Nong Khai, Thailand

Assalamualaikum wbt,

Last June I had the opportunity to visit Nong Khai, Alhamdulillah. So, here's the story..

Where is Nong Khai?

Nong Khai is actually located in Thailand-Laos border. 

How do I get there?

I took the bus from Vientiane, Laos. The bus cost me 55Baht (translated from Lao Kip to Thai Baht) and the journey took me around 1 hour. The bus is quite comfortable, with cushion seat and air-conditioner. From Vientianne bus station through "Friendship Bridge" of the Lao-Thai until Nong Khai central bus station. 

Why Nong Khai?

I was an exchange student in Thailand for four months, and Alhamdulillah, what a wonderful experience I had. Since I was already in Laos, I thought, hey why not visit Thai for a cup of 7E "Chai yen" (milk tea). Oh yes, the milk tea was addictive, even after 2 years I left Thailand! 

Where do I stay?

Once I get down from the bus, taxi/tuk-tuk drivers approached me and offer their best rate to get me where I want to go. You could google where is the best place to stay in Nong Khai, there are so many of them. However, I choosed Mut Mee Guesthouse. Oh, the place was so relaxing. Its located by the Mekong riverbank, where u can watch the sun sets and rise. From the "lobby" you can also see Vientiane. The rate is quite cheap, around 300Baht per night, which I think is affordable for backpackers (minus air-cond, hot water and breakfast in bed, but really, that is not the most important thing..) Click on the link to have a view of the guesthouse :) The friendly staff at Mut Mee will also give you a map of Nong Khai and the interesting places around. 

How to get around?

Well, outside the guesthouse, by the main road, there is a man..by the name of..whom I have forgotten..anyway! there are a lot of bicycle/motorcycle rent shop/stall around, average charger per day is 100Baht-200Baht. In Mut Mee guesthouse, there are also free bike for the guest. I opt for motorcycle because its easier to access to the other parts of Nong Khai, other than the town. Usually the document needed are copy of passport, however I use my Thai student card, to avoid anything happen to my precious passport.

Where to eat?

Praise to Allah, I was never starved when I was in Thailand. There are a few Halal food in the 7E itself, usually the instant food by CP Food, such as chicken meat, friend rice, burger. Be aware to the HALAL sign on the packaging. May Allah guide us always. 

Other than that, there is one big Tesco Lotus here, so, take a tuk-tuk, if you have a motorcycle, just ask for the direction and find your halal food.

There is one more halal restaurant, which is Mariam Restaurant. Operated by Pakistani man (Also the Muslim leader committee here) with his Thai wife, they served local food (rice, halal meat and vegetarian food). They are very friendly and they can speak malay. If you are from Malaysia, I highly recommend their fried rice. I absolutely love it! its not in the menu, but you can order it. Besides that, during breakfast time, I recommended the various "Roti" that they have..

p/s: Forgot the street name, print this picture and show it to your tuk-tuk driver if you wish to find it. 

There are a few coffee shops, if you like to relax in the evening, just watching people in Nong Khai going through their normal life.. as a girl, well, of course I will choose this coffee shop..

yes, there are other coffee shop around if you dont fancy pink color ^^

What to do?

Unlike the busy city like Bangkok, Nong Khai offer peacefulness, relaxation and a transit between all the hectic things that are happening in our daily life. Honestly, I really enjoyed Nong Khai. I feel refreshed just by walking around town, enjoying the evening breeze, smell of small coffee shop, sun light that touches my skin, the voice of kids going back from school..oh I miss all that!

I also visited the underwater aquarium in Khon Khaen university, its quite far from town. However, it is accessible by taxi/tuk-tuk. I'm not sure about the rate, again, I recommend motorcycle, easier for us to travel around. Its quite easy to get there, once you get into the main road, there are many signboards that shows the direction tothe place. When you get to the main gate of the university, go straight and turn left, if you are unsure, asked the security guard. InsyaAllah, they are very helpful. The aquarium entrance fee is around 60Baht (if I am not mistaken) and they have fresh water fish, mainly can be found in Mekong river including the giant catfish and other amazing species. Very worth it and highly recommended! 

Other interesting place is the Buddha Park/Salakaeku. Salakaeku is a park featuring giant concrete sculptures inspired by Buddhism. Its not wrong to visit the park and learn about the sculptures as it all have different meaning. However, I only understand some of them because Mut Mee guesthouse give me a brochure about it. Wish I had a local tourist guide who can translate the meaning of all the sculptures. 

There is a bookshop named Hornbill Bookshop located inside Mut Mee guesthouse, it has a lot of interesting books and postcards for the bookworms.                                                                                                  

^^

Last but not least, the Taa Sadej Market. It has almost everything, clothes, souvenirs, food, electronics etc. Its is located near the riverbank, nearby is many guesthouses and restaurant. Its a daytime market only.

..

I stayed in Nong Khai for 2 days and 1 night. It was very relaxing and I enjoyed every bit of it. Alhamdulillah.

p/s: There are a few foreign bank in Nong Khai, advisable to look it up and activate your bank international card. Who knows you can use it here.

*not bad eh for my first post?* *sweating due to nervousness*