Today is “tourist day”. Since my stay here in Roi Et is very limited to a few days, a strict selection has to be made of what MUST be seen, which you certainly should not have missed when you come to a certain region.
My host, Louis, who has been living in Roi Et for several years, and what I honestly call a very good choice on his part, advises me to visit what he thinks is a unique temple. The complex is not actually a temple but a "Chedi", but everyone calls it a temple for the sake of convenience. A person would possibly think: another temple, the umpteenth and if you have seen one …. you've seen 10 … Temples are a big part of the tourist attractions in Thailand and some of them you really have to see, including this one, the: Pha Maha Chai Mongkol Chedi. Originally this would have been a fortified fortress and that is still clearly visible on the rampart wall which is currently in a restoration phase.
First a hearty breakfast at Louis's house. Moutje, Louis's wife, is a very good hostess. Bread, fillings and delicious fried Isan sausages are served by Lung addie. Not to forget the delicious coffee. We are not in a hurry, as pensioners we have been “unhurried” for a long time, so we take the time to enjoy what is on offer.
The temple (Chedi ) is located on a hill about an hour and a half drive from my host's house. You are not allowed to enter the complex by car. However, proper provisions have been made to spare visitors the difficult climb to the complex. A songtheaw drives up and down from the parking lot to the entrance of the temple and…. this transportation is FREE, as is the entrance to the temple. A "tip tray" is part of the interior of the songtheaw, so you give what you want. When we arrive it is very quiet, we are about the only visitors, so we have the opportunity to take pictures and have a good look at everything. And yes, this Chedi is really worth the trip there. The Chedi has 7 floors with a large gallery on each floor. A good staircase up and another one down. For the last two floors, this is a large spiral staircase. You can go outside on floor 5 and you already have a beautiful 360° view of the surrounding area. Lots of greenery and a very large forest on the horizon, something different from the endless rice fields this time… It is said that wild animals still live in the forest….
The top of the temple also offers a beautiful view of the surroundings, but those who miss the last part of the staircase climb already get their money's worth on floor 5.
The surrounding galleries, belonging to the Chedi, on the ground floor, are also very beautiful to see and the gardens are immaculately maintained and offer a nice variety of plantings.
When we return to the car, there are already 8 large buses in the parking lot. The place is therefore very popular with tourists of whatever origin they may be.
My conclusion on the visit: Louis is more than right, you must have seen this Chedi when visiting Roi Et or else you have not been to Roi Et!
It is a very quiet area here in Roi Et. No hellish traffic with crazy dangerous situations, no, it will be another quiet ride where Lung Addie could enjoy the landscape. By the way, he doesn't have to steer himself because Moutje knows the area here like the back of her hand and is not only a good hostess but also an excellent driver of the car.
After a refreshment at home, it is now time to strengthen the inner person with a visit to a restaurant. What is striking this time was that the Thai ladies skipped their “chin khaw tiang”. As far as my experiences go, that is very exceptional, just impossible to do. A Thai who doesn't stop for a somtam, a papaya pok pok or the like…. skipping a meal…. will they survive this? Or do they have something else in mind? It is indeed so ... they already have everything ready at home to eat their own, even prepared Somtam and this one is, according to them, much tastier than the one they could buy somewhere along the way.
The restaurant chosen by Louis is again a hit. Almost the same style as the restaurant where we enjoyed our dinner last night. You would almost think that one restaurant is a copy of the other. According to Louis, however, they had delicious oysters here. It is of course correct and, as “Thai Style” food prescribes, the table is filled in no time with all kinds of different dishes with delicious dishes, including oysters. It is : tasty, just very tasty ! Yes yes, Isaan food…. It is safe to mention: the restaurant is called: Rim Huaai Nua and we pay about 300THB per person.
Very striking is again the high occupancy rate on a weekday. The occupancy rate here is again a 70% and the restaurant can certainly seat at least 300 people. Do Isaners, what some call "poor peasants", go to restaurants so much or do only rich Isaners live here in Roi Et? After all, this restaurant is not a "food stall" but, what you can call, a full-fledged, ultra-modern eatery. They can come and have a look at those "Isaner Boerkes" from the South. I have to admit that I will have to look decently in Chumphon to find such a thing because it is not there!
Back on the tummy and go home…. on the terrace, at the Louis house, very quiet and peaceful, another glass of red wine as a nightcap and …. Lung addie can enjoy the afterglow in bed like a satisfied man .
Tomorrow is the last day in Isaan. Lung addie is going to have a quiet day, do some minor repairs to Louis's electrical installations, visit another special event, which will take place very early in the morning, and then relax because the day after tomorrow I have a long 950 km drive ahead of me home.