Sala Kaeo ku - A Jaw-Dropping Sculpture Park near to Nong Khai, Thailand

Sala Kaeo Ku is a pretty awesome sight and certainly worth a visit, even if you're just in Nong Khai for a day. There are many, huge concrete sculptures, some towering 25 or so meters into the sky. A 25 metre statue isn't particularly unique in Thailand but it's the style of the statues, combined with the sheer number that makes this place special. Altogether there are some 100 sculptures. The park, which was completed in 1978, draws on not just Buddhism but also Hinduism and Christianity - It serves now as a place lay people can come to meditate.

The brainchild of the place was Boun Leua Sourirat, a Laotian artist who named the park after a hermit, Keoku, who he stumbled upon in a cave and who became his spiritual teacher. There's another similar park he created in Laos. Boun fled to Nong Khai from Laos in 1974 as the Communists began to take hold, concerned his onorthodox views might not be accepted. He passed away in 1996, possibly as a result of a fall from one of his own sculptures. His body resides in the main building here. His followers claim his hair still grows. Boun stated that anyone who drinks even a sip of water while in the park will eventually end up giving all their money to the park. I remember the day I visited, I didn't drink anything! I normally carry a water bottle but that day I forgot to!

Perhaps the most striking sculpture is one of a Hindu god (not, so I was told, Buddha) sitting underneath 7 hissing snakes, complete with not just fangs but a set of razor sharp teeth.

Admission is just 20 baht for foreigners (I'm not sure how much it costs for Thais). It's open from 7am to 5pm. See the Nong Khai map to help you get there. The best way is to avoid the busy highway 212 as much as possible is by cutting through a temple and school. If you head along the river, turn right when you reach the large temple at the end that stands in the middle of the road. Then turn left after about 50 meters, passing by a busy market. Take the first right, after only 30 or so meters.

Then travel for 100 or so meters and you should see a very clear sign for Sala Kaeo Ku, directing you left. From here, this road links up with Highway 212, but actually splits up into 2 roads that both get you there. After 200 or so meters, you'll get to some gates that are probably open and you'll see school type buildings and beyond the school, a temple. It's OK to go through both the school and the temple, to then meet a road that will take you up to highway 212. Or you can veer right, around the school. Then after 200 or so meters, you can turn left to meet up with the school/temple route to the highway or just carry straight on to join up with the highway.

Once at the highway, the road to Sal Kaeo Ku is roughly opposite but if you're not walking, you'll have to turn left and journey for about 200 meters down the highway, then make a U-turn to get to the road. The park is about half a kilometer down this road on your left. You'll start to see the sculptures a long way before you actually arrive there. From the center of Nong Khai to the sculpture park is about 5 kms and it's a nice quiet journey most of the way - a bicycle is a great way to do it.

If you carry on cycling past the park, there are some nice, tranquil small roads that take you into the countryside where you might get the occassional quizzical look as it seems not many tourists venture this way.

Return from Sala Kaeo Ku to Nong Khai Thailand