Rediscovering Sisaket City

In June 2018, I took a two-week holiday in Thailand and spent much of the time exploring Isan by public transport. Little did I realise when I stayed a night in Sisaket that I would end up married and living in the province within 5 years. Back in the northeast, before our wedding, I wanted to explore the city for a few hours.

Downtown Sisaket

Taew and I were on an extended stay at our future home, seeing the kitchen and bathroom extension taking shape as well as getting out and about to discover beautiful places together. With football being my passion, it gave me a good excuse to head into the city before the match to have a walk around.

I was taken to Kanthararom Market, where a desk was set up inside one of the plots of the small square at the rear of the main area. The lady there spoke no English, and my Thai was minimal. We agreed that she would sell me a 53 THB ticket to Sisaket, but I had no way of ascertaining how long I would have to wait. 

It was over an hour all told before I alighted at the bus station in the city. I knew my bearings from our couple of trips a few months earlier and from my first time visiting Sisaket. It was from that overnight stop that I had taken away a good impression of it.

Memories of 2018

My hotel in 2018 was centrally located and good value. I found a nice bar walking from the football stadium, and I remember there were not many taxis and no tuk-tuks about. The market area around the railway station was most vibrant. It was an act of friendship and kindness that remained most in my memory.

Rather than an early night, which wouldn’t have been a bad idea, I headed in search of where people enjoyed a night out. I found a hotel beer garden, where locals insisted I sit with them while they showed me photos of them in military service. Next door was a nightclub.

I went into a noisy place with a live band playing. I was the only foreigner. This seemed to intrigue some of the customers who wanted to talk to me above the din. I was the eldest in there, drinking from large bottles of beer and must have looked quite a sight. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

When I decided it was time for me to go home, a man and his friends followed me outside. I wasn’t worried in the slightest, but I was still aware of possible danger. They wanted to make sure that I got to my room safely and insisted on driving me. I said I wanted to stop at 7-Eleven for a snack and that I was fine, but they had made up their minds that I was to receive 5-star treatment. 

Sisaket Bus Station

Back to the Future

With time to kill, I walked to where a restaurant/bar called Leo’s was advertised. It seemed to have closed, which was correct on investigation, so I continued, taking some photos of a large temple and then the Town Municipality Office, taking in my surroundings.

I’d asked questions on a local expat Facebook page about my options for watching sport on TV and where other farangs headed. I was pointed towards Hong Kong Garden, which was on my way to the football match. It proved to be sound advice.

A New Friend and Ideal Place to Spend Time

Hong Kong Garden was my type of place. Not busy, with a large TV screen, and fascinating music album covers adorning the walls. Peter, the host, introduced himself. His wife Amy was also with him in the kitchen.

My pizza was exactly what I was looking for. It was big and tasty, with the toppings being more than plentiful. The fridge had a small selection of English beers as well as the local stuff. All the prices represented excellent value. Music from the 60s through to the 80s was playing. 

I explained my background, and I’d be moving to the nearby countryside and that I was going to watch football at the SAT Stadium between Rasisalai United and Yasothon. Peter helped me with my pronunciation of the home team! I said my farewells and set off walking.

Problem Solving

Peter and Amy were surprised I wanted to walk and said they could order me a taxi, but I was confident I knew where I was going, and it would only take around fifteen minutes. What Google Maps hadn’t added to their app was a new housing development that blocked my route. With the help of friendly locals, I just about made the kick-off.

The match was nothing to write home about but a pleasant experience, nonetheless. Now it was time to find a way home. No drivers were available on either of my taxi apps, and I had the added problem of finding where I lived on the app's map. The last thing I wanted was to ring Taew to come and collect me on my first independent day out. 

Earlier, I had asked at the bus station about any services going near where I lived. I received extremely blank looks, so that was out of the question. I’d seen a couple of taxis there, providing an option. However, I reverted to a plan that had served me well over many years. I would go and have a beer and consider my options. After all, Amy did say she could arrange a taxi for me earlier.

Some of the Album Covers in Hong Kong Garden

So that’s what I did. I could phone Taew, who would speak to Amy, who would then explain to the taxi driver where I needed to go. Simple! And there was time for another beer while I waited. I made sure Taew and I called in a few days later, so she knew that I had been in a good place for her peace of mind.

That was my rediscovery of Sisaket city, where I would enjoy countless times thereafter, as I got to know the place and all it had to offer, even making a video guide for my YouTube Channel and attending lots of football matches with friends I made through Peter’s introductions.

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