quick answers

q: is this place worth visiting?
a: {direct answer}

q: is it expensive?
a: {direct answer}

q: who would hate it here?
a: {specific take}

q: best time to visit?
a: {clear answer}

the weather here is 27.21c, but it feels like 30.54. this is not a typo. it’s the air pretending to be summer. when you step outside, the heat hits you like a bad decision. you start sweating. then you realize the sweat is contributing to the heat. it’s a cycle.

‘i heard from a local that the humidity here is so bad, it makes your phone screen glow faintly. they said to carry a microfiber towel. which i did. then i lost it in a market. i lost it to a dog. which is fine. dogs here are literal gods.’

here’s the deal: this city isn’t about polished signs or Instagrammable corners. it’s about the way the street vendor’s apron smells like ambition. the way the monsoon season starts in august but never really ends. the way kids play near the river even when the water looks dangerous.

someone mentioned a nickname for this place: ‘the concrete lung.’ it sticks. if you’re into gritty film aesthetics, this is your canvas. i filmed a scene here where a woman sold lotus seeds from a cart. the crowd didn’t care. they just bought.

‘you don’t need a permit to shoot here. which is both freeing and terrifying. last week, a guy from facebook started filming us without asking. i told him to stop. he said, ‘it’s just a documentary.’ i don’t trust documentaries.’

history nerds might appreciate the old train station. it’s repurposed as a performance space. last night, a punk band played there. their lyrics were about u don’t trust the government. i didn’t question their patriotism.

a pro tip: if you want to blend in, wear clothes that smell like everything. jasmine, exhaust, and street food. locals here won’t bat an eye if your shirt smells like a grocery store. which is more authentic than pretentiousness anyway.

‘the money here is weird. 100 baht is about $3. but if you spend $3 on a drink, you’re a foreigner. if you spend $10 on a drink, you’re a tourist. the line is thin.’

link to tripadvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g303736-Udon_Thani_Thailand.html
link to reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/UdonThani/
link to yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/local-business
link to filmpermit: https://www.udonthani.travel/

map:

img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1575881497442-de4e9f551b33?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&w=1080&q=80" alt="view photography of concrete stairs" width="100%"
img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1540580633806-c1761a8dd4d5?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&w=1080&q=80" alt="woman standing at the train station" width="100%"
img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1607164989324-a3bbb38eeb6f?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&w=1080&q=80" alt="people walking on sidewalk near trees during daytime" width="100%"

p.s. if you’re a vegan, skip the street food. i tried. the政海 dog meat place had a vegan option. it was a lettuce wrap. i ate it and later cried.

another thing: the internet here is spotty. i tried to stream a podcast about filmmaking. it buffer-loaded a cat scratching a tree. i thought it was a metaphor. it wasn’t.

odon thani’s concrete jungle for film buffs who hate amenities

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