Loei!

Post by **milkman** » October 23, 2012, 4:17 pm

My wife has decided we should spend a couple of days in Loei. Our hotel is taken care of, but not sure what to do for fun and sightseeing. She says Phu Rua National Park is out as our car can't make it up really steep hills. Any other ideas would be much appreciated.

Post by **milkman** » October 23, 2012, 4:29 pm

Just looking at map... there's a place called "Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary" not far from Loei. I looked it up on this website and someone a few years ago wrote it's his favorite park. Anyone been there? What's it like?

Post by **milkman** » October 23, 2012, 5:07 pm

Read an old post here about Huay Kratug, 20 km from Loei. Says you can rent a raft and have it towed into a lake. Can have them make you lunch or dinner and bring it by boat out to your raft. Anybody done this? Was it fun?

Post by **trekkertony** » October 23, 2012, 5:24 pm

This link will help, have been researching the area and there appears to be a lot to do.

http://www.discoverythailand.com/Loei.asp

Post by **Galee** » October 23, 2012, 5:56 pm

milkman wrote:Read an old post here about Huay Kratug, 20 km from Loei. Says you can rent a raft and have it towed into a lake. Can have them make you lunch or dinner and bring it by boat out to your raft. Anybody done this? Was it fun?

Very good and relaxing. Scenery nice and food good. It's where my now wife took me on our first date.

Post by **parrot** » October 23, 2012, 6:51 pm

milkman - We've been to Phurua many times....usually for Christmas. It's an easy drive from Udon, our favorite bbq chicken pitstop is along the stretch of hwy 201 between Wang Saphung and the turn-off to Phu Rua (hwy 203).....left hand side.
Thais seem to have this fear of driving a car on a steep road. The only place I've encountered that would put a car to the test was leading up to a resort in Khao Kho (near Petchabun). A few years ago we did the Chiangmai-Mahongson ride.....1644 curves through the mountains. Although we were in our Toyota Vigo, we saw plenty of small cars doing the same journey.
Just as you're leaving PhuRua heading back to Loei, you can detour left to Thali. About half-way there, you'll weave through the hills and have some fantastic views of the surrounding area. Buy a few bags of sweets and head out to NaHaew.......I think it's about 40km west of Phurua on the way to Dan Sai. At the very top of the mountain pass, there's a very small school that provides education for the few villagers that live nearby. The kids are a treat and the teachers there always welcome any (few) visitors. Finally, just the mention of Phurua makes my wife's mouth water for a plate of het hawm (เห็ดหอม). Don't know if they'll be in season this time of year, but if they are, they're a popular item at the local restaurants.

Go to escape the city for a day or two....don't expect a lot in the way of entertainment......just a good place to get away..... even better if you leave your laptop/smartphones behind.

Post by **stattointhailand** » October 23, 2012, 8:27 pm

Restuarant on the left hand side as you go through PR (carved wooden seating inside and outside, gravel parking area in front, don't know the name, but about 200m before the petrol station)) sells the best Lab Het Hawm I have ever tasted. Local mushrooms have to be just about the best in Thailand. They also have "Wild Boar" on the menu ....... well it's not going to be a "happy boar" is it !

Post by **Martyn** » October 24, 2012, 12:08 am

There is a vineyard (Chateau de Loei)at Dan Sai which might be worth visiting and if your trip is planned for the New Year then Phu Rua has a big three day flower festival which is a very popular event. Loei has the perfect climate for growing both grapes and many types of flowers. Be warned, due to its mountainous location it can get quite chilly in the early and late hours during November and December. It's a very scenic part of Thailand and Phu Rua's name which means Boat Mountain, suggests there's a lot of steep climbs about and one needs to keep their driving wits about them on the mountain roads.

Post by **milkman** » October 25, 2012, 5:00 pm

I'm in loei now, and thanks to you all! Spent a nice couple hours at Huay Kratung, thanks Galee. Rented a covered raft for 350 for how long you want it. They tow you out to middle of lake, then come back with lunch! Nice, and something different to do. Now we are at Loei Palace Hotel in HUGE jr suite for 1700. Our patio overooks beautiful gardens. Whole place beautiful! Thanks everyone!

Post by **lassebasse** » October 26, 2012, 11:44 am

Martyn wrote:There is a vineyard (Chateau de Loei)at Dan Sai which might be worth visiting and if your trip is planned for the New Year then Phu Rua has a big three day flower festival which is a very popular event. Loei has the perfect climate for growing both grapes and many types of flowers. Be warned, due to its mountainous location it can get quite chilly in the early and late hours during November and December. It's a very scenic part of Thailand and Phu Rua's name which means Boat Mountain, suggests there's a lot of steep climbs about and one needs to keep their driving wits about them on the mountain roads.

Ha, been to the wineyard and it was totally uninteresting. There was a small shop with a guy who knew absolutely noting about wines. You where only allowed to taste one of the cheaper ones and the ones that looking interesting were prized crazy high. NOT WORTH A VISIT.

Post by **trubrit** » October 26, 2012, 12:27 pm

lassebasse wrote:
Ha, been to the wineyard and it was totally uninteresting. There was a small shop with a guy who knew absolutely noting about wines. You where only allowed to taste one of the cheaper ones and the ones that looking interesting were prized crazy high. NOT WORTH A VISIT.

Got to agree with that. Despite the guide books and a big sign on the road saying'Wine tasting"The reality was, when we arrived our car must have woken the only lass around from her slumbers. There was one open , half empty, white wine, from which we were offered a thimble size taster, it was sickly sweet. When I asked to try a red on display, was told no, would have to buy to try and as it was over 500bht I declined to take the chance. A complete waste of time . :-"

Post by **thalenoi** » October 28, 2012, 8:06 am

How are the roads around Phu Rua/Dan Sai?
I drive a Nissan Teana, no need for 4wheel drive?

Post by **muffdiver** » October 28, 2012, 12:21 pm

No problem driving your Nissan Teena....no need for a 4WD.

Post by **parrot** » October 28, 2012, 1:13 pm

No problem for all the standard roads around that area.

Post by **Mobaan** » October 29, 2012, 7:43 am

I can agrree with all the above comments.
Since we have been visiting there perhaps more often than the average Udon Falang ,here some more tips .
:
Phue Ruea Natinal Park. Yes it is a steep road ,but managable. Try to stay on top and camp out . Bring your own camping equipment or you can rent ready set-up family sized tents .Dont know how to check and book . Anytime we were there there were empty tents .Nice walks ,thou steep at times -adventurous if you can stand it .

On the main road ,a bit after the right hand turn up the mountain to the park , turn left and follow a sign to the "Rayong/Phu Ruea resort"
It is about 14-15 km. The place is nice enough ,but way out in the sticks ,with nothing going on around . Ask the proprietor lady to arrange for a "Tractor"-a kind of mountain goat that can climb over meter high bolders-to take you up the mountain. Now thats special. But take plenty of pillows ,your rear end will be massively misttreated.
Once on top ,put handcuffs on your ladies hands , so she will not contribute to the plundering of the wild flower /orchid fauna . Great views ,take a picnic.

Now in Fall /Winter take a ride from Wang Sapung over the mountain towards SW -Nam Nao National Park. Wonderful vistas of the harvested corn fields in the mountains . Wonderful trip on a motorbike .Stay/camp in Nam Nao, the "wild " elefants came up to 20 meters to the tent side ( at night) .

A bit outside of Loei ,on the road to Phu Ruea ,on the left, you can visit a turkey farm (Thai style).

The biosphere is at the end on a long road . Camping/huts available -if someone is there and IF the place is open for business . Never had that luck . Nothing but walking in steep hills ,if thats what tickles you . Probably of interest for a botanist or wildlife expert -which I am not.

Of course you have to travel with a pick-up to be able to haul a load of flowers back home -if nothing else to sell them at double or triple the money in Udon.

Post by **Geoffrey** » October 29, 2012, 10:42 am

I just got back from camping on Phu Rua with my sons. We hiked and had a great time. The sunrises and sunsets were beautiful. This time of year there are a lot of wild flowers which I enjoyed. The boys really enjoyed the waterfalls. Most trails go either up or down. I enjoyed some great star gazing.
We also went out to the Highland Agricultural Research Station. It has beautiful flower gardens and orchards including macadamia trees.

Post by **milkman** » October 31, 2012, 5:23 pm

This is milkman, who asked the original question about Loei...

Continuing our trip, we drove from Loei to Dan Sai. After mile 32 marker, we saw a bunch of strange statues on the right side of the road. We parked our car and in the back saw a huge one of a multi headed elephant. Turns out it's a Thai goddess and I shouldn't say it's an elephant. An ugly looking rat statue is bringing an offering to the goddess, go figure.

Further on we came to Chateau de Loei. NO sign in English tells you you're there! And this for a place that's on all the maps as a major attractioni! Place itself had T-shirts, dried fruit, nuts, drinks and wine for sale (though later at the hotel we found the vacuum-packed macadamians we bought were the best we've ever eaten. We're sorry we just bought one packet.) Other than the macadamians, I'd agree with lassebasse and would pass, even on the off-chance you can find it.

Not to be missed however, and the highlight of our day was a stop at Phu Pha Nam Resort. What a fantastic place! A view from their dinning deck like I've only seen in Bali! Lakes and swimming pool, animals, and miles and miles of green below you. Anporn there took us around, they've got a lake with kayaks, a full gym, spa and pools, a zoo with birds and animals. Everybody was friendly and lunch was good and not expensive. Wish we could have stayed, but already paid for the night at Loei Palace.

Then we drove on to a huge temple in DanSai with very large and beautiful golden Buddha. Don't know the name.

That night back in Loei, we found a wonderful place to eat, Ban Yay, which means Grandma's House in Thai. Soft rock band playing, lots of good food, friendly service, 300 bahts for lots of tasty food for two. Across from the City Pillar near the river downtown.

Post by **milkman** » October 31, 2012, 8:21 pm

Finishing our trip, we drove from Loei to Chiang Khan. Chiang Khan was 2 blocks long and had nothing of interest when we last passed through 7 years ago. Starting 3 years ago (I'm told) it totally changed and was "discovered" as a wonderful, beautiful old Thai town on the river. The main attraction is the Night Market, which is held each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night. Hundreds of visitors dine in dozens of restaurants and shop for clothes, art, and trinkets. A very nice, fun scene indeed! Only thing I didn't like was early in the evening some people tried riding motorcycles through the crowd, but that stopped as the street got really full of people.

I personally much enjoyed the long boardwalk along the Mekong River, one block from where all the above action is, but I'm always such a sucker for walks along the water (in Sydney, San Antonio's Riverwalk, Florida beaches, London along the Thames). There's also lots of places to go bike riding, and many hotels rent bikes or let you borrow them for free. My wife and I and some friends of hers who had flown in from Bangkok ate a nice lunch at a place called Kaeng Kood Koo that looked like the places we eat fish at UD Town (only overlooking the Mekong) and at similar prices. Afterwords, we rented a long boat for a 30 minute trip up and down the river (400 baht). Her friends joined hundreds of others in going to a mountain to watch the sunrise.

Where to stay? Our place was on Soi 9, but no need to give the name- it was nothing special and there are a hundred like it. 600 baht. There are also places on the river for more, but you have to reserve them beforehand.

My wife says there are buses from the second Udon bus station direct to Chiang Khan, which would probably be a whole lot easier than driving, esp. if you have a motorbike. I don't know the price, but how much could it be?

Post by **Brian Davis** » November 1, 2012, 5:51 am

milkman wrote: .....
Not to be missed however, and the highlight of our day was a stop at Phu Pha Nam Resort. .......

I nearly 'pushed' this place to you, when reading of your visit to Loei. Pleased you discovered it for yourself. I've stayed there a couple of times, once when taking in the Pee Ta Khon festival down the road in Dan Sai. Very pleasant.

Post by **FrazeeDK** » November 12, 2012, 3:00 pm

thanks for the string.. took the wife to Loei for her birthday.. We stayed at the Phu Pha Nam Resort (in the string).. Beautiful place albeit a bit pricey (Thai STD 1500, then 3000, then 5000). The resort has a fantastic view over the valley, a superb pool/spa/fitness center a 500 acre farm/rubber/dragon fruit/orchid plantaion and is located about 12km north of Dan Sai on 2013 just south of the Khok Mgam 203/2013 junction. We explored the area and also stopped at the large Pra That Wat Teramit in Dan Sai.. The trip back today had us going north up 203 and cutting back across the Phu Luang Range on Rural Route 2140 which comes back to the west side of Wang Saphung. Coming back took roughly 3 hours. A wonderful change from the flatlands of Udon Thani!