NAN is a special place. After a years absence, I revisited Nan this past November. I have been to so many cities in Thailand but none can compare to Nan in terms of its natural beauty and charm. I guess you could say that I love NAN - it is by far my favorite city in Thailand.

Located in Northern Thailand in the area known as the Golden Triangle, Nan is a small city of no more than 40,000 inhabitants. Lying in a valley surrounded by mountains, not too many travelers are aware of Nan as it is still somewhat off the beaten track.

The personality of NAN is shaped by the long and winding Nan River which cuts through the valley as it flows from north to south. East of the river is Laos. Nan’s indigenous culture is very strong and deeply rooted. The city is as old as the Sukhothai Kingdom and surrounding countryside is home to various hilltribe peoples – Yao, Hmong, Khamu and the very primitive Mlabri.

As I remarked in an earlier post, Nan – with its tree lined streets, rural country roads and old wooden houses - brought back memories of Turlock, a small sleepy river town located in California’s San Joaquin Valley circa the 1950’s. Riding a bicycle around NAN, along the river or into the surrounding countryside – so lush and green - is such a pleasurable experience.

So far Nan has been spared the ravages of mass tourism, but I see signs of more tourism development. A new first class hotel – the Nan Boutique Hotel – opened up not too long ago, and from what I understand there are plans for more hotels like this in the near future. Of course, several new upscale guesthouses have also appeared on the scene in the last year.

In addition - since my visit in November 2008, at least 3-4 fairly upscale coffee shops have opened their doors for business. This is usually an indicator that tourism on the rise. Walking around town, I definitely encountered more Thai tourists (and only a handful of farangs) - most of them were from Bangkok.

While I stayed at Nan Boutique Hotel this past November, there was a tour group from Bangkok who checked in on the same day as me. They occupied most of the hotel rooms, however they stayed there for only one night, which is somewhat typical of Thai tourists.

Nan would definitely benefit from an increase in Tourism but only if the development is carefully planned and controlled so as not to disrupt the lifestyle and traditional culture of the area.

With the cessation of direct air service from Bangkok on PB Air, Nan is still difficult to get to; however there is now direct air service from Chiang Mai on SGA airlines, albeit the planes are prop-jets. Still….