Unreal National Park, Countless Temples, and Meeting my Idol: Solo Trip to Mukdahan

Last week, I decided to take an impromptu solo trip to the province of Mukdahan in Eastern Thailand.  I experienced such good luck on this trip, especially in the form of the people I got to meet.  Read on to learn how I met one of my idols on this adventure, how we explored a national park full of crazy rock formations, and how we had the great fortune of being allowed into some glorious temples at nighttime!  I am still pinching myself that this trip happened.  You never know what can unfold when you seize opportunities...

So, join me, and let's head to Mukdahan!

Reading time: 10 minutes

The journey began with 2 van rides, one 1 hour and the next 4.5 hours.

These rides were actually very enjoyable, a wonderful contrast to my normal van experience in Thailand (cramped, crazy driving, carsick).  I was lucky in scoring a solo seat by a window for my long ride.  Also, I discovered the beauty of Dramamine.  Goodbye, motion sickness!

I arrived in Mukdahan in the afternoon.  I didn't do much research prior to my trip, but I had determined a hotel that looked nice based on travel website reviews, so I hitched a ride on a tuktuk from the bus station and went directly there.

The Huanum Hotel was wonderful!  They took me with no reservation and were so reasonably priced for all of the features they offer.

I got a single room with a big bed, air conditioning, and a nice bathroom (hot shower, Western toilet) for 350 baht a night.  That's about $10 USD.

Stoked to have a place to stay for the next two nights, I left my backpack in the room and went exploring!

The hotel is conveniently located about two blocks west of the Mekong River, so naturally I headed for the river to see what I would find.  I quickly happened upon this stunning temple.

Next to the temple was a huge golden statue of Buddha inside a glass-walled room.  This sweet sleepy dog was standing vigilant guard... well, sitting!

The temple gates opened out into Mukdahan's famous Indochina Market, a 1 km street packed full of vendors selling goods that look like a hybrid of things you'd find in Thailand and China.

 There are many gorgeous temples dotted along the market street.  I especially loved this one, fully decked out with ornate gold designs and aesthetic flower offerings.

At the end of the market, I found the river!  Wave hello to Laos!

Now, I must share the main reason why I chose to take an impromptu trip to Mukdahan.  I have followed an Instagram account called "Buddha Project" for years now.  A couple runs the account, a man from America and his wife from Thailand.  I have had some communication with each of them at different times, especially since I moved to Thailand.  The wife, Tara, noticed that I was travelling not far from the province where she lives, and she commented on a post of mine, "Come to Mukdahan!"  So... I did!  I had no idea if she would actually want to meet me, but I thought hey, regardless, it's a new place to explore, I'll just go there and see what happens.  Lo and behold, the beautiful Tara from Buddha Project actually came and met up with me!  I can't lie: I was pretty starstruck at first.  She's been an idol of mine for multiple years, simply in how she lives her life (travel, with a focus on Buddhism) and how kindly she interacts with her online following.

 

 Tara met me at the nearby temple.  We then took a short motorbike ride to a walking path along the Mekong.

We chatted and got to know each other while watching the colors in the sky as the sun set.  We also ran into a friend of hers who took this sweet photo of us.

Tara then saw the date on her phone and realized that this day just happened to have a huge yearly evening event occurring at the renowned mountainside temple nearby.  We quickly made our way back to the motorbike and headed to the mountain.

We had to park at the base of the mountain and take a temple vehicle up the windy road to the event.

 We were met with this incredible sight at the top.  The illuminated silver Buddha had been visible during our motorbike drive from the city, and it was pretty breathtaking to reach it and behold hundreds of people dressed all in white witnessing a monk ceremony, with the Buddha watching over it all.

I still can't get over how lucky I was to be here on this night.  Normally, no one is allowed up the mountain after sunset.  This was an extremely special occasion, and I just happened to be here for it, thanks to Tara and chance.  I am so grateful for all of the conditions that led to this moment.

While most of the people on the mountain were watching the monk ceremony, Tara took me up to the magnificent Naga statue to pray, leave an offering, and meditate.

We wrote prayer intentions on red fabric strips, left offerings for the Naga, and tied our strips to the Buddha statue.

Nagas are seen as protectors of Buddhism and are widely worshipped in Thai Buddhist traditions.  It was so special to be so up-close to this behemoth Naga with no one else around.

After we meditated by the Naga for awhile, we headed down the mountain and back to town.

We motorbiked to the night market, full of vendors for food and shopping.  I got something to eat, and Tara and I parted ways for the evening.

I enjoyed a Vietnamese shellfish pancake/omelet hybrid while watching Thai Animal Planet back at my hotel.  The show was comparing modern day megafauna to dinosaurs - so cool, and great to fall asleep to.

Day 2

The next morning, I awoke to this gorgeous view out my hotel window.  I meditated and then went out exploring.

I saw this Chinese temple across the river inlet and needed to get a closer look, so I found the bridge across and approached the temple grounds.

I felt like I was back in China with the architecture and decorations of the temple.



A kind man (pictured at the left) called to me and told me to come inside.  The temple had clearly just opened for the day, as it was still early in the morning.  He was excited to show me the temple and talk with me.

He gave me this fabric and told me it was a good luck charm, and to keep it with me always.

On I wandered, feeling lucky for the warmth and generosity of the man, and for the beautiful morning.  I found this Thai temple overlooking the Mekong and enjoyed the view with the Buddhas.

At this point, I decided that my black shirt was not a wise choice because of how much the blazing sun was heating me during my walk.  I went back to the Indochina market and got a new, sun-savvy white shirt.

I then went back to my hotel to change and cool down.  I had already walked 4 km (2.5 miles) by 10 AM!

I got an iced Thai tea (called "orange tea" here) and did some journalling in my new Mukdahan shirt.

The wonderful Tara had invited me the night before to join her and her friend on a hike the next day.  I was ecstatic about this, especially because the one place I had on my "must-see" list in Mukdahan was Phu Phathoep National Park.  So, in the early afternoon, we were off to the mountains!

After paying an entrance fee of 200 baht for me and 20 baht for each of them (being a foreigner is expensive, haha!), we entered Phu Phathoep.

The start to the hike is climbing a slanted rock face, a topography like I've never seen.

Now, brace yourself for some rock formations out of another world.

(Click any of the photos to see them in full size.)

This place speaks for itself.  It was like a dream for me to be here.  I am a mountain girl at heart, so it felt like a return home for me to be surrounded by mountains, nature, and my namesake, rocks.

My deepest thanks to Tara and her friend Spy for taking me to such a magical place.  And shout-out to Tara's hat from Vietnam for keeping me from getting heatstroke!

Next, we headed to the Indochina market to do a bit of shopping and pray in some temples.

The photo on the right shows us performing a merit-making activity, in which you place coins into many bowls, each of which is thought to represent a spirit that needs support in the afterlife.

This is the temple of the Two Sisters of Mukdahan.  Over 600 years ago, they were Thai royalty whose boat crashed and collapsed into the Mekong right next to Mukdahan, where they sadly perished.  They are now considered goddesses who protect the town.  Many people visit their shrine and pray to them for protection.

Now for a prime highlight of my trip: this is Disney the Pomeranian!  She lives at a makeup store Tara's friends own.  Isn't she precious?  It took a lot of self-control to not put her in my backpack and take her home with me!

We all split up at this point to shower and get changed.  Then, I decided to do a bit of evening exploring.

The night market was beautiful at sunset!

I found a lovely exercise park.

Adults were running, walking, and using exercise machines while the kids had fun on the playground.

The night market after dark had even more foods and goods to be purchased.

Tara then surprise picked me up for another night adventure, this time by the Thai-Lao friendship bridge.

We visited a Naga temple on the riverside.

 

We then found a carnival!  Tara wasn't aware that this was in town, so it was a fun find for both of us.

The amazing Tara cooked me an omelet for dinner, so we sat by the river/bridge to eat.

It was such a beautiful night, and the omelet was delicious.  Tara is truly the best!!

At this point, the day was over, and we were exhausted.  It makes sense - 11 kilometers (9 miles) of walking will do that!

Day 3

The next morning, I heard a commotion outside, so I threw on some clothes and went out to see what was going on.

Turns out, a local school was having a huge parade!  There were marching bands of older and younger kids, as well as precious pre-kindergarten aged baton twirlers.

It was very fun to see this!  Yet another fortuitous and unexpected event of my trip.

I visited the sacred Bodhi tree and the temple, where I did a prayer alongside a monk, before hunting down some breakfast.

I got some of my favorite local foods: grilled bananas (gluai ping) and grilled sticky rice/egg patties (khao gee).

I enjoyed a khao gee with some good company.

Finally, it was time to head home to Nong Khai.  I got a tuktuk to the bus station to catch my 5 hour van.

I was very lucky to get the last seat in the van, but I wasn't so lucky in that the "seat" was actually a luggage pad and had no back.  I was not a comfy lady for the first hour of my journey...

...but then someone got off early and this happy girl got a real seat!  You can see my previous seat to my left.

I so enjoyed my window, watching the beautiful Thai countryside pass by, and of course, the cows!!

 Fast-forward five hours and another van ride later, and I was home in Nong Khai.

Thank you so much for joining me on my adventure to Mukdahan!  I hope you could feel the joy I felt while being here, and for experiencing so much good luck while on this trip.

I cannot express in words how grateful I am to Tara for embracing me as a new friend while I was in her hometown.  Her kindness has inspired me so deeply, and I will never forget the beautiful energy and generosity she extended to me.  I only hope to continue spreading kindness and generosity to those I come across in my future travels, like she did for me.

I look forward to sharing my next adventure with you, somewhere else in Thailand!

🇹🇭