Tai Dam Cultural Village & Museum ~ Loei

The “Tai Dam House of Museum”, which is an interesting place to visit

Visiting the Tai Dam Cultural Village & Museum in Loei (found in the Chiang Khan district) was a highlight for me, as well as my travelling group. But it’s not really much of a destination in and of itself, so make sure you have some other things lined up when doing this little road trip. Anyway… The Tai Dam Cultural Village is home to an ethic minority that came to Thailand from Laos in 1905. Their traditional lifestyle has been maintained through their arts and crafts that have translated into the production of souvenirs for visitors to their village.

Phunacome Resort ~ Dan Sai Valley, Loei

Deluxe Room at the PhuNaCome Boutique Eco Resort in Dan Sai, (Loei) Thailand

While in Dan Sai we stayed at the Phunacome Resort which is, as far as I can tell, the best place to plunk yourself down in this region, provided it’s within your budget. As the website of this boutique property explains: “Nestled in a Dansai valley surrounded by green mountains, Phunacome Resort is the premier choice for relaxing yourself. With our strong commitment to being a green resort, we have participated in all green related projects such as a Smoke-Free Hotel program, a Health Promotional Hotel program, and the Green Leaf Hotel program…” and so on, blah, blah, blah.

Kaeng Khut Khu ~ Loei province

The mile marker at Kaeng Khut Khu shows you sea level (0), and some other unexplained measurements.

Located at a particular bend in the Mekong River, Kaeng Khut Khu is one of those strange Thai tourist spots that gets way more crowds than it really deserves. It’s not far from Chiang Khan, so I guess if you want to make it a day trip from there that’s not a bad idea, but if anyone tries to tell you that driving all the way to this out of the way local landmark is a good idea — walk away slowly.

Phapu Cave & Monkeys ~ Loei

There’s nothing like seeing monkeys in the wild!

While I was visiting Loei province in early May, 2015, our guide asked if there was anything near Loei City we wanted to see. I asked to see the Phapu Caves, partly because I love caves, but partly because I love seeing monkeys in the wild, and there are lots of them here. It’s also one of the very few interesting things in the vicinity of Loei City. The cave itself is kind of interesting, and inside there are several Buddha statues, 2 of which are completely un-illuminated.

Phi Ta Kon Museum ~ Dan Sai

Dan Sai’s ubiquitous Phi Ta Kon mask and costume (outside the Phi Ta Kon Museum)

The main tourist draw for the city of Dan Sai, in Loei province, is the annual Phi Ta Kon festival. And although the festival only takes place in early summer (June or July usually), it’s hard to escape the year-round “Phi Ta Kon” branding exercise that this city exhibits. The ubiquitous Phi Ta Kon masks and costumes are everywhere! It verges on overkill to be truthful, but I guess you have to run with what you’ve got when trying to attract the tourist dollar.

Phi Nam Kon Festival ~ Chiang Khan, Loei

Phi Nam Kon Festival – music, masks, and mirth

Don’t confuse Phi Nam Kon with Phi Ta Kon, which is Loei’s other, more famous ghost festival. The name of this festival — Phi Nam Kon — means something like “spirit who carries water” or some such (it’s meant to bring good rains for the growing season). But what’s most important is that, in true Thai fashion, it’s a loud, noisy, colourful festival which everyone can get involved in (young, old, male, female, or other). The costumes are all homemade, the masks are elaborately painted and bedecked with ribbons, and the drums are made from old vinyl packaging stretched over I don’t know what.

Sunrise over Phu Tok ~ Chiang Khan

Composite shot (fun with photoshop)

Making your way up Phu Tok to watch the sun rise is one of the big tourist highlights when visiting Chiang Khan. You have to get up pretty early (obviously) and make your way up the road that leads to the point at which you pay your 25 THB entry and ride in an open truck the rest of the way. Luckily, there’s virtually no further climbing once the truck lets you off. Expect crowds of diehard photographers when you arrive, and expect to take more pictures of the mountains and the sunrise than you could ever use in just one blog post.

Chiang Khan & The BaanSupichaya Hotel

The charming wooden storefronts of Chiang Khan

The town of Chiang Khan, located in Loei province right on the border with Laos, is a big hit with tourists. And after visiting I can see why. It’s the kind of quaint riverside town that you can still find in Thailand and (thankfully) many of the original wooden homes and shophouses have been left intact, which is 90% of the charm of this place. There are other highlights of course, the foremost being the fact that the town is built along the Mekong River.

Visiting Loei City & The Loei Palace Hotel

Flying on Nok Air – Bangkok to Loei

The quickest way to get to Loei province from Bangkok is to fly. If you drive you’re looking at about a 9 hour trip. Nok Air, one of Thailand’s best low cost carriers, flies to Loei using small prop planes. I haven’t been on a prop plane in years but they’re fine and we all got there in one piece. Once you land you are closest to Loei City itself, and that is where we stayed for one evening.

Loei Province ~ An Introduction

Me with Phi Ta Kon expert mask maker Apichart Kamkasem, in his workshop in Dan Sai.

During the first weekend of May, 2015, I spent 4 days and 3 nights in Loei Province in Thailand. It’s one of the least populated provinces in the the country, and sits right up against the Laos border — along the Mekong River. One of the highlights of this trip was learning about the Phi Ta Kon annual festival, in which participants wear colourful and grotesque monster masks. And if you visit the city of Dan Sai, you won’t be able to escape all the branding the city has done to let you know that it is home to the annual Phi Ta Kon festival. Masks and mask related decor is everywhere.