One week before Christmas 2015 we decided to head west to visit Wat Pa Phu Kon and on the way back to Udon Thani, call in to see Wat Baan Waeng as it had been some time since we last visited and were aware that there was ongoing work, which we hoped would completed this time round. Wat Baan Waeng is the Udon Thani Province version of a Heaven and Hell temple, of which there are several in Thailand, and this is what we came to see. While here I saw something that perhaps signals the end of Thai Buddhist monks. Well probably not entirely but it was something I had never seen and found quite amusing, almost to the point of it showing just how ridiculous religions can be, to my mind. (No intention to offend anyone who holds a faith).

At the entrance to the main temple building at Wat Baan Waeng, just on the left, I noticed seven glass cases with six of them housing a Buddha statue, one for each day of the week with the statue for Tuesday missing. Beyond that I did not initially take a great deal of notice as there were a number of local Thai's present and I did not want to disturb them whilst they were performing their worship to Buddha. A few moments later I heard the sound of coins hitting metal and quickly looked around to see a man placing one coin in to each of the alms bowels in front of the seven glass cases. It was what happened next that make me smile and have a bit of a contained chuckle. From each of the glass cases came a chant from a monk, as far as I could hear it was the same chant from each. What a great way to serve the local population was my first thought but thinking about it a little longer I wondered if this was for a number of Thai Buddhist monks. If you have an automated system, for a small cost, then you perhaps don't need a monk sitting on the floor to chant their mantras anymore. I am sure that is not the reason for these money making alms bowl being placed here but is really a cunning way of giving what the public wants, when they want it and a way to generate cold, hard cash. We have since seen other temples that have introduced this cash generating system but the actual number of monks does not appear to have decreased.

Having witnessed this we moved on to see what was new in the temple grounds but were a little disappointed to discover that the huge Buddha statue that was started some years ago was still not completed. There was however one new small section of "Hell" that I do not remember seeing on our previous visit and as with the others was pretty gory.

We will of course need to go back again, perhaps in two years or so to see if the statue is complete and hopefully with the money generated at the temple entrance, it will.

If you have never been to Wat Baan Waeng I would highly recommend a visit as it is something very different from the average temple grounds you will see on your travels in Udon Thani.

If you are looking for the best 5 bars in the Day and Night complex then perhaps we can help you out a little. Although the topic is somewhat subjective, I believe there are 5 bars that stand out above the others, for different reasons, and depending on how you want your night to unfold, that should offer you a good night out.

Seven Sisters Bar
Seven Sisters Bar offers you a little of everything and is the first bar on the right as you enter the Day and Night entertainment complex in Udon Thani. This is a long established bar and certainly appears to be perhaps the most successful of them all. The bar is owned and run by Thai’s, which may explain how they can control the girls better than many others. There are normally a good number of girls working here, with ages ranging from mid 20’s to mid 30’s. Just because the girls are here, it does not mean you have to engage with them, and they are happy enough to leave you alone if that is what you want.

The Scotsman Bar
The Scotsman Bar is one for the lads, and sometimes with their wife. There are normally some girls hanging around to serve but are not generally there as an ‘attraction’. This bar is where you head for if you want nothing to do with the bar girls in Day and Night, and just want to enjoy a quite beer or two.  It is typically used by British ex-pats who already have a girlfriend or wife, and are always happy to see other ex-pats. The ex-pat owner, Ian, is a bit of card and more so after a few drinks, but always remains a hospitable host.

Oasis Bar
The Oasis Bar is next to The Scotsman and has recently been taken over by a new owner. This change may have been for the better but it is early days and still appears a little too quiet most nights. There are normally 4 or 5 girls here, all dressed the same, as they do in Pattaya which I confess I do like to see, they all appear to be quiet young, quite possibly all in their 20’s, and pretty. If you are looking for a young lovely, this is the bar where I would head for. Grab a girl, pay the bar fine and enjoy. This is not a bar I would use for a quiet drink, but it may be possible to do on a quiet night.

Good Bar
The Good Bar is the first bar on the left as you enter the Day and Night entertainment complex in Udon Thani. It normally has a good number of girls available and a pool table where they will hustle you as you get to know them a little. I have often seen older girls working here, and some that have worked here in the past have also worked in Pattaya in years gone by. No worries as you can get a good tune from an old fiddle, as they say.

Sunny Bar
The Sunny Bar is also a good place to track down some nice looking girls, although the bar often sees ex-pats and visitors who are more interested in the sport being screened. It is typically quite a lively bar, and for that reason alone breaks in to my top 5 bars in the Day and Night, Udon Thani.

When I started out on the exploration of the Udon Thani massage experience, which was done predominantly those within the catchment area of the naughty nightlife bars that span ‘Ferang Alley’, I set out not expecting to find much other than just a series of massage parlours which would offer a range of massages but perhaps not much else. Okay, that may perhaps have been somewhat naive, but my expectations were low due to the fact that this is (or was until now) a topic that is rarely covered on any of the forums that cover this region, or indeed anywhere. The local ex-pat community tend to not talk too much about it in case the wife finds out I guess.

Finding somewhere to get a massage in Udon Thani is really easy as there are loads of them scattered around the city, and even though I have lived here for several years, I dare say that I have not seen even half of them, but the massage parlours that are interest to the visitor, I have. From what I have seen, what is offer before any potential extra’s, is quite standard with Thai massages, foot massages, back massages and oil massages being the most common. Some establishments have herbal spa treatments, pedicures etc available, but as most advertise their services in Thai only, it is not always apparent just what is on offer at many of the Udon Thani massage parlours. This is why most visitors use the parlours close to the Udon Thani nightlife area, as all the advertising is in Thai and English.

Most of the girls that work in these massage parlours are single and almost certainly have at least one child from a former Thai partner. This gives them the real need for some income, to feed themselves and kid(s), which in turn will often mean that they are willing to that little extra to make you happy and make some better money. Perhaps not surprisingly, the massages here are not quite in the professional bracket, but that said, not that many visitors seem to mind as it is the special massage that is of interest in many cases.

Exactly what is available from place to place, in terms of a 'special massage' varies and is highly dependent on the individual girls. Some will oblige in just one way while others will offer the full package, and it really is a case of experimenting to find who offers what. Perhaps not entirely ideal for the visitor who may only be in Udon Thani for a week or so, but if you are visiting for a month or more (as many do), you will soon get to know the girls, and who will offer what.

Read all about the Massage Parlours in Udon Thani

Udon Thani, in the north east corner of Thailand, just 45km from the border with Laos to the north, is often described as an ugly city. Not in terms of crime but in terms of overall aesthetics and during my first two years living here, I too thought exactly the same. Although there is plenty of colour emanating from the thousands of shops, there is still an overall feel of ugliness about much of the town, and this is due to the age of the buildings that form the urban area.

The traditional method of building in Thailand is to place concrete posts in the corners, and elsewhere as required to support the structure and weight of the roof, then fill in the gaps with blocks. It's what they do beyond this point that makes the building look old before their time. A layer of cement is swept across the walls and posts, left to dry and then painted (sometimes with an undercoat). However, the paint is often rather thin and their is a greyness from the cement layer that becomes partially visible, along with the outline of the blocks it covers. This is particularly evident in many older residential homes, and has been done to save money. Sadly it looks pretty awful, but that is not a priority for most of the Thai's in Udon Thani, or the surrounding region.

A good deal of effort is in place to keep the Udon Thani city centre streets generally clean, but it can still look a bit dirty for visitors whose home town is normally kept cleaner to a much higher standard. What does not help is the lack of green spaces in the city, and again this has never really been a high priority, which is a shame and hopefully will change in years to come. There is Nong Prajak Park, the nicest of the three reservoirs that have been utilised to create recreational facilities. Prajak Park is well worth a visit to get away from the busy 'grey' streets in the city. Nong Sim Park and Nong Bua Park are the two other reservoirs that offer an escape for a couple of hours, but are not as interesting as Nong Prajak

The inner city is beginning to change as investment is being made to create nicer looking and very modern shopping complexes, and the recently expanded Central Plaza Shopping Mall is a very good example of this, as is Landmark Plaza, a centre packed with mobile phones, mobile phone accessories and a host of other IT accessories. There is one more new shopping complex, which is on the Tongyai Road between the railway station and McDonalds, called IT Plaza. I think you can guess what they sell here....yep, pretty much the same as landmark. Mobile phones are in incredible demand in Udon Thani.

Currently much of the city remains is it probably did some 20 years ago, but where the green spaces are lacking, at least there are attempts to make other features of the inner city look much better, such as strips of land that separate carriageways which have been lined with shrubs and flowering shrubs. The three roundabout in the city are really nice to observe when in full bloom too, with the fountain roundabout being the best of the them, especially if you can see it with the fountain in operation. The nearby clock tower roundabout and monument roundabout too are landscaped but to a much lesser degree, but worth taking some photographs.

Is Udon Thani really an ugly city? Well, if you compare it to the central areas of London, Paris or Rome, then yes it is but if you look at the city through different eyes and with an open mind, you will find many charms that make up for the otherwise apparent chaos of the grim looking shops and building that house them.

If you are looking for reasons to visit Udon Thani, then we are here to highlight to you what you are missing out on, if you have not been here before. Many people believe that Udon Thani is a small provincial town or in some cases a village, which has nothing or little to offer the visitor. While it is true to say that the city of Udon Thani does not feature a huge host of sightseeing attractions, it does have several places of passing interest. However, if you travel beyond the city limits, there is much more to do and see in Udon Thani, although this is not always obvious as you travel the road network. This is why we decided to create a website that provides everything you need to know about all of the main attractions in the Udon Thani area, broken down in to attractions in Udon Thani City,  attractions in Udon Thani Province and the Udon Thani Nightlife, which is much better than most people realise, although not as hectic is it is in the big cities in the south.

Udon Thani has a great range of restaurants serving a mixture of western and Thai meals, with traditional English, American and European breakfasts available, Italian restaurants and lots of other restaurants offering Italian meals such as Pizza and Spaghetti Bolognaise. Most of the restaurants have their own unique identity but what is most common is the friendly environment and atmosphere in each. The restaurants are places to hang out to find girls, although some girls working here would like the opportunity to meet a foreigner. You can find anything from light snacks through to proper belly busting meals should you work up a really healthy appetite. Our restaurant reviews should hopefully point you in the right direction.

The Nightlife in Udon Thani has nearly everything that is on offer in Pattaya, just a lot less of it, and it is more discreet. The visitors nightlife area, Ferang Alley as it is known, only covers a small area in the eastern part of central Udon Thani but has plenty of bars, Freelance girls, a Go Go Bar, Gay Bars, and Massage Parlours as well as the above mentioned restaurants. Indeed, to find some form of entertainment, you do not normally need to walk for much more than 10 minutes to find something, if you book a hotel near the Central Plaza complex or on Ferang Alley.

A couple of weeks here, and you will discover that Udon Thani has far more to it than meets the eye. It is not a pretty city by any means but you can still have a great time here, especially if you are male and unaccompanied.