Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Nakhon Ratchasima gateway to the Northeast

Nakhon Ratchasima

Nakhon Ratchasima (Khorat) is the gateway to Thailand's northeastern plateau, the I-San. This area borders on Laos and the Mekong River in the north and northeast and Cambodia in the south. The provincial capital is 255 kilometers from Bangkok. Nakhon Ratchasima is famous by the renowned Khao Yai National Park and several Khmer sanctuaries dating from before 1200.

Sights

In the city itself is not so much to see and to do. In a temple at Prachak Road is a sandstone sculpture of the Hindu god Vishnu. It is the holiest object in Korat. Wat Sala Loi has already won many awards for architecture. And in the Maha Wirawong Museum opposite the town hall are wood carvings, ceramics and sandstone sculptures from the Ayutthaya period and Khmer to find. The night market: near the center of Manat Road, offers many local souvenirs.

Sights outside Nakhon Ratchasima

The Khao Yai National Park is located 200 kilometers from Bangkok and lies partly in the provinces of Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Nayok, Saraburi and Prachin Buri. In the park, the oldest in Thailand and launched in 1962, live about 70 different species of mammals, including an estimated 250 elephants, tigers, Asiatic black bears, leopards, wild boars, deers and monkeys. There are also growing 2500 species of plants and also 70 species of reptiles and 5,000 species of insects live in the National Park. Long sleeves and insect repellent are therefore necessary equipment in a visit. Khao Yai is with over 2100 square kilometers in size a third of Thailand and was recently added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Foreigners pay 4 euro entry, Thai pay less.

It is remarkable that in this region several wineries thrive, including Château des Brumes, founded by a wealthy Thai industrialist with the help of French wine masters. The North part of the Khao Yai National Park the visitor imagines in France. The scenery is beautiful, but in the winter it can be chilly in the evenings and at night. At 13 kilometers from Khorat, at the Khorat-Thong Chai Road is a large zoo with a substantial collection of Asian mammals, reptiles and birds.

Accessibility

Every half hour busses drive to Khorat from the northeastern bus terminal, Moorchit, in Bangkok. The city can also be reached by train and plane.

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