks of the Mekong River. Chiang Khan has loads of ambiance with its many old wooden buildings, teak houses and Laotian-Thai style temples.

There is a special aura about this town – sort of reminds of old town Xingping in China - as it captures the essence of Thailand of days gone by. As evidenced by the popularity of Chiang Khan with Thai tourists – mostly from Bangkok - it is fast becoming “the hippest” tourist town in Northern Thailand.

Chiang Khan has often been compared to Pai, a small tourist mecca located in the mountains of Mae Hong Son Province. The difference is that Pai caters primarily to a young Western tourist crowd, many of whom are backpackers on the cheap; while Chiang Khan feels like ‘Thailand’, and for now, the tourists are predominantly Thai.

Walking along the main drag, which runs parallel to the Mekong River, I observed numerous guesthouses, chic boutiques and cafes - many of them housed in old wooden and teak buildings. In particular, there are numerous small coffee shops in the tourist zone. Thai people – especially young Thai people - just love to hang out at coffee ships.

Many camera toting tourists (and HiSo Thai girls) from Bangkok paraded down the streets, taking pictures of the old houses and shopping at one of the many cute gift shops. Fortunately, I did not see any Starbucks or KFC outlets. From what I could see, the bar scene has not yet contaminated Chiang Khan – so the town is fairly quiet at night.

There is an abundance of small guesthouses, hostels and homestays- many of them with just a handful of rooms. The room rates in general run from 250 baht – 900 baht or higher depending on the location of the hostel and the size of the rooms. The riverfront hostels command a higher price than those hostels that are 3-4 blocks away.

Unfortunately my visit to Chiang Khan coincided with one of the most popular holiday weekends of the year – the King’s Birthday, a national holiday. As a result, the town was booked solid and I was only able to get a small closet of a room in a guesthouse located about ¼ mile from the main drag, albeit for only one night. Due to the unavailability of rooms, I was forced to relocate to another town/village along the Mekong River for the remainder of my stay in Loei Province. Next - the Adventure continues in Pak Chom….

Chiang Khan is located about 50 kilometers north of the city of Loei. By songtaew, the trip takes about one hour.

On my most recent trip to Thailand, I explored Loei Province. Located in northeastern Thailand, Loei is relatively unknown to most western tourists (farangs) - definitely off the beaten path.

Bordered by the provinces of Udon Thani to the east, Phitsanulok to the west and Petchabun to the south, Loei is considered one of the most mountainous provinces of Thailand. It also has the reputation of having the coolest climate as well. The Mekong River flanks Loei province on its northern perimeter; across the river is the country of Laos.

Whenever I travel, I make a conscious effort to stay away from the most popular mainstream tourist places - Loei was my kind of place. During my eight days there, I visited three different places 1) Phu Ruea, a small mountain resort at about 4000 feet above sea level 2) Chiang Khan, a small and popular resort town situated on the banks of the Mekong River 3) Pak Chom, another small town on the Mekong River but a world apart from the somewhat touristy Chiang Khan.

First let’s take a look at Phu Ruea
This small mountain resort (and village) is located about 1 hour by bus from the city of Loei. Phi Ruea has many lodges and small resorts – most of them are located just off the highway. The nearby national park has many hiking trails and wonderful vistas.

Near the Phu Ruea summit – about 8 miles or so from the Park entrance and the highway - there is a large camping ground, which is especially popular with the younger crowd (35 or less). Thai campers traditionally travel in small groups by minibus, staying for one night at Phu Ruea before continuing to the next National Park in the circuit, usually Phu Kradung. On weekends and holidays, the campground is throbbing with activity.

During the early morning hours, most of the campers as well other travelers in the area congregate at the nearby Phu Ruea Peak, hoping to catch the sunrise. At the lookout point, there is a very distinctive gold Buddha surrounded by a white canopy

On the morning that I went to the summit, I met a group a group of young (and very cute) girls. They were all bundled up like Eskimos because of the relatively chilly climate and wearing their cutesy pullover animal hats. After chatting with them, I learned that they were university students from nearby Nong Khai province. Unfortunately on that morning, a thick fog enshrouded the summit and the valley below and we couldn’t see much of anything.

See Phu Ruea Photo Album
.

Coming up: A study in contrasts – a look at Chiang Khan and Pak Chom , two Mekong River towns in Loei Province

On my last trip to Thailand, I met two uncommonly beautiful sisters while staying at Ban Sabai Sabai, a small guesthouse situated in the village of Nong Bua. Located just outside the popular tourist town of Kanchanaburi (of the Bridge over River Kwai fame, I found Nong Bua to be an absolutely delightful and peaceful place to stay – a great alternative to the backpacker zoo of Kanchanaburi.

Whenever I returned to the guesthouse, the two sisters – Blackie and Bear- would always greet me enthusiastically with a smile and a very soulful look in their eyes as I stroked them. Blackie and Bear are undoubtedly the sweetest pair of sisters that I have ever met in Thailand. The sisters were very good company – and I guess we really hit it off. Before I go on with my narrative, l must confess that these two sisters are not human beings but dogs, of the four-legged variety.

I must praise Stuart, their master and the proprietor of the guesthouse for doing such a wonderful job in raising them. Stuart is a quite a character in his own right. A jeweler by trade, Stuart has had quite a fascinating life. Born in Canada, he has traveled around the world and lived in so many different places – Jamaica, India, Colombia, Honduras, Brazil, Costa Rica, Europe and Thailand. A real maverick and dyed in the wool hippie, Stuart is one of a kind - sort of a cross between Johnny Depp and Keith Richards – and has so many incredibly outrageous tales to share.

As a guesthouse owner, he has done a superb job. A very congenial host, Stuart mingles with all his guests as if they were friends from the neighborhood. Beautiful tropical gardens surround the property – Stuart has put a lot of time and effort in landscaping and maintaining the gardens. The rooms are nothing fancy but they are very clean and have all the essentials - a large comfortable bed,a choice of AC or ceiling fan, TVs and an outdoor sitting area. There is also free WIFI.

See Kanchanaburi - Nong Bua photo gallery

P.S. If you happen to go to Ban Sabai Sabai, look for Blackie and Bear. They look like sisters - both have medium length black fur with white paws and chest, however Blackie is short and stout, while Bear is of average height.