Northeast Thailand striving to be gateway to Indochina

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)