December 12, 2016
Day off in Nong Khai
Happy Constitution Day, Thailand!
I slept better last night than I have for quite a while. I had turned off my alarm, but still woke up early. I go to bed early, and have been getting up for early departures, so I guess old habits are hard to break.
I had the hotel breakfast. It wasn't included in my room rate, so I paid out of pocket. I hadn't booked it since Agoda does seem to have trouble recognizing one person, and would have charged me for 2 breakfasts. The breakfast was jok, the Thai rice porridge, with toast and coffee. There was something called jam, but it was made from bean paste. I'll admit that this was my first experience with jok. I was early for breakfast, so there was no one else to watch and learn from, so I just did what seemed right. I took some of the rice, poured a little bit of the pork soup over it, and sprinkled it with the dried onions, scallions, and other green things. It was pretty good! While I was eating I looked it up on line. It sounded like I should try adding vinegar, so I did, and it made it even better. I think I'm a convert.
I planned a trip to the Buddha Park, also called Sala Keoku, about 5 km out of town. While looking it up online, Google maps told me it opened at 8, but the hours might be impacted by today's national holiday, Constitution Day. I asked at the hotel desk, using Google translate, and was assured the park was open. The holiday commemorates Thailand's adoption of a constitution in 1932. This year's constitutional referendum doesn't seem to have impacted the holiday.
I rode my bike out to the park, after a couple of false starts. First I left my gloves in my room, and when I went back for them I left my phone. This only happens when I have stairs to the 4th floor! Once I had my act together, it was a short ride to the park. I had a little trouble finding the entrance behind all of the souvenir vendors. I parked my bike by a shed, paid my 20 baht for admission, and wandered around with my jaw dropped. It's an amazing place. It's modern, as construction started in the 1970's, is a mixture of Buddhist and Hindu symbology, and is really the vision of just one man, Sulilat, a bit of a cult figure, whose remains are actually in a building on site. It was started on the Lao side of the river, and was moved to the Thai side when the communists were in charge. I didn't visit the park on the Lao side.
I took a lot of pictures. Here are just a few.
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I went back to my hotel, and took all of my clothes to the washing machine down the street, and washed them. My hand washing had not been doing too well against all of the dirt and dust on the Lao and Thai roads, and I'm happy that they are now a bit cleaner.
Next on the agenda was some relaxation with iced coffee and banana pie by the river. I walked down to the German Bakery, was a little disappointed with the atmosphere and selection of pastries, and went to the Mut Mee guest house instead. They have a nice patio on the river, and I relaxed there for quite a while. I also took advantage of the fact that the owner speaks English, and asked about drinking water. I haven't seen any of the reverse osmosis machines in Nong Khai, and have been wondering if there are any and whether I'll find any as I travel down the river. It turns out that there are machines here, but they're on the way out of town, not in the center where the tourists visit. And as for the smaller towns down the river, I'll have to see when I'm there.
By the way, I'm very happy with my hotel, the Muang Klang. Not only is the rate very reasonable, but it's in a great location with access to the river and the market, and it's clean. My room was cleaned for my second night here, with fresh towels, and even the floor was mopped. The bathroom has the usual Thai arrangement with on demand hot water for the shower, and its really hot, and the shower not separated from the rest of the bathroom, but it seems to dry quickly. The AC works great. The staff are friendly and try to be helpful despite not having any English. They are fluent in Google translate.
I'm planning a sunset cruise on the river and dinner, and will hit the road, following the river, tomorrow.
Update:
The sunset cruise was a bust. It was scheduled for 5:00 pm. I was there promptly at 5, as were a handful of other people. Most were eating. I was given a menu and told to order a drink, which I did, but then the menu was taken away. Another solo woman came on, and went through the same thing. Maybe they've figured out that solo women, or maybe solo travelers, don't eat. Just as well, it was really expensive and the menu didn't appeal to me. The sun set, but it wasn't dark yet. A group of 12 people, Thai, I think, came onto the boat about 5:30 and ordered food. The food is prepared at a restaurant which is on another boat. We have to wait for their food. It's getting darker. I'm impatient and getting hungry, and the one hour cruise is nearly one hour behind schedule. I pay for my drink and leave.
It's a nearly full moon. The last full moon was during the meditation retreat. What a different experience!
Today's ride: 10 km (6 miles)
Total: 1,416 km (879 miles)
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