Nong Khai runs at a different pace, and also a different wavelength. This is the place you go if you want to sit by the river and see shooting stars streak over neighbouring Laos. This is the place you go when you want to feel like time sits still. It’s quiet here. And that quietude can verge on boredom for the uninitiated. The key is to know the real Nong Khai, how it morphs throughout a given day, where it switches on and off until finally all is silent. Unless there’s a relentless Mor-Lam underway nearby.