Chaiyapum - If You Need To Get Away From The Hordes
Lost in Chaiyaphum: A First-Timer's Misadventures in Thailand's Hidden Gem Ever heard of Chaiyaphum? Of course you haven't. Well, join the club! This off-the-beaten-path province in Thailand's northeast ( Isaan ) region is so under-the-radar that when I told my friends I was going there, they assumed I was mispronouncing "Chiang Mai" with a mouthful of pad Thai . Getting There Getting to Chaiyaphum is half the adventure. There are several approaches, each with their own unique brand of character-building experiences: Option 1 : Bus from Bangkok For about 250-350 baht ($7-10), you can enjoy a 5-6 hour journey where you'll become intimately familiar with Thai road safety standards and the back of the seat in front of you. Buses leave regularly from Bangkok's Mo Chit terminal, though "regularly" is sometimes an optimistic term. Option 2 : Fly to Khon Kaen + Bus Fly to Khon Kaen (the nearest airport, about 2 hours away) for 1,500-3,000 baht ($4...