Isaan, Northeast Thailand | Life in a place where there is almost no COVID-19

The lack of interest from foreign tourists may partly explain why the Covid-19 epidemic barely reached Isaan, northeastern Thailand, although it still broke out in other areas.

So far, the measures to control the Covid-19 epidemic of the Golden Temple country have proved effective. But a sharp drop in foreign tourist arrivals is engulfing the economy of the nation that drew 39.8 million visitors last year.

The Forgotten Land

In the Northeast of Thailand is a mysterious paradise that not everyone knows about. There is also a land called Isaan, a wild and truly rural place, guaranteed to fascinate travel lovers to explore.

Northeast Thailand is probably one of the least visited places in the country. Most tourists will just stop by this place on their way to Laos, or to one of the northern tourist destinations like Chiang Mai or Pai.

Isaan, Thailand is originally a country land, only villages and fields, with rudimentary architecture that has nothing to do with big cities, and delicious, but super spicy food. . Isaan is a place for you to discover a different Thailand, completely unrelated to noisy places and crowded with tourists from all over the world.

Isaan is located on the Khorat plateau. It has the Mekong River flowing through the east and north. To the south, it borders Cambodia. To the west, there is the Phetchabun mountain range separating the Isaan region of Thailand from central Thailand.

Despite offering flavorful cuisine and peaceful Mekong valley scenery, Isaan only attracted a fraction of the number of foreign tourists who visited Thailand before the pandemic.

This land is not on the "banana pancake trail" (only the developing routes in Southeast Asia, traveled by many tourists).

The lack of interest from foreign tourists may partly explain why the Covid-19 epidemic barely reached Isaan, while still breaking out in places like Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket in April.

Despite being one of Thailand's most populous regions with more than 22 million people, Isaan's 20 provinces have only reported about 100 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection since the pandemic began.

Most of the region's tourism industry now relies on Thai tourists. They can return after the nationwide lockdown and restrictions on domestic travel are lifted in June.

Some hotel managers in Isaan said the current guest rate is quite high compared to the same period last year.

Before the pandemic, many households in Issan relied on remittances from members to work as tour guides, tuk tuk drivers, receptionists, cooks and prostitutes in areas popular with tourists. foreigner. Many people have to return home after losing their jobs during the epidemic.

"Compared to pre-pandemic times, life here is pretty normal for most people. However, we haven't done any tours since mid-February," said Tim Bewer, from Isan Explorer. based in Khon Kaen, one of the few travel agencies that focus on serving foreign guests - said.

Business is also bleak for motel owners who used to make meager incomes from serving foreign tourists in some of Isaan's cities. Popular tourist spots like Mut Mee Guesthouse (Nong Khai), The Outside Inn (Ubon Ratchathani) and Moon River Resort (Phimai) all lack the revenue that foreign tourists once brought in.

Feel the new land

A dog sleeps in an outdoor som tam (papaya salad) shop. The smell of char-grilled chicken fills the alley. A choir resounded from the school. No one is wearing a mask. This is the scene in the village of Ban Nong Doen Tha in northeastern Thailand, where the pandemic has almost never reached.

Bueng Kan - a remote province considered by domestic tourists as an exotic adventure destination. Very few foreigners have ever heard of this place.

The sandstone blocks in the park look like lions (Pha Singh means "lion cliff" in Thai), elephants and snakes. Most of them have views of the surrounding rubber farms and rice fields.

Hin Sam Wan or "Three Whale Rock" is a set of 3 impressive rocks, resembling a family of sperm whales floating while swimming in the tree canopy. From the top of this place, one can soak up the views of the Mekong River and the green hills of Laos in the distance.

At the nearby Wat Phu Tok temple, the wooden stairs and cliffside walkway surrounding the giant sandstone massif are the highlights, attracting many visitors.

In the village of Ban Nong Doen Tha, women knit baskets used to serve khao niao or sticky rice - the staple grain in both Isaan and Laos. They said the farm work did not stop during the blockade because of the Covid-19 epidemic. However, they cannot consume many goods because people living in Laos cannot go to the market.

The border closure has caused difficulties for people in the area sharing the Lao language and Buddhist beliefs between the two banks of the Mekong River of Thailand and Laos.

Fishermen along the river in Ban Phaeng district throw wide nets, tied to bamboo poles, into shallow water. They complain that catches have declined in recent years, due to dams being built upstream in Laos and China.

During the dry season here, dams are blamed for impeding the flow of silt and vital nutrients, making the Mekong's water unusually clear.

The city of Nakhon Phanom, where Vietnamese influence is evident in its cuisine, includes a sandwich called khanom pang yuan in Thai. The scene is more alive than ever at the sprawling waterfront of Nakhon Phanom. Households here offer incense and wreaths to 7-headed naga statues found in ancient mythology from India to Cambodia. The statue is a highlight in spiritual tours that attract Thai tourists to this place.

No matter how dangerous the pandemic is out there, the fields of Isaan stretch to infinity.

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