Here's why there is much more to Thailand than Bangkok

In northern Thailand, Barry Coughlan sees a new perspective on life

Thai girl from village in rural of Thailand offering foods to Buddhist monks who go about with alms bowl to receive food in the morning by walking across rice field with palm trees.

A covid-interrupted trip to Thailand is finally rescheduled and begins — as all great Thai trips do — with a few nights in wonderful and wild Bangkok. 

Catching up with friends in the frenetic city is fun, but it’s the sleepy towns up north that are on my mind this trip.

Neither the cities of Nan nor Phrae can rival a plenty-to-do destination like Chaing Mai, the biggest tourism draw in northern Thailand, but they feel exciting and authentic, offering a view of the north quite unlike any I’ve experienced before.

Under-visited, these smaller towns reveal a new side to life and the potential in this rather vast and varied country.

Bars may be hard to find, and there are no international restaurants, but the compensations are many. It is brilliantly green and the areas we visit have been rejuvenated by those affected by covid, who had to abandon life in the big city and return home for financial or family reasons.

Terraced rice in the mountains, Nan Province, during rainy season in October with green field. Picture: Aerial view by Drone Thailand

Staying in small but good quality hotels, we are amazed at how far our money goes. (Doubles cost €20-40. Food and drink prices are about 60/70% of Bangkok rates and about 30% of what one would expect to pay at home.) And then there are all these great opportunities to connect with the community.

Conveniently, Nan Sakhon Airport is a short ride to the centre of town and is a throwback to Cork Airport of the 1960’s — with one arrival and departure area and domestic flights only. 

Nan is not the centre of the universe and English is still a language not widely understood or spoken.

However, there are transport facilities at the airport and taxi companies who offer hourly or daily rates, with a driver, at prices which would make car hire companies in Ireland blush.

Our first brush with sustainable tourism comes on a visit to Cocoa Valley Resort, where we learn about cacao farming and see the production of chocolate bars. 

Food and drink prices are about 60/70% of Bangkok rates and about 30% of what one would expect to pay at home

A rural complex, owned and managed by a 30-something couple from Pua (halfway between Nan and Phrae), it’s an impressive venture.

Hankering for home comforts in Bangkok, they have set up a new hotel and restaurant venture around a 200-acre cacao farm. It’s not merely about chocolate products either.

Here, sustainable tourism has been perfected by the near 100% use of the base product, for quality chocolate and a range of sustainable products like natural cosmetics, textiles, and souvenirs.

It has all been developed with a clear vision and goals to attract more overseas visitors to this quiet tourist trail.

Visitors to the area numbered 30,000 in 2023, of which only about 5,000 were from overseas. If you’re looking for “off the beaten track”, this part of Nan province delivers.

Wat Phrathat Pu Jae in Nan Province is just one of many temples you can visit

At the other side of Pua town lies the Doi Silver factory, a famous handicraft centre which has inherited silver arts and crafts from ancestors with more than 70 years of experience fashioning silver jewellery. Said to offer the best source of silver in Thailand, its designs are sought after in several parts of the world, especially in the US.

The display is quite stunning and the range hugely impressive and, because this centre and store is essentially a wholesale business, prices are amazingly competitive.

We visit the Wat Phuket temple in Pua, just one of many visits to the temples in both provinces — particularly over the border in Phrae. A later visit takes us to Wat Phumin, the most famous and ancient royal temple of Nan, almost 400-years-old and an example of Thai Lue architecture.

Salt is another natural resource, and a trip to Bo Kluea natural rock salt pond introduces us to an area that has been a significant source for salt production since ancient times. Here, the villagers make a living in salt production and are delighted to welcome visitors from overseas.

We partake in a workshop and produce some indigo goods; a journey of discovery in design

In the midst of mountain terrain, surrounded by lush green valleys, rice fields and waterfalls, Sapan village leads to Sapan Waterfall — from there we stop in a small café called Yud Weia, which means “stop the time”. 

Tiny and hidden away, it offers some of the most amazing 360-degree views imaginable. This is nature at its very best.

Our last day in Nan begins at 5am, with a departure from the very comfortable and friendly surroundings of our hotel to the town’s market area offering alms to Buddhist monks — some of whom are trainees as young as 10.

Our route to Phrae takes us past the Ban Matjal Homemade (clothes) and Café. Owned by a young entrepreneur, he has developed a new way to present the famous indigo clothing of Phrae. 

We partake in a workshop and produce some indigo goods; a journey of discovery in design, with mixed results, I admit!

Hom Mai Baan Din doubles as an ancient hat-crafting business in a small community.

Visits to Baan Thung Hong, the home of the Mo Hom fabric where Mo Hom indigo dye is mixed, and to the Komol Antique Textile Museum where other memories fill our day before a restaurant stop at Hom Mai Baan Din — which doubles as an ancient hat crafting business in a small community.

This niche business is run by “Chris”, who spent the bulk of her working life as a senior tour guide in Bangkok, catering for parties of Spanish and Portuguese visitors. She only returned to Phrae due to lockdowns and to look after her elderly mother.

Now, she is heading up a thriving cottage industry of her own, set in the family property, in a village made up of 26 hard-working families engaged in clay brick making as well as traditional crafts.

This encounter reminds me of the pleasure of breaking free from the tourist trail. Thailand may be our favourite South East Asian destination, but it’s a thrill to know that there’s still so much of the country’s heritage waiting to be explored.

Northern Thai treats

Traditional dishes in Nan include Kaeng Sanat, a traditional vegetable soup, Nam Ngiao, sticky white rice noodles served with a spicy curry soup and fried chicken with Indian Prickly Ash, a native shrub with a kick.

In Phrae, Khao soi, a ubiquitous rice noodle dish, comes from the Burmese culinary tradition.

A bowl will come for just THB30 (90c), indicative of the great value in Thailand for eating out.

Escape notes

Numerous airlines fly to Bangkok via main hubs, with departures from Cork, Shannon, and Dublin.

The best time of the year to visit in this warm-weather country is September or October but November and December draw most visitors.

Flights to Nan are ex-Don Mueang Airport with prices on Air Asia or Nok Air from around €100 return. There are currently no flights to Phrae.

Where to stay

Budget

Baan Suan Leelawadee Resort is close to Wat Phumin and Nan Airport.

Come Moon Hotel in Phrae has rooms from €20.

Mid-range

The Nan Boutique Hotel is within walking distance of the city centre. Rooms from €40. The hotel offers a great breakfast and welcoming staff..

In Phrae, rooms at Huern na na cost €35 with free bus station transfers.

Luxury

Nirvanan House is a 5-star property on the edge of town. Expect to pay from €170 per room. There are no five-star properties in Phrae.

Barry was a guest of Tourism Authority of Thailand.