Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [447]
There are two main areas to visit. Pha Nang Moen is a vista 700m from the visitor centre and you can climb down to Lan Sao-E plateau, another 1.5km further on, which is great for sunsets. Nam Tok Kam Hom, one of four petite falls along a 600m stretch of stream (the water only runs from August to October), is 8.5km north (near Thailand’s largest kilometre pillar). Seldom-visited Tang Pee Parn natural rock-bridge can be reached by 4WD. A park guide is recommended for trekking deep into the gorgeous mountains in the south end of the park.
Accommodation options include a campsite (per person with own tent 30B, 3-6–person tent hire 150-225B) and five four-person bungalows (0 2562 0760; www.dnp.go.th/parkreserve; 500-600B).
Both of the principal attractions sit right off Rte 213 and any Kalasin-bound bus (18B to 20B, 45 minutes, hourly) from Sakon Nakhon will drop you off.
Talat Klang Dong Sang Kaw
Twenty-five kilometres past Phu Phan National Park on Rte 213, Talat Klang Dong Sang Kaw (Sang Kaw Jungle Market) stocks custard apples and other foods grown on small village farms, but it’s best known for the products gathered sustainably in the surrounding forest, like fruits, roots, honey, insects, bird nests (for good luck; well, not for the birds) and mushrooms. There are also locally produced whiskies and maoberry wines.
MUKDAHAN PROVINCE
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MUKDAHAN
pop 34,300
On the banks of the Mekong, directly opposite the Lao city of Savannakhet, Mukdahan is one of the region’s more humdrum towns. The December 2006 opening of the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge 2 formalised Mukdahan’s status as a regional trade hub by connecting Thailand to Vietnam by road, but the city hasn’t gone bridge crazy like Nong Khai did when that Mekong span was planned, and Savannakhet has reaped most of the economic reward.
Other than the bridge, Mukdahan is best known for its riverfront Talat Indojin (Indochina Market), which stretches under as well as along the riverfront, and most Thai tour groups on their way to Laos and Vietnam make a shopping stop at this market for cheap food, clothing and assorted trinkets.
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Information
Bangkok Bank (Hwy 212, Tesco-Lotus; 10am-8pm) Changes cash only, but many banks in the centre of town are open regular banking hours and exchange travellers cheques.
Huanam Hotel (0 4261 1137; 36 Th Samut Sakdarak; internet per hr 20B; 6am-midnight) Has speedy internet connections, plus bike hire (100B/day).
Immigration office (0 4261 1074; 2 Th Song Nang Sathit; 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri) Visa extensions are available here.
Tourism Information Center (0 4263 2700; Th Phitak Phanomkhet; 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri) The city tourism office is in a complex with internet access, traditional Thai massage and a crafts shop.
Sights
One of the most oddly out-of-place landmarks in all of Thailand, Ho Kaeo Mukdahan (0 4263 3211; Th Samut Sakdarak; admission 20B; 8am-6pm) is a 65m-tall tower built for the 50th anniversary of King Rama IX’s ascension to the throne. The nine-sided base has a good museum with displays (labelled in English) on typical Isan village life and the eight ethnic groups of the province. There are great views and a few more historical displays in ‘The 360° of Pleasure in Mukdahan by the Mekong’ room up at the 50m level. The ball on the top holds a locally revered Buddha image supposedly made of solid silver.
You can get a more organic view of Laos and the Mekong from atop Phu Manorom (6am-7pm) further south. There’s a nice little garden and a small temple. Tourism officials try to promote sunrise-watching here, but odds are it’ll be just you and the monks.
According to one of the many legends associated with it, the 2m-tall Phra Chao Ong Luang Buddha image at Wat Si Mongkhon Tai (Th Samron Chaikhongthi; daylight hr) is older than the city itself and was unearthed during Mukdahan’s construction. The temple’s ceramic-encrusted