20 August 2008 - Udonthani

Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Udonthani

Udonthani is the provincial capital of Udonthani Province. There are about 140,000 people living in Udonthani.

Udonthani is one of the larger cities in NE Thailand in the region called Isaan. The city is located 40 km (25 miles) south of the border with Laos. To get to Laos you have to cross the Mekong River. There is now a Friendship Bridge over the river between the two countries so travel is not difficult.

The roads around Udonthani are excellent - 4 to 6 lane concrete pavement. These roads are only different from American superhighways in that in many locations the medians have sculpted small trees in them. As is the case anywhere in Thailand, the vehicles that use the main highway are much more varied than in the USA. I have seen cars, pickup trucks, bicycles, motor bikes, motorcycles, buses, somlaws, as well as farm equipment using the roads. I have yet to see an elephant but I think it is only a matter of time.

Two years ago when I was in Bangkok I heard a radio traffic report of blocked traffic due to an elephant sitting down in the middle of a main road. In Pattaya I often saw elephants walking along the side of the road.

In the 60's and 70's Udonthani was a large American air base in support of the war in Vietnam. We refer to the war as the "Vietnam War" but in Vietnam it is known as the "American War". The American base was turned over to the Thais and now is a Thai Air Force base with a part of it serving as the Udonthani International Airport.

The airport is convenient and small. It has two swing gates with many flights using roll up ramps. This is not bad considering that the international airport in Hanoi has 4 gates.

Udonthani has many schools, universities, and colleges. Many of the youths from surrounding countryside live in Udonthani to attend high school. Because of the distances between their home villages and the lack of high schools in their area, they rent/share rooms in Udonthani to attend school. There is a nursing school, technical university, and an Agricultural University.

All students wear uniforms specific to their school which makes for colorful street scenes in the morning, at lunch, and at completion of the school day. Since many of the of the older students also attend after-school classes for computers, or language there is an ongoing parade of neat and clean young people throughout the day.

I am currently renting a room in the NW section of central Udonthani. The facility is on a narrow street that connects two of the main city streets. The facility is very quiet and clean. The rent is $320 a month with water and electricity running about another $35 a month. ADSL and TV are included with fresh towels everyday and maid service once a week. The street is filled with accommodations for students.
Within walking distance of our room is the Provincial Police Headquarters, 2 elementary schools, a girl's high school, post office, technical college, National Park Headquarters, Provincial Attorney General's Office, Provincial Central Prison, Provincial Museum, and market.

Because most Thais do not eat at home and the high concentration of young people in our area, there are many restaurants as well as push carts to purchase meals.

One of our favorite places to eat is a push cart at the end of our street. They set up on the sidewalk for dinner. Along with their push cart for preparing and cooking the food, there are 4 small steel folding tables and 16 plastic stools. A burlap sack is placed over the drainage grating in the sidewalk. I believe that the purpose of the grating covering is to reduce odors rather than eliminate rats because I did see a rat pop out of the drain one night! Last night with the threat of rain, the proprietors set up two of the tables underneath the overhang of the bookstore in front of their location. They flipped up the plastic tablecloths of the other two tables for protection from the rain. Each table has a pitcher of drinking water, a roll of toilet paper in a plastic dispenser, and a carry-all of sugar, ground chili, chili oil, and fish oil. Metal cups with ice and a straw are brought to you when you order. The menu is limited and not printed. You just walk up to the cart and see what meat there is hanging inside of the non-refrigerated glass cabinet. You then decide if you want rice or noodles. Last night, as typical, I had rice with pork and Duang had rice with duck. In addition to the rice and meat, you also get some sliced cucumbers, a bowl of broth and some cooked vegetable (kale). We always drink ice water. The bill, no tip required, for both of us is 70 Baht ($2.00). The food is delicious and nutritious.

Another one of our favorites is on the opposite side of the street corner. This place is a little more formal. It has 5 tables with associated plastic stools. The establishment also has an indoor component. Opposite the sidewalk tables there is an open sided cement block single story building. This is where the proprietors live. In the front part of the room where they have their TV and lounge chair, they have 4 tables and stools for indoor dining. The push cart for food preparation and cooking is placed across the opening to restrict access to the indoor area. At this restaurant we eat a meat soup called mohkatahr. The bill for two is again $2.00 USD.
Saturday nights, we usually go to a German-Thai restaurant in the adult entertainment area. The western restaurants, western bars, short time hotels and entertainment venues are located on one short street near the Railroad Station and Night Market.

Unlike Pattaya and Bangkok's sex orientated entertainment venues, Udonthani's offerings are limited and much less obvious. We are out of the area by 7:00 PM so other than some "hellos" and "hello handsome man" from the bar girls and Kathoeys (Lady Boys), I unable to provide any further info on the goings on there.
Life here is calm and relaxing. Some expats complain about many things here but I suspect that they are the type of people that would find something to complain about anywhere.

I hope and will strive to not become someone like that.

If you are unhappy, I believe that you have only one person to blame.
As I wrote with my avatar - "So often we live our lives in chains, not knowing that we have the keys to set ourselves free" Already Gone by the Eagles.