Home » Thailand » Northeastern Thailand » Ubon

Ubon Ratchathani

Posted by Stuart at 01:35 PM on August 10, 2005

I have been spending the last few days in Isaan (Northeast Thailand). My base has been the town (and province) of Ubon Ratchathani. Ubon (as it is called for short) is another small, quaint provincial capital, and is located in Eastern Thailand on the banks of the Mun River near the borders of Laos and Cambodia. The "downtown" area is quite small, so over the past few days (when it hasn't been raining) I have been able to explore it completely.

In general, there is not much here. There is a very nice, well-maintained park and a few old temples, but since Ubon is a relatively new city and "only" around two hundred years old (similar to Bangkok), there isn't much in the way of historical places to visit.

The people here more than make up for the lack of tourist attractions, however. As in most places in Isaan, the people have been incredibly friendly to me. Most of the people I see at least say "Hello" to me as they pass on the street (or on their motorbikes). Some try out the few phrases of English that they know. Others, however, give me full stories about how they learned to speak English when the American troops were here 30 years ago.

But perhaps the most exciting part of my trip was finding out that Ubon has perhaps the cheapest Internet cafes in Thailand. And the quality has been surprisingly good as well. The one I am at now costs 10 baht (US$0.25) per hour. Contrast that to the 120 baht (US$3) an hour that you might find in the tourist areas of Bangkok, and you know why I've been sitting at this terminal all day.

My trip has not gone without disappointment however. But it has not been Udon's or the people of Udon's fault; it is 100% my own. My original plan was to come to Udon for a few days and then cross the border into Laos and visit Pakse and Champasak. But guess what brilliant move Yours Truly made? What would be the one thing that I could not do without?

Yup... I forgot to bring my passport. D'oh! But again, luckily my mai bpen rai attitude is still going strong. Instead of Laos, I have been enjoying the quiet and peaceful life in this small Thai town on the Mun -- eating its food, chatting with its residents, and spending my time in its fabulously cheap Internet cafes.