Isaan Cultural Tours - Isan Thai Homestay

Rural Isaan. Daily Farming and Cultural Life.
Sirindhorn Museum / Dinosaur Excavations.
Thai Cooking
Ta Thum Elephant Park.
OTOP Village Projects.
Wats, Buddhas, Museums & Khymer ruins.
Meditation & Buddhism in a Forest Wat.
Professional Massage.

Full Day Tours

We can send you on your way using public transport or your own with all the information you need. English speaking guide available for 1500 Baht per day. Transport can be arranged at a reasonable price for Driver/Guide. Motor bikes for rent.

Thai Cooking Course

Nattaya will teach you to cook traditional Thai dishes with Isaan touch. Visit Kalasin or Roi-Et market. Learn about Sticky rice, Pad Thai, Som Tam papaya salad, Larb Moo, Spring rolls, Gai Yang grilled chicken, Tom Yum Gung and many more recipes.

One or two day courses including market visit. Up to 30 different Menu’s to choose from. Cost 1000 baht per day for two people.

Meditation

Venue. Wat Ban Sanaam Chai near Roi-Et. Under the tutelage of Abbot Luangpho Udomsap. These experiences are ormaly very hard to come by.

Duration. Minimum 3 days. Recommended. 9 days for best benefit. Arranging fee by ourselves of 500 baht per day. No fee for stay but donations are expected to cover accommodation & monastery meals.

1. Learn About meditation.

2. Understand Buddhism.

3. Learn top meditation techniques. (Vipassana)

Monastry life in Forest setting.

-Early morning bell to rise. Meditation & reading. Two regular meals & time for reading, Contemplation and Peacefulness. Forest walks for Peaceful thoughts in Forest Park.

This is your journey of introspection and self help. We are here to assist and advise you. Graham will be your mentor.

Set Up Cost: 3 Days. Baht 2100 9 Days 3500 Baht.

Tour 1.

Explore Rural & Cultural Isaan.

Rural farms, Rice, Catfish, Buffaloes, Mushrooms, Brahman cattle etc. Village OTOP Concept Projects. Temples, Khymer ruins, Tallest Buddha and monastery. In afternoon join with ceremonial procession.In very central Isaan between Kalsin, Roi-et and Khon Kaen The Village of Ban Khe welcome you into their midst. Traditional Thai country music and live band accompany tour. Check out how the town is run…meet the mayor and staff who handle the village affairs. A system of minimal cost and outlays that works so effectively. For more detail check website of Isaan Guesthouse / Homestay and Isaan Cultural tours.

A third of Thailand population live in Isaan.

It is very likely that you will experience a ceremonial procession for which the area is famous for while you are here. Other possibilities if they strike your fancy…Mor lam festivities, Muay Thai boxing, Local Cockfighting (Sat & Sundays) and local gambling. Weddings, funerals and various other ceremonies which keep this place so alive.

Nattaya’s family farm rice and fish at Tanya near Ban Bo Village along the canal fed from the Lampan Dam. Visit small mushroom and catfish farms nearby.

Harvesting rice in April & November (Two crops) the burning of left over husks and stubble and cultivation of land for the next crop. January & May for sowing of the seed. Famous area for Sticky rice. Also do Jasmine rice growing.

After harvest duck farmers are plentiful and what a great experience watching them herd their ducks in flocks of a 3000-6000 thousand and collecting eggs the morning after.

Tour 2

Dinosaurs. Visit Sirindhorn Museum.

Dinosaur fossils were found by the abbot of Wat Sakawan, in 1994 at Phu Kum mountain. Researchers excavated the fossils and found that this place is the largest herbivorous dinosaur site in Thailand; most of the fossils belonging to sauropods from 120 million years ago.

The museum project started in 1995 and opened in 1998. The museum was named after Princess Maka Chakri Sirindhorn. It is a magnificent museum especially the origin of the earth and universe.

The museum is divided into 8 different exhibition zones. The Origin of the Earth and Universe; The Origin of the Living Things; Paleozoic Era; Mesozoic Era, Thai dinosaur; Dinosaurs in Thailand; Bring life to dinosaur; Cenozoic Era; Human being

Sirinhorn museum and Phiu Kum Khao Dinosaur excavation. This archaeological museum is situated in the foothills of Phu Kum Khao mountain in Sahatsakhan District. The Palaeozoic Era was 200 million years ago, long before humans existed. Dinosaurs once lived in this area and we find their fossils underneath the sandstone bedding- plane. Hence, the museum is a research centre as well as being the most complete and largest dinosaur museum in South East Asia. The museum was named after Princess Maha Chakri Sirinhorn. Exhibits include life size skeletons of the many significant dinosaur species discovered in this area, such as Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae, Siamosaurus suteethorni and Siamotyrannus isanensis. In addition, also displayed in the museum, is the actual archaeological dig-site where fossils of six dinosaurs were unearthed from the same bedding plane.

Tour 3.

Thai Cooking . Isaan Food.

Learn to cook 5 Thai dishes. This includes going shopping in the marketplace and full preparation. Cook lunch and dinner. If you have not tried sticky rice with traditional dishes yet here is your chance. Chilli’s are a way of life but optional for those with a delicate palate.

Isaan food is distinct from Thai and Lao cuisines. Som Tam papaya salad, larb meat salad, spring rolls and Gai Yang grilled chicken. All cooked to suit your pallet. Sticky rice a staple food of NE Thailand cuisine and chillies are prominent. Wonderful evening meal and entertainment. Tom Yum Soup is a must.

Tour 4.

Visit Tha Thum Elephant Park, Elephant Show and Museum.

Tha Thum is Surin districts “District of Elephants’ There are approx. 250 elephants living in Tha Thum. Historically elephants worked in “Logging” (removing trees from forests) creating an income for their owners. As logging has now been banned for many years in Thailand, domesticated elephants are now unemployed. The elephants are well treated in this region and their handlers are proud of their standard.

Tour 5.

Visit a Silk Village. From Silkworm to Perfect Silk Products.

Isan is a centre for the production of Thai silk. The trade received a major boost in the post-war years, when Jim Thompson popularised Thai silk among Westerners. One of the best-known types of Isan silk is mut-mee, which is tie-dyed to produce geometric patterns on the thread.

Tour 6.

Vist OTOP Village Projects.

The One Tambon One Product movement is a self-help effort wherein rural communities participate in the creation of a product that can be sold locally and internationally. (Wikipedia)

A unique project where each village concentrates on making one product. Businesses are centered from the home so people can live normal lives bringing up children while living a productive life.

Mor Lam Music show

The most common form of evening entertainment on a Friday or Saturday evening within easy reach is a Mor Lam Festival. Usually the Rock festival sized stage is constructed in a Temple or compound/sports field. Thousands of people attend, sitting on mats on the ground or standing watching and listening to the entertainment. The traditional music and song is accompanied by extremely colourful choreography, executed by a group of up to 30 female and some male dancers (Katoey). Fantastic costumes are changed several times throughout the program. and the transitions are bridged by raunchy gags, slap stick comedy and speeches by local dignitaries. A Mor Lam Festival is a family affair and is surrounded by food and drink.

Annual Ceremonies.

We can do a Tour with you.

Check Thailand Tourism website for updates.

November. Surin Elephant Festival (If you can’t make that, visiting the Elephant farm is a must. I have an original Elephant painting which I would not swop for a Van Goght!!). 160kms.