Mar 12, 2020

Drawn to Nong Khai, Thailand

Location : Nong Khai, Thailand

Exercisable Options
My abrupt departure from Vientiane left me a few options on the next destination. Udon Thani was appealing and close by. Bangkok was viable, if I could get barter lodging at Adventure Hostel. And of course, Chiang Mai always has its doors open. But this obscure border town, Nong Khai, was calling my attention. For what reason? I don't know. But lodging was prohibitive, starting at B220. Usually, I bypass these destinations. What exactly is in Nong Khai? I don't even know the first thing about it. I bit the bullet and took my chance.

In Search of Lodging
Crossing the Friendship Bridge from Laos, I was already in Nong Khai, Thailand. From the bridge, I walked towards the town center, talking to every lodging place for a good deal, either daily or monthly. The usual price was B400/day. For monthly rentals, the lowest I got was B4500. My max budget was only B3500. Yes, even though I didn't know anything about Nong Khai, I was prepared to stay there for a month - just based on the fact that it called my attention. After walking one km with my heavy backpack, I realized that I miscalculated the map scale. I was still 3 kms away from Nong Khai city center. I had a little food at a roadside resto, befriended the owner, and asked if I could leave my backpack - that I would come back later to pick it up. They said ok. I just love the Thais for their kindness. I continued my walk for 3km more, stopping by every hotel but still nothing - until I arrived at Mut Mee Garden Guest House.

Mut Mee Garden Guest House
The cheapest lodging I saw in Agoda was Mut Mee Garden Guest House - B220. Already, I thought it was a dorm room with bunk beds. But when I arrived, the place was much more than what I expected. I got a private room with shared bathroom. The hotel rests on a sprawling space clustered by bungalows and pavilions in a garden setting. It has good energy to it - yoga center, bookstore and restaurant (w/ vegetarian offerings too). Both owners, Julian and Pao, are hands-on and interactive with hotel guests. Staying there simply changed everything about Nong Khai.

Upon checking-in, I asked to borrow the hotel bicycle and pedaled my way back to get my backpack. It was a very tiring day but I was just glad it ended well.

at Mut Mee Garden Guest House grounds doing my online work

The Barter Deal
I would not be able to keep up with paying B220/day. I talked to the affable Julian and offered to recode the homepage of his website to make it responsive and to pretty-up the homepage using the trending design approach. He liked my Photoshop mock and agreed to let me stay with the use of the hotel bicycle. This was big for me. Without having to worry about lodging, I was free to explore and write about Nong Khai.

Pantrix Yoga Center
Surprisingly, there is a tucked-away yoga center within the hotel grounds, run by a yogic couple, Pancho and Beatrix, the Pantrix Yoga. There was no outdoor sign or any kind of promotion. I only saw a small note on one of the bungalows that they were on day 10 of a 30-day advanced yoga course. I met the teacher, Pancho, and we had a brief talk about our practice. He's not your typical yoga studio teacher - there's not a drop of Youtube or Facebook about him. He comes across as a guru in a hippie commune. I would often join their free unguided meditation sit every day at 2pm - that's how I met participants of the course, mostly outsiders who came there specifically for the course. I was curious about the advanced yoga course, but they didn't allow drop-ins.