Chapter 1: Udon Thani, the capital of upper Isan

Hello everyone, this time after returning from Nan and Phuket, this time I will review Udon Thani, which has a lot of reviews on Pantip. I'm no different from other people. Simply put, it's the same, isn't it? But this is my first time going to Udon, so I would like to review it as well. Therefore, I would like to leave my first review of my trip to Isan.

Review 1 @NAN....Slow Slow at Nan Nakhon Airport@ http://pantip.com/topic/33660023

Review 2 @Nan Slowly Slowly _Spinning Slowly Slowly @TravelingNorthAlone http://pantip.com/topic/33584828

This will be my first review of cycling in Nan city and some parts of Phu Phiang district. If you want to see the full pictures, you can follow them at

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Let's get started before I forget. This trip was to Udon Thani. At first, I planned to go to Udon Thani only. Then, Laos came along, and then Nong Khai got involved. It's starting to get crowded. This trip can be considered a visit to the upper Northeast. If you talk about the provinces in the Northeast, I hardly ever, no, I've never been to any of them except Korat and Ubon Ratchathani (for work). As for the date I went to Udon, it was June 20-22, 2015. Before that, storms hit Bangkok and other provinces. I was really nervous. Let's go to Udon. Get your passport ready. Look up at the sky. Okay, the sky is clear, which means the sun is ready (very much).

What a coincidence! When I went to Nan, I got GATE 46. When I went to Udon Thani, I got the same gate but with a different airline (depending on the promotion and price of the ticket).

Get ready to travel to Udon Thani, the northern part of Isan, with Singto!

As I was sitting on the plane, I was reading a magazine to pass the time. The magazine was LION AIR June 2015, and the cover was Singapore. I was excited because I thought that if an airline doesn't have a route to a particular place, it wouldn't put a place where the plane doesn't land on the cover, right? But the cover was Singapore, which means that Lion Air is going to open a route there. The latest route they opened was Ubon Ratchathani, so Singapore is coming soon. (Just a little off topic.)

Upon arriving at Udon Thani International Airport, we decided to take a taxi to our accommodation due to time constraints.

After packing up, we took a short break before heading to Udon Thani city for lunch. Since we were in Udon Thani, we decided to take a ride on the "Skylab" bus. But before we left, a friend who lives in Udon Thani called and told us to go eat at Som Tam Jae Kai's restaurant. He said it was delicious. Well, I couldn't say no. Plus, I was craving papaya salad and grilled chicken, so it was perfect timing.

Riding the Skylab and taking pictures, it's a lot of fun. The sun is burning hot, that's all, sir.

This picture is called "Swinging your feet to find the sun". I'm hungry for chicken. When will we get to Sister Kai's shop? Let's eat at Sister Kai's papaya salad shop right away. What are we waiting for? 5555 The price is reasonable, around 30, 40, 50, 60 baht (did I list too many?). But the portions are huge. For people from Bangkok who go to eat, compared to the price and the amount, I think it's more than worth it. Pass it onnnn.

The picture above shows the Udon Thani Municipality's bicycle sharing program, called UDON BIKE SHARE. These bicycles are parked at important locations throughout Udon Thani city. As someone who enjoys cycling around the city, I would like to say that it is a pity that these bicycles are only available to Udon Thani residents. Tourists cannot use them because they have to pay an annual fee of 320 baht, which includes accident insurance and a card. This is a great deal for Udon Thani residents, but I would like the municipality to also provide bicycles for tourists. This would be a great way to promote tourism in Udon Thani. I would love to see low-carbon tourism in Udon Thani. It's a shame that this isn't possible right now. 555

Upon arriving in Udon Thani, I paid respects at the city pillar shrine. Oops! I forgot to do the same in Nan. (My bad!) The picture below shows a beautiful contrast with the sunlight.

The picture shows the location of the Udon Thani City Pillar Shrine. The surrounding area is the administrative center of Udon Thani City.

Later, we went to the Pu Ya Shrine (near Thung Si Muang) because we had never been to Udon Thani before. When we arrived, we thought it was the Pu Ya Shrine, but we were surprised that we couldn't see the Pu Ya statues. We raised our hands to pay our respects even though there were no statues (I apologize if I used the wrong word). We were surprised and wondered why the Thai-Chinese Cultural Center was not next to the Pu Ya Shrine as we were told. We only saw the TAT office. So we had to ask an uncle who was riding a motorcycle. We waved to him and asked, "Uncle, is this the Pu Ya Shrine? Where is the Cultural Center?" The uncle said, "No, this is not the right place. You have to go to the railway near Udon Town." After hearing that, our faces turned pale for a moment. We realized that we were at Nong Prajak, while Udon Town was on the other side. Never mind, we'll go to Nong Prajak first. After that, we thanked the uncle. A while later, the uncle came back to us on his motorcycle and suggested that if we went to the Skylab, the Cultural Center would be very beautiful in the evening. We thanked the uncle very much. Udon people are really lovely.

Walk past the TAT office to Nong Prajak, a famous landmark in Udon Thani.

After passing Udon Thani Provincial Hall, I walked straight ahead and finally saw a distant view. I have arrived at Nong Prajak!

It might be a bit early at 3pm, the sun is blazing. But the sun can't stop us from sightseeing, so let's go see the highlight, the ducks, first.

Standing in the sun to take pictures, the back is also facing the sun, the head is also facing the sun, and the feet are also facing the hot ground.

Then I walked to Nong Prajak Park and took a picture of the Nong Prajak letters (but I took it from the back).

Walking to Nong Ya, soft and soft, admiring the pigeons of Udon Thani. It's another kind of fun. But as I said, if I come to visit, I have to ride a bike. Otherwise, it's not my concept. I'll ride around Nong Prajak, even though I'm not riding around Udon Thani.

So we walked to the bike rental shop. It was a mama-san style shop. The rental fee was 20 baht per hour, which wasn't expensive, right? Right?

I got my bike and went for a ride around Nong Prajak. At first I thought it was small, but when I got there, oh my god, the steak barbecue was huge! It was perfect for working up a sweat after going to Jeh Kai's restaurant.

This is a sign for Nong Prajak Public Park. Let's take a leisurely bike ride and enjoy the beauty of the park.

Let's cycle across the suspension bridge instead. It's beautiful. 555

Cycling around Nong Prajak Park, I was sweating profusely, haha. But what you see is that Udon Thani people love their health very much. The path around Nong Prajak Park is clearly divided into a running lane and a bicycle lane. As I said, if Udon Thani can cover the entire area of Muang district around the municipality and tourist attractions, it would be great.
As I said, I also like cycling. After seeing this picture again after going to Nan, I saw cycling with friends and family like the picture above. There will be 2-seat and 3-seat bicycles, which can strengthen the love in the family. It's very cute, haha.
After cycling around Nong Prajak Park, we walked to the Provincial Hall. There was a walking street just in time, hehe. It turned out that I didn't buy anything, just bought water to drink because the sun was too strong and I had just sweated after cycling. After walking, we will go to worship the grandfather and grandmother's shrine and visit Chinatown. Real Chinatown.
Please stay tuned for the next episode. The first day is not over yet (I'm sorry, I might have written it confusingly). Let's continue after a short break. After walking on the walking street, we will go to the grandfather and grandmother's shrine and the Thai-Chinese Cultural Center, which is near another landmark of Udon Thani, UD TOWN.

The above picture is of the Thai-Chinese Cultural Center in Udon Thani. It is expected to be another interesting tourist attraction in Udon Thani. Plus, it's not far from UD Town. And most importantly, it's recommended to go in the late afternoon. It will be very beautiful, like you've been transported to China!

Upon arrival, I took a moment to calm my mind and heart as the atmosphere inside was quiet. I then went to feed the koi fish, which were of the emperor breed. There were a lot of them, and some even jumped out of the water. I wonder if they think they're dolphins.

What is the atmosphere like around the Thai-Chinese Cultural Center? Is it beautiful and peaceful? After feeding the fish, I went inside to have a look (which is free, by the way).

Let me tell you a little bit about the history of the Thai-Chinese Cultural Center in Udon Thani. It was built to be a center for the preservation of art, culture, and the way of life of our ancestors, including the Chinese-Thai people in Udon Thani. Inside, it is divided into different zones. For example,

The upper floor zone (called the Museum of Virtue) tells the story of the Chinese-Thai people in Udon.

The upper part tells the story of the Moon Festival, while the lower part introduces the history of Confucius, who is well-known to many.

The ground floor houses the history, bas-relief sculptures, and various teachings of Confucius.

After visiting the historical site, we walked to the shrine of the grandparents (this time I'm sure because they are really next to each other). I'm so embarrassed.

Along the way, the buildings and architecture will be Chinese style. With the willow trees, I want to wear a Bao Qingtian suit and walk around stroking my beard. Then I suddenly nodded. 555

The picture above shows a person walking out of the Thai-Chinese Cultural Center, crossing the street to the other side, and looking back. It looks very Chinese. Then, they continue across the bridge to the shrine of the grandparents.

Along the way, we also captured some images to share with you.

How's the atmosphere? Tell me, haha. As the evening approached, the lights from the red lanterns and the setting sun created a beautiful contrast. Then we arrived at the shrine of the grandparents, where there are a total of 6 points to worship.
After worshipping at all 6 points, we walked to the center to take some photos of the red lanterns, hehe.
After taking photos, we sat still and breathed in the fresh air and light before heading to UD TOWN and Preecha Market.
I'll be back later, but I probably won't review UD TOWN and Preecha Market much because there are already a lot of reviews in the threads. Back to the story, after that, we walked around UD TOWN. I had only seen it in pictures and reviews, so I wanted to see it for myself. Right?

Stroll around, browse the shops, soak up the atmosphere, and then head over to Udon Thani's Central Point.

The atmosphere inside the Udon Thani Center Point is similar to the shops under the Lido cinema in Bangkok. From there, I went for a walk at Central Udon Thani. No matter which province I visit, besides going to tourist attractions and restaurants, I also visit shopping malls. When I visit shopping malls, I'm curious to see how their design differs from other places. In other words, I'm interested in the architectural design. Hehe.

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