Thai people love their markets and you can find them anywhere. Nong Khai was no exception and the biggest one open everyday was the Chinese market down by the Mekong. It was a pretty big semi-indoor market with anything you could possibly need. Another one was the Sunday Night market open only on Sundays between 6-9PM. A little smaller but a better place if you wanted to find real bargains, or eat some bugs. Quality products might not be the word that comes to mind when I think back at some of the stuff for sale, I must have bought at least 3-4 pair of cheap sunglasses that lasted about one week each. Even so, the thai markets provided a nice atmosphere and it was always fun to stroll around in the middle of their organized chaos.
What definitely put the city on the map was the sculpture park, SalaKeawKoo. Located about a 10 minute tuk-tuk ride from central Nong Khai was this very surreal area filled with buddhist and hindu sculptures. Founded by a Lao native named Luang Poo, who's mummified body still can be found in the main building in the park, it depicts over a hundred sculptures from both Theravada and Mahayana buddhism , as well as hindu sculptures and snakes in various forms and shapes. I wasn't too excited when I first heard about it, but when I got there and saw it for myself I changed my mind. Some of those statues are huge! The pictures doesn't really display either the size of the sculptures or the atmosphere of the park, which is a shame, but I guess you had to be there. Or have to go there.
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