Sights in Nong Khai
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Sala Kaew Ku Sculpture Park
One of Thailand’s most enigmatic attractions, Sala Kaew Ku Sculpture Park is a surreal, sculptural journey into the mind of a mystic shaman. Built over a period of 20 years by Luang Pu Boun Leua Sourirat, who died in 1996, the park features a weird and wonderful array of gigantic sculptures ablaze with Hindu-Buddhist imagery.
To get to Sala Kaew Ku, board a bus heading to Phon Phisai or any other eastern destination and ask to get off at Wat Khaek (10B), as the park is also known; it’s about a fiveminute walk from the highway. Chartered túk-túk cost 150B return with a one-hour wait – don’t pay up front, or it may turn into a oneway fare. Or you can reach it by bike in a…
reviewed
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Wat Pho Chai
Luang Po Phra Sai, a large Lan Xang–era Buddha image awash with gold, bronze and precious stones, sits at the hub of Nong Khai's holiest temple. The head of the image is pure gold, the body is bronze and the ùt·sà·nít (flame-shaped head ornament) is set with rubies. Due to a great number of dubious miracles people attribute to it, this royal temple is a mandatory stop for most visiting Thais.
Luang Po Phra Sai was one of three similar statues made for each of the daughters of Lao King Setthathirat, and they were taken as bounty after King Rama I sacked Vientiane in 1778. The murals in the bòht depict their travels from the interior of Laos to the banks of the Mekon…
reviewed
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Wat Noen Phra Nao
This forest wát on the south side of town is a respected vipassana (insight meditation) centre on pleasant, tree-shaded grounds. It serves as a spiritual retreat for those facing personal crises, Westerners included, if they're serious about meditation. Some extremely ornate temple architecture, including perhaps the most rococo bell tower we've ever seen, stands in contrast with the usual ascetic tone of forest monasteries. There are many Vietnamese and Chinese graves here and some of the statuary wouldn't be out of place at Sala Kaew Ku. The temple is unsigned off Rte 212, 1.5km east of the Grand Princess Hotel; turn south by the plant shop.
reviewed
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Wat Tung Sawang
The bòht here is one of the city's smallest, but the artistic flair put into the decoration makes it one of the prettiest. Nine sculptures of celestial deities sit on fanciful pedestals alongside it.
reviewed
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Wat Lam Duan
You can easily pick out this wát on the skyline because an immense Buddha image sits atop the bòht. You're welcome to climb up (shoes off) and gaze over the Mekong with it.
reviewed
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Governor's Mansion Museum
The renovated 1929 French-colonial mansion has more shine outside than in. It's lovely lit up at night.
reviewed
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Nong Khai Museum
This little museum in the former city hall has little more than old photographs, but there's enough English labelling to make it worth a few minutes of your time, and the price is right.
reviewed
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Sala Kaew Ku Sculpture Park
One of Thailand’s most enigmatic attractions, Sala Kaew Ku Sculpture Park is a surreal, sculptural journey into the mind of a mystic shaman. Built over a period of 20 years by Luang Pu Boun Leua Sourirat, who died in 1996, the park features a weird and wonderful array of gigantic sculptures ablaze with Hindu-Buddhist imagery.
To get to Sala Kaew Ku, board a bus heading to Phon Phisai or any other eastern destination and ask to get off at Wat Khaek (10B), as the park is also known; it’s about a fiveminute walk from the highway. Chartered túk-túk cost 150B return with a one-hour wait – don’t pay up front, or it may turn into a oneway fare. Or you can reach it by bike in a…
reviewed
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Wihan Ji Gong
The city's newest Chinese temple is dedicated to Ji Gong, an eccentric and heavy-drinking Chinese monk – he's usually depicted with a bottle of wine in his hand – now worshipped as a deity who assists and heals people in need. Also known as Sanjao Tek-Ka-Ji, it features an eye-catching octagonal tower with murals creatively done in black and white.
reviewed
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Village Vocational Training Center
Run by the Good Shepherd Sisters, this workshop 7km south of town (take Hwy 2 and turn east just after the Km2 pillar) provides training and jobs for locals. It's a great place to see mát·mèe weaving, and it also has a pottery workshop and mushroom farm.
reviewed
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Tha Sadet Market
The most popular destination in town, almost everyone loves a stroll through this covered market. It offers the usual mix of clothes, electronic equipment, food and assorted bric-a-brac, most of it imported from Laos and China, but there are also a few shops selling quirky quality stuff. There are some floating restaurants behind the market and you can arrange boat trips here.
reviewed
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Phra That Klang Nam
The 'Holy Reliquary in the Middle of the River' (sometimes called Phra That Nong Khai) is a ruined Lao-style chedi submerged in the middle of the Mekong and can only be seen in the dry season when the waters lower about 13m. The chedi was gobbled up by the meandering Mekong in the middle of the 18th century and it toppled over in 1847. When the waters drop low enough coloured flags are fastened to it. Phra That La Nong, a replica erected on land, glows brightly at night.
reviewed
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Nong Khai Aquarium
This big green building displays freshwater and ocean-dwelling fish from Thailand and beyond, with the giant Mekong catfish in the 'giant tank' the star attraction. It's a fun place to visit, though it's far out of town on the Khon Kaen University campus and not served by public transport.
reviewed
