THE NORTH
EAST
Of all the region of Thailand, the northeast is perhaps the
least known among foreign visitors, in spite of the fact that it covers almost
a third of the country's total area and includes the second largest Thai city,
Khon Kaen. This neglect is changing, however, more and more tourists are beginning
to discover the northeast's many unique attractions, both natural and historical.
In the 1960s, near the small village
of Ban Chiang in Udon Thani province, one of the most exciting chapters in modern
archeology began with the accidental discovery of a prehistoric burial site. Subsequent
exploration revealed a culture going back to nearly 4,000 B.C. and numbering among
its achievements the use of sophisticated bronze metallurgy as well as rice cultivation
and beautiful painted pottery. Some of the remarkable Ban Chiang finds are displayed
in a museum near the site, and one of the excavations has been preserved to show
its different levels.
In historical times, between the 9th and 14th centuries
A.D., the northeast was part of the great Khmer empire ruled from Angkor, and
as a result it contains some of the finest classical Khmer ruins to be seen outside
of Cambodia itself. Among the most beautiful are Prasat Hin Phimai, near the provincial
capital of Nakhon Ratchasima, which was once linked by a direct road to Angkor,
and Phanom Ruang in Buriram province, recently restored by the Fine Arts Department.
In all, there are more than 30 Khmer ruins scattered about the region, all of
unusual architectural interest.
Besides such archaeological sites, the northeast
also has a number of spacious national parks and wildlife preserves sure to be
on interest to any nature lover. The best known, because of its easy accessibility
to Bangkok, is Khao Yai, which covers more than 2,000 square kilometers of forest,
grassland, and rolling hills in four provinces and provides shelter for some 200
species of I wildlife, including elephants, tigers, deer, and a wide selection
of birds. Phu Kadung, in Loei province, is centered on a mountain topped by a
60_square-kilometer plateau of exceptional natural beauty, while the Phu Khieo
Wildlife Preservation Zone in Chaiyaphum province is a royally-initiated sanctuary
for a variety of endangered I species. The great Mekong River that forms the border
between Thailand and Laos is another notable scenic attraction.
One of the northeast's
greatest assets is its hospitable people, who make visitors feel welcome at several
memorable festivals during the year. The Elephant Roundup, held every November
in Surin province, brings together nearly two hundred of the animals to take part
in a display of their skills, with special trains bringing guests from Bangkok
for the events. Rocket Festivals, or Boon Bang Fais, are held in a number of provinces,
the most famous being in Yasothon in May; enormous home-made rockets are fired
at the peak of the lively celebration in the hope of ensuring a plentiful supply
of rain for the coming crop. The beautiful Candle Festival, which marks the start
of Buddhist Lent in July, attracts people from all over the country to Ubon Ratchathani,
where huge, imaginative candles are paraded through the streets of the provincial
capital.
Northeastern food reflects the influence of neighboring Laos in
a number of dishes. As in Laos (and also northern Thailand) glutinous rice is
the staple, eaten both as a base for other dishes or as a sweet when steamed in
a piece of bamboo with coconut milk and black beans; and such Laotian herbs as
dill (called pak chee Lao, or Lao coriander in Thai) turn up as seasoning. A popular
regional dish of Lao origin is khanom buang, a thin crispy egg crepe stuffed with
shrimp, bean sprouts, and other ingredients.
Northeasterners like their
food highly seasoned, and regional specialties like laab, made with spicy minced
meat or chicken, som tam (green papaya salad), and gal yang. (bar B-Q Chicken)
Meat is often scarce in villages and freshwater fish and shrimp are the principal
source of protein, sometimes cooked with herbs and spices and sometimes fermented.
Thanks to the large numbers of north-eastern who have come to work in Bangkok,
food of the region is widely available in the capital.
