Northeast Thailand striving to be gateway to Indochina<\/p>\n
UDON THANI, Thailand (JP): Thailand's northeast has seen far
\nless tourist development than its famed southern beach resorts of
\nPattaya and Chiang Mai in the north.<\/p>\n
Tourism authorities and agencies are eager to make the
\nnortheast, a relatively poor area, the gateway to Indochina. One
\nsuch project is the plan to build a road linking the area to
\nsouthern China.<\/p>\n
The \"Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge\" over the Mekong river, set up
\nin 1994 and funded by the Australian government, was the first to
\nlink Laos and Thailand, through which Thais take day trips from
\nthe Nong Khai province in Thailand, to Vientianne or further in
\nLaos.<\/p>\n
\"They search for cloth, or silverware,\" says one tour manager.<\/p>\n
The regions many hotels make it convenient to drive and then
\ntrek to many of the attractions; wildlife sanctuaries, waterfalls
\nand caves, weaving centers for the renown Thai silk, and the Udon
\nSunshine orchid farm where Thai horticultural prowess is on
\ndisplay.<\/p>\n
At this farm, perfumes are made from the new Udon Sunshine
\norchid, and from the galingale plant (Indonesian: kencur), or in
\nThai, the 'falling ear of donkey leaf.'<\/p>\n
The owner, Pradit Kampermpool, claims with the help of
\nuniversity researchers, his farm is the world's first to produce
\nperfume without manufactured chemicals. The fragrance is
\nextracted through a suction method in a glass aquarium while the
\nflower is alive. The farm is in Udon Thani, one of the largest
\nprovinces in the northeast.<\/p>\n
\"Come next year, I have a surprise,\" Kampermpool said of
\nanother invention up his sleeve.<\/p>\n
The Rajabhat institute in Udon Thani has many interested
\nlocals and students from other parts of Thailand aspiring to
\nsupport the tourism industry.<\/p>\n
Many of the limited number of Americans and European tourists
\nare attracted to archeological sites.<\/p>\n
Indonesians attracted to the northeast are more likely be
\nadventure travelers, but the cities also provide shopping centers
\nand western facilities in increasingly demand amongst our big
\nspenders.<\/p>\n
The northeast is also interesting for those who seek to
\nunderstand the merging of cultures of Thailand with its
\nneighboring countries- evident in the Khmer influence in many of
\nthe temples.<\/p>\n
Archeologist Sittiphorn in Nakhon-Phamom province even tells
\nof links with Indonesia, and distributes photo reproductions of
\nthe late King Chulalongkorn, or Rama V, on a visit to Garut, West
\nJava in the late 1800s.<\/p>\n
Sittiphorn says a near-ancestor of Rama V came from Java. In
\nBangkok, a statue-image of the photograph depicting the King on
\nhorse back is decked with flowers every day, reflecting Thais'
\nreverence for his abolition of slavery and other reforms of the
\nformer absolute monarchy.<\/p>\n
The Moslem minority in the northeast are also interesting;
\nthey are similarly curious and very happy to meet fellow Moslems.<\/p>\n
The 200 families mostly own cattle slaughter businesses and
\nsell second-hand clothing. They say the lengthy distances hamper
\nmore frequent gatherings, essential to maintain Moslem teachings.<\/p>\n
\"We are urging each two households to build a small mosque
\nbetween them, so that travelers have a place to stop,\" says M.
\nIsmail, a teacher in Udon Thani, who said the Thai government
\nprovides some funding to Moslems.<\/p>\n
Officials and tourist agencies say the Indochina gateway plan
\nwill help to raise people's income through increased commerce,
\nwhether they are minorities or from other parts of the Northeast.<\/p>\n
Already, wooden stilt homes have new ground floors of either
\nbrick or cement.<\/p>\n
The food in the northeast offers much freshwater produce. But
\nthose not used to the staple of sticky rice in tiny portions, or
\nyellow Arabian-influenced spicy rice, may ask for regular white
\nrice.<\/p>\n
According to seasoned travelers to Thailand, the northeast is
\neasily reached by train and bus, besides through short flights.
\n(anr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/northeast-thailand-striving-to-be-gateway-to-indochina-1447893297",
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