Loei was unexpected good luck. First off was finding a place to stay and my standard internet find on booking.com, agoda.com and all the reservation website seams to be expensive in Isaan with no hostels in sight. Hence I am back to the old school travel scavenging, wiki-travel, blogs, and looking at google maps clicking on each guesthouse not listed on any reservation site to see if there is any review comment to the cheap rooms.
The first place which was supposedly the cheapest base on my limited web knowledge. It was quite a distance from town but heck, I have Bluey so cheap stay trumps conveniences since I was not expecting any crazy outing in Loei. The guesthouse had no people there when I arrived. I could see the signs of guest staying but there was no owner or worker at the reception and all the office was locked and looked deserted. I had a feeling the owner was away for holiday during this season but who knows.
Ride on to then plan B and it was suppose to be expensive and dirty base on the review but turns out to be the cheapest place I could ever hope to find in Loei at 200 baht a night for a private single room which was very very clean and make me feel like being back in my one bedroom rental in Singapore.
I decided to stay two night in Loei. Need to make full use of any cheap stay while I can. The other lucky thing was apparently there was a festival in Loei and it was a big one too. Sugar Guest House owner told me its at the City Hall front and all the communities from Loei district gathers once a year during this time for a week showcasing everything and anything.
I went there the first night thinking it would just be another night market or so but it was one beautifully merged festival that had performance after performance on stage from dance routine of grandma’s to little kid’s, singing performance, Thai kickboxing demonstration, Sepak Takraw competition, booths selling food, cloths, cars, farming machinery, etc. It was one big mush event that the organizer packed everything they could think of.
That was not even the most crazy thing about this festival, one main stage was not enough and they had another stage with a full boxing ring with matches set up as a tournament.
The highlight for me had to be the sepak takraw tournament. So many teams from all districts in Loei participating playing so seriously for the yearly Loei Takraw Championship while people walking around enjoying the festival can just stop and sit on a grandstand to watch the game.
Coupled with bazaar, fun fair, food, vocational school booth, technical school booth, vehicle promotion like tractors, pick up trucks, Mazda car, Yamaha bikes, sexy bike girls and car girls and OTOP handicraft and red cross clinic ? I have to say being in Loei at this time by coincidence to see this mundane haphazard idea of a carnival – festival was something worth staying two night to see it back to back.
Daytime was spend riding outskirt of town visiting the man made lake near Loei called “Huai Krathing” where locals go for lunch on a house boat. Its a beautiful idea and concept and I was there just to have a look but as tempting as it was to get a house boat, floating on the lake just relaxing on a hot day, the cost of 350 bath for a house boat was too much for me to waste.
I ordered the food which was overprice of course and ate in the House Boat but anchored at the bay not going out to float in the middle of the lake. That way I did not have to pay 350 Baht. As lunch came I saw many family and friends all picking their personal house boat for the afternoon and setting out. 350 baht ... a group of 5 or 8 people would still cost the same as one person.
Traveled on: Feb 2019
The first place which was supposedly the cheapest base on my limited web knowledge. It was quite a distance from town but heck, I have Bluey so cheap stay trumps conveniences since I was not expecting any crazy outing in Loei. The guesthouse had no people there when I arrived. I could see the signs of guest staying but there was no owner or worker at the reception and all the office was locked and looked deserted. I had a feeling the owner was away for holiday during this season but who knows.
Ride on to then plan B and it was suppose to be expensive and dirty base on the review but turns out to be the cheapest place I could ever hope to find in Loei at 200 baht a night for a private single room which was very very clean and make me feel like being back in my one bedroom rental in Singapore.
 |
| Sugur Guest House at Loei - Thailand |
I went there the first night thinking it would just be another night market or so but it was one beautifully merged festival that had performance after performance on stage from dance routine of grandma’s to little kid’s, singing performance, Thai kickboxing demonstration, Sepak Takraw competition, booths selling food, cloths, cars, farming machinery, etc. It was one big mush event that the organizer packed everything they could think of.
 |
| Performers of all Ages waiting their Turn to be on Stage - Loei Festival |
 |
| The Main Stage - Loei Festival |
 |
| The random visitor audience to the Loei Festival |
 |
| Boxing Ring - Loei Festival |
 |
| Kids Category Thai Kickboxing Tournament - Loei Festival |
The highlight for me had to be the sepak takraw tournament. So many teams from all districts in Loei participating playing so seriously for the yearly Loei Takraw Championship while people walking around enjoying the festival can just stop and sit on a grandstand to watch the game.
 |
| The Anual Loei Takraw Competition |
 |
| Grandstand for the public to enjoy the Game. |
 |
| Bingo Tournament - Loet Festival |
 |
| Fun Fair Games - Loei Festival |
 |
| Autofair with Race Girls - Loet Festival |
I ordered the food which was overprice of course and ate in the House Boat but anchored at the bay not going out to float in the middle of the lake. That way I did not have to pay 350 Baht. As lunch came I saw many family and friends all picking their personal house boat for the afternoon and setting out. 350 baht ... a group of 5 or 8 people would still cost the same as one person.
 |
| Daytrip to Huai Krathing - Loei |
 |
| Bamboo Huts Restaurant Floating on Huai Krathing Lake - Loei |
Traveled on: Feb 2019
No comments:
Post a Comment