Udon Thani - Well Worth a Visit

I haven’t visited for years. I remember my first visit where I noticed that not only did the city have a large number of massage parlors, but also a large number of folk music bars.

Back then, there were still quite many ageing Americans in Udon (and in surrounding provinces), but their numbers had been trending down for years. Consequently, the U. S. consulate in Udon had recently been closed, so the “guide” during my first visit was a “fixer” living in Nong Khai. A veteran from the Vietnam war that had lived in Isan for many years and was very well connected. He helped “fix” my first entry into Laos, but before that, we took a drive around Udon and Nong Khai that included a visit to the restaurant of a another vet – supposedly this was Isan’s best steak house.

Nong Prachat Park, Udon City

Anyway, today Udon looks much the same although there are fewer Americans and more activities (including folk music bars) have moved out along the ring road. At the city center, Nong Prachat Park is a nice place to relax. It is a swamp that has been converted into a lake with a small island. There are jogging and bicycle tracks running for roughly two kilometers around the shore of the lake.

The city has, of course, also a couple of must visit Buddhist shrines.

Standing Guard