text: [{"text_idx": "#000036", "text": "Nakhon Pathom to Hua Hin"}, {"text_idx": "#000117", "text": "Ban Chiang, 50 km to the east of Udon Thani, is the site of some of the most important archaeological finds on South East Asia. The reason that they are so important is that the pottery and metal tools discovered, dating back to around around 1,500 BC, are evidence of much earlier settled agrarian communities than were previously believed to exist."}, {"text_idx": "#000118", "text": "Ancient pottery found at Ban Chiang"}, {"text_idx": "#000119", "text": "The main visitor attraction at Ban Chiang is the Ban Chiang National Museum which features displays of a large range of the artefacts discovered in and around the village of Ban Chiang, as well as displays recreating village life more than 3,000 years ago and displays about the dig sites which uncovered these artefacts and the archaeologists involved in that work. The cheap way to get to Ban Chiang is to take any bus from Udon Thani heading eastwards on the main highway towards Sakon Nakhon. For Ban Chiang alight from the bus at the village of Nong Mek, which is on the main Undon Thani to Sakon Nakhon highway, and from there take a tuk-tuk for the 7 km journey to village of Ban Chiang which is where the National Museum is located. Tuk-tuks wait near the traffic lights on the main highway by the turning to Nong Mek village. The journey from Nong Mek to Ban Chaing in a tuk-tuk will cost around 100 THB one-way although we recommend paying a little bit extra and getting the driver to wait to take you back on the return journey to the highway to get the bus back to Udon Thani."}]