Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [420]
The town visitor centre (8am-4pm Mon-Fri) near the museum hires out bikes for 20B per day and can arrange homestay accommodation.
SLEEPING & EATING
Lakeside Sunrise Guesthouse (0 4220 8167; r 200B; ) On the west side of the lake, within easy striking distance of the museum, this homey, nicely landscaped place is reason enough to spend the night in town. Clean, shared facilities are downstairs, while the wooden upper floor boasts a spacious verandah. The joyful owner, an encyclopaedia of Ban Chiang knowledge, speaks English and hires out bikes and motorcycles.
There are several simple restaurants across from the national museum entrance.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
The direct srng·ta·ou service from Udon became a casualty of high petrol prices, but it’s worth checking if it has resumed. Otherwise, take a bus bound for Sakon Nakhon or Nakhon Phanom and get off at Ban Nong Mek (35B, one hour) where a túk-túk or motorcycle taxi will charge 60B per person for the 10-minute ride to Ban Chiang.
Phu Phrabat Historical Park
Steeped in mythical intrigue and peppered with bizarre rock formations, Phu Phrabat Historical Park (0 4225 1350; admission 100B; 8.30am-4.30pm) is one of the region’s highlights. The formations are a collection of balanced rocks, spires and whale-sized boulders with several shrines and wáts built in and around them. Prehistoric paintings in several grottoes feature wild animals, humans and cryptic symbols. There are also some small but sophisticated rock carvings of Buddha images dating back to when the Mon and, later, Khmer ruled this area. A climb beyond the rock formations to Pha Sa Dej, at the edge of the escarpment, ends with dramatic views of the valley below and the mountains of Laos beyond. A well-marked web of trails meanders past these sites and you can see all of them in about an hour; but it’s worth spending several.
Most of the bizarre rock formations to be found here feature in an enchanting local legend about a king (Phaya Kong Phan), his stunningly beautiful daughter (Nang Usa), a hermit (the Rishi Chantra) and a love-struck prince (Tao Baros) from another kingdom. The most striking rock formation, Hoh Nang-Usa, an overturned boot-shaped outcrop with a shrine built into it, is said to be the tower where the beautiful princess was forced to live by her overprotective father. Many of these rock formations are signposted with names in Thai and English alluding to the legend, but, unless you’re familiar with it, they’ll make little sense. There’s a short version in the museum, but if you’re staying at the Mut Mee Garden Guesthouse in Nong Khai ( Click here), you can read the entire tale.
If you wish to camp, the charge is 20B per small tent and 50B for a big one; or you can rent tents for 50B to 200B. There are also three bungalows with a cost of 600B for up to five people and double that for up to 12.
Not too far from the entrance is Wat Phra That Phra Phutthabaht Bua Bok, with its namesake Lao-style chedi covering a Buddha footprint. It also has some odd temple buildings in the general mood of those in the park.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
The park is 70km from Udon Thani and Nong Khai, near the small town of Ban Pheu, and can be visited as a day trip from either city. From Udon’s Rangsina Market, Ban Pheu is a 30B, 1½-hour bus or srng·ta·ou ride; it’s 45B and two hours from Nong Khai’s bus station. In Ban Pheu a motorcycle taxi to the park costs about 80B to 100B. Túk-túk are also available, but they have a hard time with the hills.
The vehicles from Udon continue to Ban Tiu, the village at the base of the hill, where a motorcycle taxi should cost 40B for the final 4km, but there are very few of them available.
If you’re using public transport, you should plan on leaving the park by 3.30pm.
Ban Na Kha
This cotton-weaving village, 16km north of Udon right on Hwy 2, is renowned for kít-pattern fabrics. Kít is