Northeast Thailand striving to be gateway to Indochina

UDON THANI, Thailand (JP): Thailand's northeast has seen far less tourist development than its famed southern beach resorts of Pattaya and Chiang Mai in the north.

Tourism authorities and agencies are eager to make the northeast, a relatively poor area, the gateway to Indochina. One such project is the plan to build a road linking the area to southern China.

The "Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge" over the Mekong river, set up in 1994 and funded by the Australian government, was the first to link Laos and Thailand, through which Thais take day trips from the Nong Khai province in Thailand, to Vientianne or further in Laos.

"They search for cloth, or silverware," says one tour manager.

The regions many hotels make it convenient to drive and then trek to many of the attractions; wildlife sanctuaries, waterfalls and caves, weaving centers for the renown Thai silk, and the Udon Sunshine orchid farm where Thai horticultural prowess is on display.

At this farm, perfumes are made from the new Udon Sunshine orchid, and from the galingale plant (Indonesian: kencur), or in Thai, the 'falling ear of donkey leaf.'

The owner, Pradit Kampermpool, claims with the help of university researchers, his farm is the world's first to produce perfume without manufactured chemicals. The fragrance is extracted through a suction method in a glass aquarium while the flower is alive. The farm is in Udon Thani, one of the largest provinces in the northeast.

"Come next year, I have a surprise," Kampermpool said of another invention up his sleeve.

The Rajabhat institute in Udon Thani has many interested locals and students from other parts of Thailand aspiring to support the tourism industry.

Many of the limited number of Americans and European tourists are attracted to archeological sites.

Indonesians attracted to the northeast are more likely be adventure travelers, but the cities also provide shopping centers and western facilities in increasingly demand amongst our big spenders.

The northeast is also interesting for those who seek to understand the merging of cultures of Thailand with its neighboring countries- evident in the Khmer influence in many of the temples.

Archeologist Sittiphorn in Nakhon-Phamom province even tells of links with Indonesia, and distributes photo reproductions of the late King Chulalongkorn, or Rama V, on a visit to Garut, West Java in the late 1800s.

Sittiphorn says a near-ancestor of Rama V came from Java. In Bangkok, a statue-image of the photograph depicting the King on horse back is decked with flowers every day, reflecting Thais' reverence for his abolition of slavery and other reforms of the former absolute monarchy.

The Moslem minority in the northeast are also interesting; they are similarly curious and very happy to meet fellow Moslems.

The 200 families mostly own cattle slaughter businesses and sell second-hand clothing. They say the lengthy distances hamper more frequent gatherings, essential to maintain Moslem teachings.

"We are urging each two households to build a small mosque between them, so that travelers have a place to stop," says M. Ismail, a teacher in Udon Thani, who said the Thai government provides some funding to Moslems.

Officials and tourist agencies say the Indochina gateway plan will help to raise people's income through increased commerce, whether they are minorities or from other parts of the Northeast.

Already, wooden stilt homes have new ground floors of either brick or cement.

The food in the northeast offers much freshwater produce. But those not used to the staple of sticky rice in tiny portions, or yellow Arabian-influenced spicy rice, may ask for regular white rice.

According to seasoned travelers to Thailand, the northeast is easily reached by train and bus, besides through short flights. (anr)