My Retirement Dream

Udon Thani Hotels – Mesmerizing Tourists With Its Inherent Charm

The picturesque city of Udon Thani is the provincial capital of Udon Thani Province, positioned in the north-eastern part of Isaan in Thailand. Generally referred to as Udon by the local community, this busy city is a major commercial center of the province. There are some interesting temples in this city that serve as places of great interest for tourists. The province shares its borders with provinces like Nong Khai, Sakon Nakhon, Kalasin, Khon Kean, Nong Bua Lamphu, and Loei. Udon Thani is positioned some 560 km away from Bangkok city, the capital of Thailand. This city served as a US military base during 1960s and early 1970s, but was later handed over to the Thai military in 1976. The influences of that era can be seen in the stylish restaurants, cafés, bars, coffee shops and hotels of the city. At present, Udon Thani functions as the transport hub and an agricultural market center for the all its neighboring areas. Though it is not very popular, this city is a pleasant enough for a short vacation. There are many good hotels in Udon Thani to cater to accommodating the tourists.

International tourists who want to visit this city can reach here very easily by plane, bus, or by train. The newly renovated Udon Thani International Airport receives flights from most of the important cities. Also, there are regular flights available from here to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Loei. Those who want to travel by bus can reach this city from Bangkok in 8 hours. Normally, buses are available on hourly basis. Besides, there are daily trains that connect Udon Thani to Bangkok and Nong Khai. But trains are generally slower than other means of transport. For getting around the city, you can use public transportation like Samlor (three-wheeled bicycle taxi), Tuk-tuk, and Songthaews.

Udon offers some very beautiful sights and scenes. Laos and Ban Chiang are some of the good places to visit near this city. Ban Chiang is famous for its Bronze Age excavations. Ban Nakha is a village 15 km away from Udon Thani, popular for selling home woven silk and cotton garments. Pu Foi Lom Eco-Park is also located at a distance of about 40 km from this place, and serves as a good point of attraction. Besides, there are several large markets — including night markets — that can be surfed for interesting souvenirs. For the food buffs, there is a wide range of buffet restaurants and other eating joints, where you can treat yourself well.

With the advent of large numbers of tourists in Udon Thani, there has been an instant rise in the number of accommodation options being offered here. Several new hotels in Udon Thani have come up to let the tourists stay in comfort. Charoensri Grand Royal, Ban Chiang, and Charoen Hotels are some of the popular and comfortable hotels in this city. Amongst other areas, Mak Kang is the place in the city where most of the hotels are placed. To book a hotel in Udon Thani, you can take the help of an online internet reservation facility. You can either directly visit the official website of the hotel for booking, or can use the help of any other authentic website that offers complete information.

Log on to Asiarooms.com for all other details on Udon Thani Hotels and to get a complete guide on Udon Thani. Don’t waste time now! Reserve your hotel and get the best deal with Asiarooms.

“Chiang Mai and Pai, Thailand” Texmarq’s photos around Chiang Mai, Thailand

Uploaded by TripAdvisorTRIPWOW4 on Feb 24, 2011

Preview of Texmarq’s blog at TravelPod. Read the full blog here: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texmarq/se_asia_2004/1102409460/…

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Entry from: Chiang Mai, Thailand
Entry Title: “Chiang Mai and Pai, Thailand”

Entry:

“I decided one day in Vientiane was enough and thought I would see if northern Thailand was more interesting.

I caught the local bus to the Friendship Bridge which is where the border crossing is between Laos and Thailand. After a few minutes of stamping papers it was a short bus ride over the bridge to the Thai border checkpoint. Again a bunch of stamping things and I was officially back in Thailand.

I walked from the immigration area into the middle of Nong Khai the town there on the border. It was a long walk and a warm day but who can’t use a little exercise once in awhile. I needed to catch a bus from Nong Khai to the town of Udon Thani where I could catch the direct bus all the way to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand.

When I found the bus station there was a bus leaving in 15 minutes for Udon Thani so I bought a ticket and was on my way. An hour later I arrived in Udon Thani unfortunately at a bus station miles from anything. Being tired after my long walk in Nong Khai I decided to just hang around the station until my 6:30 bus for Chiang Mai departed.

I thought it would be a long and terribly boring 3.5 hours waiting for the bus. I was wrong. It wasn’t long before a man rode up on a bicycle and asked how long it took the bus to get to Chiang Rai. He spoke English with a funny ascent and looked like a cross between Ernest and Billy Bob Thorton. They told him about 12 or 13 hours and he grumbled about it taking so long. He then asked about the bus to Chiang Mai and what that cost and they told him which caused him again to complain. At this point a couple of Thai men started laughing which set this guy off. He made some comment about Vietnam and dropping bombs on people. I looked over at the lady selling tickets and rolled my eyes and she smiled.

Turns out this guy was from New York and had been cycling around Thailand for the last 3 years. After awhile he settled down and got into a long conversation with the guy who claimed to own the bus company about the problems the government is having with rebels near the Malaysian border. Eventually I got involved and must say I enjoyed my conversation with the Thai man more than the goofy New Yorker.

Finally the time came and I drew the short straw and got the front seat which meant very little leg room. I had a very pleasant young man from Holland to sit next to that helped pass the time. The poor guy said he was having stomach problems which eventually caught up with him during the night. We arrived in Chiang Mai about 7am.

The Dutch guy and I shared a tuk-tuk ride into the city. The tuk-tuk driver took me to 3 different guest houses only to find them full. I told him to drop me off and I would find one on my own. It was the hardest time finding a room I have had on the whole trip. After over an hour of trudging around I finally found a room at the Rose guest house. It wasn’t the nicest I have had but it would do the job. The guy running the place was from Minnesota which made it more interesting. He felt there really was not much to see in Chiang Mai and that the best thing to do was rent a motorcycle and go out into the countryside. This where the motorcycle idea was born.

I spent the day wandering around the day market and walked out to a shopping center on the edge of the old city. I did find a supermarket in the shopping center and bought a quart of chocolate chip ice cream. During the evening I went to see the famed Night Market that I had heard so much about. I was not impressed. It seemed to be the same goods over and over again. I thought I would stay one more day in Chiang Mai before going on to Pai a small town northwest of Chiang Mai.

The next morning I went out to use the internet and found everything still closed at 8:30 which I thought rather …”

Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texmarq/se_asia_2004/1102409460/…

Photos from this trip:
1. “Artwork in temple outside Pai”
2. “Bugs for sale in Chiang Mai market”
3. “Chiang Mai strteet”
4. “Chiang Mai temple”
5. “Cooking eggs in the hot springs outside Pai”
6. “Elephant traffic outside Pai”
7. “Ladies selling handicrafts in the mountains”
8. “Moat around old city Chiang Mai, Thailand”
9. “Mountains outside Pai”
10. “My home in Pai, Thailand”
11. “My trusty Honda Dream”
12. “Rose Guest House Chiang Mai, Thailand”
13. “The big cave outside Pai”
14. “View from inside cave outside Pai”

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