Bikes, Buses, Boats, Beaches and Beer, on a Budget - Noddy's (mis)Adventures in Asia

KORAT, BUA YAI AND PHI MAI

The plan was set, Danca was going to be hitting Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima) with his girlfriend Fon to visit her family so we all jumped in his hire car, packed the gear, set the GPS and headed out into Thailand traffic. As you know I have no issue getting out on a bike but I am very reluctant to get behind the wheel of a car. It was a long day's driving but a great start to the trip and amazingly I was out of bed the next morning earlier than I have been in weeks (aside from the day to actually get here).

A couple of hours were spent online sussing out what 2 West Aussies could get up to in rural Thailand. As with most outback places in many countries... plenty! Aside from a few local attractions, there was more fishing to do here than you could poke your ugly stick at.

After visiting Fon’s family when we arrive in the tiny town of Bua Yai, we quickly dig for worms and get a couple of cast’s out on the family pond, but no luck. No worrie’s, a few cold beers and some dinner later, we are loving the change of pace being out of the city. Fon and her sister visited the market while we scoped out the pond and soon enough there was a huge spread of food being prepared, absolutely superb. Then off to our hotel, Crystal Place, right near the huge pond in town, great value and highly recommended.

The next day starts with Danca and I trying to load my Ipad with music so as to avoid the Thai pop on Isaan airwaves. Apparently we are too fucken stupid to work an Ipad and were left deservingly defenceless against shit music all day. Though I think Danca doth protest too much about the music, pretty sure he secretly likes it, could see him bopping away while driving!! Hey, I offered to put on Slayer from my phone but he said 'no, Thai pop is ok'!

We have about 50km worth of driving (after obligatory 3 stops for food and markets, plus order a birthday cake for Fon's son) and the car is loaded with Gai ping, kaow niaow and pineapple and we are off to Phi Mai. Before we make it to our first stop, Danca is distracted out the corner of his eye and we pull over to check out slightly interesting bridge thing. But as is often the case, we do find something interesting.

An old man is feeding a net out off a bridge into a fast running creek/drain thing as apparently there are Pla Chon (common snakehead) in there. He nears the end of the net, hands it off to a young guy then runs around the bridge and jumps into the river where he grabs the last of the net and drifts off downstream with it in the hopes of raping the creek for all it's worth. It's quite a laugh and just one of those things you find when you least expect it. I have a few casts with plastic frog, but after 40 foot of net has just gone by before me, decide to move on!

Old man sets the net...