Amnat Charoen / Thailand

This poor place consists mainly of the crossroad of two Thai highways and a growing number of sideroads. The rest is din, traffic and business. Amnat Charoen is also a province and the town is the province capital. It lies in Thailand's northeastern region Isan.

The earth is cracking and the heavens shake - a Yamaha promotion with a maximum of din coming out of the loudspeakers. Besides, they block part of the highway, what is just a normal thing for companies and people to do. An gathering of the bluntest is watching the spectacle with showmaster and dancing girls. Image by Asienreisender, 12/2015

One can walk for some kilometers on asphalt around here, where road 202 and 212 meet. Surrounded is the place partially by a ringroad around the eastern sections. The landscapes here are plains, plains and more plains, rice paddies and a bit of water. North of the place is a larger lake. From my hotel room in the 4th floor I could see on the northeastern horizon a hill chain. In the east does the province border to Laos at the Mekong River.

There is no tourism here and the people who stay in the local hotels are rather travelling salesmen. Since it is difficult or rather impossible to rent a vehicle, a traveller has little possibility to come around.

One could add that this is also a place where the bus station is far outside town. Seems, that mostly vans come and go to Amnat Charoen. Idiotically, most of the vans have to pass the city center when arriving or leaving. So, the passengers have to charter extra transport to reach the bus station just to be driven back after departure. A masterpiece of transport mismanagement.

Amnat Charoen's Town Center

Towards the intersection of the highways 202 and 212. It's the city center with a small park and a small public library. Image by Asienreisender, 12/2015