Michael Hare

Glad to be of service. Dealerships never repair; just replace. 

Australia were out-thought and not smart at all. But no surprise. They were lucky to even get to the quarter finals. Who will be the next Aussie coach? A Kiwi? Yesterday an Australian writer in the Sydney Morning Herald suggested Eddie Jones.

Try Ubon Ratchathani. Has an airport, three universities, Makros, Big Cs, Tescos (note the plurals), Central Plaza, swimming pools. Easy to get around town and to get out into the countryside. Has waterfalls out towards the Lao and Cambodian border areas.  Easy drive up to Mukdahan and out to the Mekong river at Chong Mek. Lots of nature. I agree with your comments about Khon Kaen. I lived there from 1974-1980. 

I gave up on getting documents notarized in Ubon some years ago, because the lawyers that did it in Ubon, charged "an arm and a leg". For three pages about 5,000 baht. Instead, I now use Skype or WhatsApp. I make an appointment with my lawyers back in NZ and we see one another and I show my passport so they can verify it is me. Then I sign the documents in the right places so they can see it. After that, I scan the signed documents  and email them back to the lawyers in NZ. Maybe NZ is easier than the USA.

Over the years I have used Watana Car Air. They are on Phalochai Rd next to the entrance to Wat Chai Mongkon. When coming from the Mun River past Tung Sri Muang, turn hard left just past Ubon Plaza, and Watana Car Air is about 100 m along the road on the left. They are very busy and you may have to make an appointment. They will give you a quote.

As far as I know you can park there for as long as you like. That is what the lady at the ticket booth told me upon entering to park. Two weeks ago I parked my car in the fee-paying car park for three days. Back in May I parked for four days. 

I don't live in Mukdahan, but I would be a little surprised if any place would be showing World Cup Rugby live. An option for you would be to subscribe to beINSPORTS.

https://www.beinsports.com/en/rugby-world-cup/

That way, you can watch the games on your mobile phone or notebook, wherever you are in Thailand.

Thank you for that information Patriot. Good on Seven Seas. I am very pleased with my World Cup package from beINsports. The commentators are excellent (very neutral). I don't get to watch that many games Live as I am working, but then I could watch replays if I wanted to. 

10 hours ago, Camping in the sun said:

Thanks Mr Michael, but could you suggest one?

 

And yes, my plan is to meet him at the airport, but I'll take the van from Mukdahan earlier in the day. Mukdahan taxis told me 2000 baht to go to Ubon and then 10 baht per kilometre + 200 baht service charge to return, so I won't take the taxi both ways.

 

I think that spending the night in Ubon might indeed be better and then we can navigate the potholes up north in the morning.

 

 

As I live in Ubon, I do not stay in hotels to really recommend one.

In the higher price range close to 1000 baht/night with breakfast there is the Tohsang and Rapeephan hotels. 

In the medium price range (600-800 baht./night), there is the The Bliss, Wish, V Hotel and B2B. They serve breakfast. 

Hop Inn is popular but no breakfast. 

I suggest you click into the hotel websites and read the reviews.

I think there are probably over 50 hotels in Ubon in the medium price range.

I just heard that a hotel is going to be built across the road from the lane entrance to my house. Costing 200 million baht. 

Lots of good hotels in that price range. If he is your best friend, why are you not picking him up? Years ago, some of the better hotels in Mukdahan use to run a van shuttle service to and from Ubon airport. I don't know if they still do it. 

I have lived in Ubon since 1994. I have watched live on TV, six Rugby World Cups on my True (before UBC) package. I sat down just before midday today to watch live, Fiji vs Australia. Clicked on to Setanta. No World Cup rugby. I thought another channel must be showing it. Not one single channel was showing it. No worries. I have RugbyPass. And guess what? No World Cup rugby on RugbyPass.

Panic.

I did a quick search and found this channel which I had never heard of before beinsports.com

For a 1600 baht package they will allow one to see all the World cup Rugby games. Took me about 5 minutes to login and get accepted. Another few minutes to connect from mobile phone to the TV. 

So I now can watch the rugby world cup. I guess Thailand is not a mad rugby nation and not that many people would be interested in watching. Still, in previous years, the World Cup was streamed live. Maybe these rights are too expensive these days. 

Both sides of the ring road passing Central Plaza are open. The inward bound lanes are down to one lane in some parts due to some bridge construction. 

The flood waters in Amnart were flash floods and blocked road drains caused by three days of constant rain from the cyclone. The water did, briefly, reach high levels in parts of Amnart city township, but then quickly receded. Not like in Ubon city, where most of the flooding was caused from the water overflowing from the Mun River from water coming in from upcountry. 

Last week, I travelled twice through that area (Tuesday and Thursday), and I didn't see any flooding at all. 

One side of the ring road from Central Plaza to the Mun River is open. 

The photos tell the story.

This afternoon it took me 50 minutes from the Charoen Sri market, Warin, to reach the Chayangkul intersection via the eastern ring road. 

My wife informs me that the vegetable and fruit section in Tops supermarket at Central is low on quality products.

56 minutes ago, SantiSuk said:

I should have added:

 

A major national newspaper that I am unable to link/quote here (due to "The Nation's" sponsorship/relationship with ThaiV) had an article yesterday evening suggesting there is a massive quantity of water heading down the Mun and due to hit Ubon today (Friday).

That would be correct. One of my staff just came across the river on the army trucks. much higher than two days ago. I heard that in and around Haui Wang Nong there is extensive flooding and traffic jams. The road in front of the Laithong hotel is under water and water is in the basement rooms at the Sappasit hospital. 

8 minutes ago, SantiSuk said:

Dunno whether Central Plaza mall was open yesterday but the western side of the Ring Road was still passable, but with backed up traffic due to 2 lanes not 4 being used (and diversions on one of the directions through Central's car park). It will not take much of a rise in the water levels to completely cut the western side.

 

The two Warin-Ubon bridges ('town bridge' and the 'UbonRak bridge') were impassable yesterday and seemingly likely to remain so for some days unless there is a miraculous reduction in the run-off flow rate coming down the Mun River.

 

The only dry route yesterday from the Southern side of Ubon into the town centre involved heading east-bound along the Ring Road South and crossing over the Mun Bridge at Ring Road E. The map posted from social media above by Farma shows this and seems to imply that the recommendation was to go all the way round to the Amnat/Chayangkhul intersection to turn left off the Ring Road down Chayangkhul. Might have been the only route, though it's possible that the the Trakan Rd route would have worked or even cutting across the top end of Huai Wang Nong. I haven't seen anyone commenting on whether the Tamsun Road, that would take you past the southern end of Huai Wang Nong, is blocked (probably is, given the map above).

 

Source: various social media postings, but particularly your Warin South near-neighbour, Derek, who was out and about and using the eastern approaches and coming back via the Central Plaza area. Derek recommends using the Phibun Rd to get out to the Ring Road just south of the Ring Rd E Mun bridge - surmises that it is lighter traffic than using the Ring Road South.
 

All this is yesterday day time info. Today and the next few days could be different/worse.

 

Edit/PS: haven't seen anyone comment about whether that extension of Saphasit over the Mun Diversion and to Central Plaza/Ring Road West is open

Hello SantiSuk. This morning at 6;30 am I came out from my home near Hop Inn and was unable to drive straight across the little Mun River past Central Plaza on that ring road. I believe the road from Ben school over the Little Mun River to Central is still open (just), though the driving range is under water. I came out to the university using the eastern ring road. Traffic was very light but I expect it to mount up during the day. In the 2002 floods this road was under water but after that the road was raised up.

The main problem this time is that since the 2002 floods, so much land has been raised up either side of the western ring road. Central, The River, Home Hub etc. The water is seeking out new pathways to seep to. 

I expect the flood waters to take a month or longer to go down. I say this, because in most years we receive 1-2 tropical cyclones at the end of September to early October. And upcountry, the dam gates at the Ubon Rat dam in Nampong and the Lat Paow dam in Kalasin may be opened to release water down the Chi River. Releasing dam water caused the floods in Ubon in 1978, 2000, 2001 and 2002.

8 hours ago, bergen said:

The Northern part of the ring road passing Chayangkhun, Kemmarat, Tan Sum, and Phibun intersections was ok yesterday

Thank you Bergen. I came home that way this afternoon. No problems. No traffic jams. The water levels are now higher than the big flood in 2002 but not quite to the level of the 1978 flood. I remember that flood. Roads to Ubon were closed but one could travel on the train to Warin and then get a boat across to Ubon city centre. 

Just heard that the ring road from the Mun river past Central Plaza is now open. Huge traffic jams getting into Ubon from Warin using the road past Do Home. 

I can not commenmt on the Kanthalarak road to Ubon, but getting through Ubon from Warin is getting difficult.

1. Yesteday afternoon the ring road from the big Mun river that goes past Central Plaza was closed. This was due to the small bridges in front of the Labour Department-BMW-Home Hub area being flooded over. I am not sure if the road is now open or not.

2 The eastern bridge road that goes past the island in the Mun River is closed, due to flooding on the Warin approach.

3 The road in the middle with the double bridges is still open. For inbound traffic from Warin to Ubon it is very slow due to heavy flooding in front of Do Home. Traffic is still being let through but that may stop if the water rises further. For outbound traffic from Ubon to Warin, the road is still fairly dry. I know, because I just drove through a few minutes ago.

I expect water levels will rise further in the next two weeks as the water from Khon Kaen, Roi-et and Yasothon flows down the Chi river into the Mun river and reaches Ubon. 

Then all roads will be closed and the army trucks will come and take people from Ubon to Warin. Just like in 2000, 2001 and 2002. 

It is no problem to import seeds into Thailand.

BUT.

You will need a phytosanitary certificate from the country of origin and a NON GMO declaration.

What war are you talking about? I first went to Pra Vihaan in 1975. The war was just finishing in Cambodia but started up again when the Vietnamese came into Cambodia about 1978-79. I revisited Pra Vihaan again in 1999 and 2000. I remember some villages around Baan Kruat in Burirum province getting shot up in 1978 by the Khmer Rouge.