The Sala Keoku Sculpture Park is located 6 km east of Nong Khai on National Route 212. A visit there is certainly one of the most surprising sights when visiting Nong Khai. Dozens of enormous cement statues stand in the garden of Wat Khaek. These sculptures are the work of Lao Bun Luang Pu Leua Surirat, who acquired the land in 1978 shortly after being expelled from his native Laos. There, near Vientiane, he had begun building a similar park, the Buddha Park. The park, a synthesis of Buddhist and Hindu ideas, is meant to represent a fantastical journey into the mind of a shaman. It contains statues of Buddha, Vishnu, Shiva, multi-armed goddesses, Naga serpents, and all sorts of human-animal hybrids. The most famous sculpture in Sala Keoku is Buddha seated on the body of a seven-headed serpent. All the statues were erected according to the instructions of Luang Pu Bun Leua Surirat and inspired by his dreams. It took him twenty years to build this park.

Entrance fee: 20 THB. There are maps of the park that explain the details of each statue, but strangely, these are not available in Sala Kaew, only in some guesthouses or motorbike rental companies.

There is no public transport to Sala Kaew Ku, but most buses traveling east from Nong Khai stop at the intersection with Highway 212, which leads to the park. From there, it's about a kilometer's walk to the park entrance. The easiest and cheapest way to get there is by bicycle, as bikes are readily available. Many guesthouses in Nong Khai offer bicycles to their guests free of charge. Alternatively, you can take a tuk-tuk, which will take you there for about 200 baht, wait for an hour, and then return you to town.

How to get there

How do you get to Sala Kaew Ku? There is no direct public transport to Sala Kaew Ku, but most buses traveling east from Nong Khai stop at the intersection with Highway 212, which leads to the park. From there, it's about a kilometer's walk to the park entrance. The easiest and cheapest way to reach the park is by bicycle, as bikes are readily available. Many guesthouses in Nong Khai offer free bicycles to their guests. Alternatively, you can take a tuk-tuk, which will take you there for about 200 THB, wait for an hour, and then bring you back to town.