From Don Muang airport a 9:50 p.m. train leaves for the northeast of Thailand (600 bhat).The train is hardly ever on time and Don Muang terminal is a dismal contrast to the facilities at the modern international airport only a five minutes walk away. The ticket service at the train station is computerized making the seating arrangement very convenient and easy.In this sense the trains in Thailand are quite efficient.

A sleeper car is rather comfortable with clean linen sheets,a blanket pullover and curtain for privacy. The car resembles an elongated dormitory and the baggage racks clutter the aisle space for passage along the car.

The train arrives the next day at Ubon Ratchathani. The distance from the train terminal to the center of town is quite far and the only transportation is either by tuk-tuk or taxi (960 bhat for either).The Tokyo Hotel in town is one of the best budget places to stay and charges only 170 bhat. The city is quite clean and very spacious, a refreshing relief from the dirt and clutter of Bangkok. There is also a laid-back serenity about the city which is welcomed, an atmosphere which breaks the stereotype of Thailand as being a culture of sin and seduction.

Many Lao-Vietnamese restaurants abound around town and indicate cross-cultural influences and contacts between Thailand and her neighbors.

The city of Ubon (as it is called) sits on the Mon river. The city lacks the energy of Bangkok and also any distinction of greatest which begs for an extended stay. There are three or four noteworthy but equally forgettable Wats and the National Museum, which is worthy of a visit can easily bee seen in less than an hour. People around town are friendly and honest but not many tourists venture up into this region of Thailand. As a result, the con-artist, drug dealer and "Hello Mister', are noticeably absent and do not work the streets of Ubon Ratchathani. It is precisely for this reason that Ubon Ratchathasni is worth a visit if only for a day.

I book a ticket to Mukdahan. The northeastern part of Thailand is rather flat and not as mountainous as the western area which borders on Myanmar. Although the Mekong river servs as a national and natural border between Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, there is a rich flow of culture between the three countries and the towns along the Mekong are infused with the sounds of Lao, Thai and Khmer and Vietnamese languages not to mention a sharing of food and a borrowing of architectural styles.

The highways connecting towns and cities are open, clean and spacious, and very flat as one would find in Kansas. Thai cities are spread out and the center always has a well-sculptured square with Buddhist temples and wonderful landscaping.

Bus centers are away from the cities. They are expansive and many still are undergoing construction. The area is covered with Palm trees. Stewardesses are on every bus and there is also a man who opens and closes the door. The woman attendant on the bus takes tickets and offers passengers a glass of water.

The bus terminal is about 2 kilometers from the city center. A tuk-tuk costs about 40 bhat( $1) I get into town in about ten minutes. In this part of Thailand life is unhurried and people are incredibly hospitable to foreign visitors because they are not as frequent or as numerous as in other part of Thailand.

The city is small but very charming. It lies right on the banks of the majestic Maekong. Across the bank is Laos and the city of Savanaket. Thailand is sheer opulence compared to Svanaket. The waterfront is beautifully paved and remodeled and designed to gravitate interest and a spirit of welcome to the visitor who comes by boat.

There is a promenade along the river front which extends for about a kilometer and is a pleasant place to stroll any time of the day.

Riverside boats are transformed into twin double-decked restaurants where one can dine at leisure, observe the life on the river and be refreshed by cool breezes. The Mekong is a mighty river and a majestic one. In December she lies low and her current is steady but serene. Fishermen ply the river in small boats dug out from the barks of trees and there is a flow of traffic between Thais and Laotians as both countries enjoy mutual trade, commerce and communication.

Large numbers of Vietnamese also live on both sides of the Mekong as ex-pats in both countries and they add their own cultural flavor to the cities and make the area quite cosmopolitan considering its size.

The waterfront is flanked by a steady row upon row of shops selling everything from traditional medicines to watches, bags and trinkets. Many of the dried food items are packaged in Vietnam and an assortment of goods offered is quite varied.

Seated on blankets off to the north end of the market are numerous fortune tellers who read the palms of hands and also diagnose cures for the body.

Other than absorbing the local life of the people there is not much else to do in Mukdahan. The city has an active night market and all necessary facilities for the occasional tourist - banks, ATMs Post office etc., and makes for a comfortable safe haven, before continuing on one's journey.

The cost of email in town is 15 bhat (the cheapest anywhere)an hour. But these email Internet centers also double as game centers and kids are all over the place with the ever present noisy sounds of the video game machines.

Inter-city buses tend to be half-empty and very spacious and never too crowded.In spite of the lower standards of living compared to the rest of Thailand, perhaps the quality of life is better here in Thailand than in Japan where people may be economically better off but live in cramped quarters.

I stop by a small restaurant in the evening and the owner is delighted that a foreigner has stopped by. He is exceptionally polite and accommodating and invites me to stay for a few days but I am on a schedule and decline his offer.

That Phanon is a wonderful small town on the Mekong river with strong Lao and Vietnamese culture. A strong wind blows over the Mekong from Laos. The town is serendipity. The Niyana Guest House is a home away from home. The owner speaks good English. The Guest house has an upstairs veranda perfect for relaxing and a touch of nirvana. The main attraction here is the THAT in the style of a Lao Chedi. The town is small and reminds one more of Laos than Thailand. with French-styled homes. It is a very quiet town, very clean, but not poor. It is a cross-road of cultures, a great place to relax and disappear, to revive and reincarnate - a paradise of sorts - no tourists. A gentle mood, very meditative.

The Niyana Guest house. On the Mekong a simple guest house owned by a slightly eccentric but charming woman. The guest house is big. The woman lives alone. She runs a small school on the ground floor where she teaches English. It is an area filled with maps and charts filled with simple grammar.

She teaches English. She is also an artist and her paintings display an original, but primitive talent with childlike figures in primary colors. The place is littered with her paintings and every guest room has several on display. She is a friendly woman and speaks openly about herself. She obviously likes to talk to people and be with them, All of her painting feature people but their faces have no features.

The name of her guest house is all over town with signs pointing in the direction of its location. At nighttime she speaks freely about herself. She was born in Laos (Vietiane) Her father was Thai, mother Lao. She grew up in Nong Khai and attended school in Bangkok. An intelligent woman, she displays a good knowledge of English and had spent some time in the U.S. in Minnesota. She hated the cold winters.

She talks about the ethnic groups which inhabit the area and comprise the town and I realize that That Phanon is not as peaceful as I had thought. There are many Chinese and they are treated well and are well liked. The Laotians are looked upon even more dearly as brothers. but the Vietnamese (a large minority) are disliked intensely for their aggressiveness and lack of assimilation. The coming of the Vietnamese dates back to the time of the French during the civil war back in the 50's. At that time they came over in large numbers. That was 50 years ago and now there are second and third generation Vietnamese living in the area, but their movement in the city had been controlled and there was a fear that they were sympathizers with the communists in the north during the Vietnam war.

Since the Mekong is a natural barrier between Thailand, Laos and Cambodia during the Vietnam war the river bank was heavily patrolled and guarded by the local people. They kept a 24 hours vigil along the waterfront lest unwanted Vietcong or Laotians would come across to escape the war in Indochina. This was especially true at night when the border became more porous.

The mornings in That Phanon are always cool along the Mekong. There are very few barriers to break the wind that sweeps across the Korat Plain and the wide expanse of the Mekong invites the wind to take possession of the land. The days warm up considerably even in winter but the cold makes it necessary to wear a sweater if you stay near the water.

The That Phanon festival is one of the big events in the area and attracts thousands of people. Many come from across the border in Laos, others are from the village and towns around That Phanom and indeed people come from all over Thailand to attend. It lasts for ten days and there is no let up in the celebrations but according to Niyana, people are often not well-mannered.

A larger town along the Mekong but still small. It boasts spectacular views of Laos with mountains rising above the city of Tha Kaek which lies on the opposite shore but the view is not special. This is a legal crossing for foreigners who want to get into Laos but you would require a visa which you would have needed to purchase elsewhere.

The city itself is not as beautiful as Muukdahan and That Phanon but nevertheless makes for a pleasant stay. The What Si Thep has an attractive temple with good painting but the temple dogs are mean and numerous.

Thailand is literally infested with dogs. They are diseased,mangy and a health hazard. They belong to no one. They are feral and control the streets in much the same way that the cows do in India. The dogs which guard the temples are especially mean and fearsome. They lurk behind trees and bushes and wait for anyone to approach the temple precincts. One would think that living within the confines of the temple they would assume the prayerful attitude of the monks but the opposite is true.

There are usually several in the pack and they surround the visitor. At first they growl and then they bear their tech dripping with saliva. Rabid or not they can frighten anyone. A monk attending the garden may approach and with a faint smile signal that they are harmless. nevertheless there are far too many of them and legislation should be enforced whereby their movement and numbers can be controlled.

E mail cafes in this part of Thailand are the cheapest I have ever encountered anywhere - about 50 yen per hour. (One place was about 30 yen an hour) This is half-the price of email in other parts of the country. - 15 bhat. They are opened until late at night often closing close to midnight. Unfortunately they also serve as game centers for the young boys in town and are therefore,crowded and noisy, The atmosphere therefore at these email cafes is always very animated and distinctly boisterous as the kids shout back and forth at each other from across the monitors. They also play video games which involve a lot of combat and shooting so the mood is also that of a war zone. Oddly enough for towns which seem so peaceful and quiet, these centers are areas of such vigilance. The best time to hit the email cafes therefore is after 6 p.m. when most of the kids return home for dinner and the connects are usually better anyway.

Very comfortable and spacious and clean. There are not trains in this part of the country, so it is necessary to travel by highway. The buses are air-conditioned and to temperate is set at meat-freezer freezing cold. The driver's area is richly decorated with many artifacts. there is usually a small Buddhist altar somewhere above the driver perched over the driver's seat. Garlands of flowers hang down from this altar and are adorned with several photos of monks and their reincarnations. These photos are scattered throughout the cabin in various locations; on windows, doors, visors. The monks in these photos are sitting in a meditative position.

Plastic flowers in a vase decorate the dashboard and about 20 video tapes are stacked next to the vase. A small glass disco globe hangs from the visor should the passengers ever decide to dance.

The stereo and video on thre bus provide non-stop entertainment regardless of whether or not the passengers care to be entertained. There is no place for silence on a Thai Bus. A 21 inch TV is suspended from the ceiling above the driver in the middle of the aisle. Kung Fu films make up the menu of entertainment. These are usually Hong Kong films dubbed from Chinese to Thai. There are no inter-com speeches by the driver as is found on Greyhound buses in the states. No threats of imprisonment for taking drugs or smoking or listening to music. The mood is distinctly friendlier and more relaxed.

One of the nicest towns in Thailand is Nongkhai. It is a border town but unlike most border towns which have a reputation for sleaze, corruption and smuggling, Nongkhai has a sleepy charm which invites the visitor to stay and even linger for a while.

It boasts an ideal setting sitting on the banks of the Maekong river. This river in Southeast Asia which is the lifeline of so many people in the region is the center of the town's life. There isn't all that much to do in Nongkhai. It has its main street which offers all of the amenities for a visitor but there is no great landmark or point of interest. A sculpture park outside the city center is a main attraction but ultimately a disappointment.

The river is the main source of interest here and a great place to enjoy river catfish from the Mekong. A chain of outdoor restaurants offer grilled Mekong catfish daily. The fish is very fresh and a full meal for two.

If you chance to stop into this town one place to stay is Mutmee's This guest house is owned by a foreigner and is a landmark in the city for tourists. It is run family style and each guest has a book in which he records whatever he orders or buys. At the end of his stay it is all tallied up and the guest pays the total. It is done on an honor system and most travelers are scrupulously honest.

A room goes for 170 bhat. (about 5 dollars) There is also a bicycle rental for 50 baht a day and place for storage.

Not far from the Mutmee and closer to the center of town is another guesthouse called the Maekong Guest House on Rimkhong Road. This guesthouse features very clean rooms for 100 bhat and doubles for 120 bhat. It is also located on the Mekong River and its spacious dining area is on a balcony overlooking the river. Even on the hottest days a cool breeze off the river offers a respite from the tropical heat.

Over the past years Nongkhai has grown in importance due to its proximity to Laos and the growth of the tourist industry in that country. Once a landlocked and isolated country Laos has since opened and become a magnet for the off-track budget traveler.

Thailand's Nongkhai is the gateway to Vietiane and activity on both sides of the Mekong has been energetic in making facilities both in Nongkhai and Vietiane up to traveler's standards and expectations.

Most recently the railroad station in Nongkhai has been completely rebuilt and relocated. A few years ago it was a small, remote last stop leading to nowhere. Now it is a highly computerized, modern facility complete with restaurants and gift shop. The move was necessitated by the fact that in the near future a train link will be made possible from Nongkhai to Vietiane and passengers will be able to go directly from Bangkok to Vietiane without the current time-consuming hassle by bus over the Friendship Bridge. Both time and procedures will be greatly reduced and will bring a new tourist boom to both areas not yet fully recovered from their new warranted attention

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