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Watching the Mekong drift by the soporific riverside village of Chiang Khan (Click here)

Succumbing to the surreal at Sala Kaew Ku Sculpture Park (Click here) in Nong Khai

Climbing, and climbing some more, then finally relaxing in the beauty atop Phu Kradung National Park (Click here)

BEST TIME TO VISIT: NOVEMBER-FEBRUARY

POPULATION: 22 MILLION

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History

The social history of this enigmatic region stretches back at least 4000 years, to the hazy days when the ancient Ban Chiang culture started tilling the fields with bronze tools.

Thais employ the term ee·shn (Isan) to classify the region (pâhk ee·shn), the people (kon ee·shn) and food (ah hhn ee·shn) of northeastern Thailand. The name comes from Isana, the Sanskrit name for the early Mon-Khmer kingdom that flourished in what’s now northeastern Thailand and Cambodia. After the 9th century, the Khmer empire held sway over these parts and erected many of the fabulous temple complexes that pepper the region today.

Until the arrival of Europeans, Isan remained largely autonomous from the early Thai kingdoms. But as the French staked out the borders of colonial Laos, Thailand was forced to define its own northeastern boundaries. Slowly, but surely, Isan fell under the mantle of broader Thailand.

Long Thailand’s poorest area, the northeast soon became a hotbed of communist activity. Ho Chi Minh spent 1928 to 1929 proselytising in the area, and in the 1940s a number of Indochinese Communist Party leaders fled to Isan from Laos and helped bolster Thailand’s Communist Party. From the 1960s until an amnesty in 1982, guerrilla activity was rife in Isan, especially in the provinces of Buriram, Loei, Ubon Ratchathani, Nakhon Phanom and Sakon Nakhon. But growing urbanisation drew many peasants to the cities and the various insurgencies evaporated in the glare of Thailand’s boom years. However, the per capita income here remains only one-third the national average.

Climate

Northeastern Thailand experiences a three-season monsoonal climate, with a relatively cool dry season from November to late February, followed by a hot dry season from March to May (when temperatures can climb to over 40°C) and then a hot rainy season from June to October. Loei Province experiences the most extreme climactic conditions, with both the hottest temperatures and the coldest; it’s one of the few places in Thailand where temperatures dip below zero.

National Parks

Northeastern Thailand has 24 national parks and 21 forest parks. Khao Yai (Click here) is the most impressive, covering much of the largest intact monsoon forest in mainland Asia. Other highlights include Phu Kradung (Click here), for its wildlife watching and high-altitude hiking; Phu Chong Nayoi (Click here), one of Thailand’s remotest corners; and Phu Wiang (Click here), a must for dinosaur lovers.

Language & Culture

Isan language and culture are melting pots of Thai, Lao and Khmer influences. The Khmers left behind Angkor Wat–like monuments across much of the region, particularly in Buriram, Surin and Si Saket Provinces, while Lao-style temples (most notably Wat Phra That Phanom) are as common as Thai designs. The Isan language, still a more common first language than Thai, is very similar to Lao. In fact, there are probably more people of Lao heritage in Isan than in all of Laos. Many villages in the far south still maintain Khmer as their primary tongue.

The people of Isan are known by other Thais for their friendliness, work ethic and sense of humour: flip through radio stations and you’ll surely hear DJs laughing at their own jokes. Respect and hospitality towards guests is a cornerstone of Isan life and most villagers, plus plenty of city folk, still pride themselves on taking care of others before themselves. The best food is usually reserved for monks and guests, and if you get invited to a village home your hosts will almost certainly kill one of their chickens to feed you (vegetarians should speak up early). Isan people are far less conservative than most Thais, but short shorts and spaghetti-strap