We took the overnight train up from Bangkok (where Hualamphong, the main railway station, has been spruced up since our last visit many years ago), to Kumphawapee, a town just south of Udon Thani itself.
The trains have not changed much. Clickety clack, grilled chicken, hard seats in third class, and overcrowded..but fun if you keep the right attitude!
The Thais were as friendly as ever. Arriving early in the morning we were a little bleary but we could not help but notice Ten from Gecko Villa who was there to collect us...blue dancing geckos all over his shirt! The house was a twenty minute drive or so along ever reducing and rougher roads, ending up with a serenade down a bamboo driveway to the villa and its pool - that was to become one of our main focuses overt the week.
We have tried to maintain the cultural aspects though! I'm getting about a phrase a day into my head (although I'm told they speak Lao not Thai here!), we've learned to make several Thai and local dishes (with extra chillies), we've visited Ban Chiang and been fishing on the local lake, and have given alms to monks and an impromptu English lesson at the local village school... enough to justify a few more hours by the pool with a good book before we head up to Nong Khai to the Friendship bridge and then over into Laos.
We're currently discussing whether we should do Van Vieng because everyone else does, or whether we should eschew this in favour of a much more rugged trip to Ban Nam Wang...
