mistabent

Hi there! 

I'm Brent from The Outside Inn. As others have said, I don't know of anywhere that rents larger than 125cc scooters in Ubon. We have 13 bikes for rent, both 115cc and 125cc class. Rentals start at 250B per day, and as low as just 2300B per month for long term (3+ months) rentals. We have weekly and 1 month rates in between. Most of our bikes are out long term but we have a few available at the moment. If you'd like to check any out, just Google or Facebook search The Outside Inn Ubon for our contact info and let us know. Cheers, 

Yes, what racyrick said above. I think you'll find that the insurance companies you are looking at fully cover government hospitals as well, it's just that they are "out of network", so you pay the hospital first and then get reimbursed from the insurance. With an in-network hospital insurance pays your bill directly. I've used Pacific Cross for 6 years here for me and my family and that's how they work. We've claimed several times over the years and have never had an issue, both in and out of network. Claims are quick and easy and we've always gotten every satang back.  

It's nice to have both options as for something major or specialized you can travel to a major city to use private and still be covered, but can still use government hospitals locally when that's best.

I've attached Pacific Cross plan brochures so that you can see the costs and details. We have the Maxima Plan (no out patient so 20% off the listed price) but may switch to a Premium Plus Plan (no out patient) next year.

website-Ultima_Plan-OCT-2015 (1).pdf

website-Maxima_Plan-OCT-2015 (1).pdf

website_Premier_Plan-OCT-2015 (1).pdf

Hi Mick. Have you made it to Ubon yet? If you're heading this way let me know. Would be happy to talk about ideas and options for you in and around Ubon. I also ride my bike (motorbike) around the area a lot- could give some nice ride options and/or we can go on a ride. You can message me here or look up The Outside Inn's contact info on Facebook or Google, that's our place. Keep enjoying the ride man!

-Brent

Our 2.8 year old daughter has been at Panwarin Montessori since she was 2. You can find on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Panwarin.Montessori/).  We absolutely love it! I would be thrilled to find a preschool/daycare of this quality in the US.  They do ages 1.5 to 6 years old,  Monday - Friday, 7:30-5pm (or less, we do fewer hours each day, up to you). It's further from us than many other options, about 20 minutes each way, but it's worth the trip. Very different than other places we checked out in Ubon. Great owners. Really great teachers. Only about 4 students per teacher! Amazing facility built less than 2 years ago. The whole philosophy is to let the kids learn to do things for themselves, hands on, and in a fun way. Garden time, cooking classes, science experiments, arts and crafts, theater, etc. All age appropriate and well done. Good communication with parents with progress updates and occasional teacher-parent conferences. Great value with comparable prices to other, more typical daycare places in town. One of the owners speaks English to our girl and there's an English class and a Chinese class each week, otherwise it's Thai language (which is fine with us, shes fluent in English from home, not needed at school).

If any questions, feel free to ask. And check out the photos on Facebook. 

Cheers, Brent 

Hi 4evermaat, I'm the Brent Santisuk mentions above. As far as I know, you'd need to come to Ubon to rent. How long you looking to rent for? The Outside Inn has 11 motorbikes for rent- daily, weekly, or monthly.  Most of the bikes are currently rented out multi-month, but a couple are available now. We have several people renting out your way, in Trakan, Amnat, Khemarat, etc.  All our bikes are electric start, fully automatic scooters, with the exception of 1 manual shift Wave 125. We specialize in affordable long term rentals, 2000B - 2300B per month depending on the bike and length of rental. Find TOI on Google or Facebook and contact us if you'd like more info. Cheers,

On fuel economy... 4l per 100km is definitely feasible, though I have no experience with the 500cc Benneli's.  In the 2000km I've ridden my 2017 Triumph Bonneville T100, I've averaged 25.3 km per liter, and that's 900cc.  Lots of variables not just engine size. When I owned a 200cc Phantom, I only got slightly better fuel economy than the Triumph. When I owned a last generation carb'd 2005 T100 (865cc), I only got 17km/l.  30km/l is common on the 750cc Honda NC 750x...

Here in Ubon, when you do it yourself... 323B for compulsory insurance, 100B for registration, 60B for inspection.  So all-in 483 B. Takes well less than an hour to do everything here.

All I've ever seen in my several years in Ubon is pay on the spot, always 200B, and always official receipt.  I've never had to pay for helmet as I would absolutely never get on a bike without a helmet, here or anywhere, but see people stopped daily and pay the 200B on the spot every time, Thai or Farang doesn't matter.

The taxi rate did officially go up to 40B last month, the first increase since taxis came to Ubon.  However, even now some cabs have yet to update their meter, so you may still see some starting at 30B.

Hi khunUK,

Welcome to Ubon! What you're looking for would be a great setup, but you may run into a couple of issues, namely the kitchen and the 1 month time frame.  As others have said, there are lots of apartments in town, however, virtually all of them are small studio apartments with no kitchen.  Houses with kitchens can be found, though they can be harder to find, will cost more, and many aren't move-in ready (ie you'd have to spend lots of money on furniture, linen, cookware, etc. to make it livable, which isn't really feasible for 1 month). Though (mostly) furnished houses are available sometimes.  I do know of 1 or 2 condo places that have 1 BR units with small kitchens for rent.  However, a problem you'll likely run into with all of the above options is the 1 month timeline. Typically, houses and condos are looking for long-term multi-month renters.  Even many of the studio apartments require a deposit on move in  (usually priced at 1-2 months rent) that you only get back if you stay for at least 3 months.  So in other words, most places are setup for long term rental, not 1 month.  But it's worth looking around, it's always possible to find a landlord willing to make a deal for 1 month, though you may pay a premium for it.  It may be worth checking with John at Ubon Homes- he often has houses, townhomes, and houses for rent, but I'm not sure if only 1 month is an option, you'd have to check with him.

In regards to the hotels, that's an easy option, but I don't know if there's any place you can get a real in-room kitchen.  There are, of course, several places that have onsite restaurants, so there will be food available.  At our place (The Outside Inn), we often have long-term guests (2 at the moment), who will stay anywhere from a few weeks to several months a year.  We offer lots of options, ranging from the whole hotel experience at a heavily discounted rate, to more of an apartment experience.  I would imagine other hotels in town do similar things if you reach out to them.  If you google us, you'll find our website, Facebook, online reviews, and contact info- feel free to contact us if you'd like to talk.  Regardless of where you end up staying, if you need any help orientating in Ubon, feel free to contact us or stop by anytime.

A guest used it a couple days ago.  Showed one available driver.  He hailed it via the app, the driver still called his cell to confirm location  (don't know why, the app shows the driver exactly where he is). 5 minutes later the car pulls up, it's a metered taxi.  20 B charge for the service and meter for the ride, so exact same as calling taxi dispatch. I was told all the drivers will be taxi drivers, so effectively it's just a way to call a taxi via app instead of by phone.  May still be helpful in making it easier for taxi to know where you are, and maybe for tourists who have WiFi but not Thai phone service. 

Coffee Hol has a great selection of Belgium beers, including many of my favorite beers (Rochefort, Kwak, Kasteel, Orval, Westmalle, etc). Peppers has several nice German beers I always enjoy while in there. Maybe Julian will remind me of the one I love but always forget the name of =). Our place (The Outside Inn) carries the aforementioned Lao Dark and Lao regular, plus Corona, Hoegaarden, and the usual suspects San Miguel Light and Heineken.

I'm very happy with the mechanic we use. He's always done a great job with our fleet of rental bikes and the only place in town I bring my personal bike. He doesn't speak English, but as he's just around the corner from us I don't mind going along to translate. I'm at The Outside Inn (Google the outside inn ubon for our website, location, contact, etc). You can call or email, or PM if you'd like. Cheers, Brent

Hi David, this is Brent from The Outside Inn. As NiwPix says, we do rent bikes and although it's often with our own guests, we're happy to rent to anyone. Not sure what kind of bike you're looking for, but what we offer are single speed classic Japanese bikes. Nothing elaborate, but solid stylish bikes that are great for in and around town. Probably not ideal if you're looking for a touring bike. We'll give you the same deal we give our guests- the weekly rate is just 350 baht per week. Just let us know if we can help. PM is fine or Google The Outside Inn Ubon for all our contact info. Cheers, Brent

Apples and oranges guys. Anyway, I'm not here to sell Christmas ham for Lotus. Just sharing info for those who may be interested. Cheers,

Just a heads up for anyone looking for ham. We have a big order of ham that was special ordered for us at Lotus for Christmas. Just found out today that there will be approximately 3 kgs that will arrive with our order that nobody has claimed yet. Typically they won't order it for you unless you're getting 8-10 kgs or more, so this is a chance to get a smaller portion. It's not cheap at 600 Baht per kg, but we had the same ham last year and it was really excellent. It arrives at Lotus I think Tuesday, or possibly Wednesday. If interested stop by the Lotus in Ubon or give them a call to reserve it. Not sure if they're willing to split up the 3 kg, but guessing they probably would.

Bought an HJC CL-17 helmet at Paddock 3 days ago. 4200B. It's a great helmet (for the price range). Was my first time in the shop and first time in any shop in Bangkok so can't comment on how it compares to other places. Lots of helmets. Fair amount of jackets and accessories also. Overall a very good experience. You can check their website before going for stock and prices.

Sure they're way off, but what's the problem? I see this only as a positive. If you're not selling then it doesn't matter. If you are selling (or will someday), market price is market price. It will sell for market price (ie whatever someone is willing to pay for it, tax accessed value is irrelevant). So that doesn't change. But now there will be super low transfer taxes. So what's the problem if it's under accessed? I wish all my property was under valued for tax purposes.

I somehow forgot one...

TC Kitchen.  I've had there pies and fish & chips several times and both are great.  Lance makes some really good bread too.  Located next to Lai Thong hotel.

Great info from Julian above.  I'll add just a couple more...

Y Loft-  New restaurant just opened in May, located behind the McDonalds in Ubon Sqaure (near Big C).  Varied menu with lots of Italian, American, and European food.  I've been there 3 or 4 times and all entrees I've had have been good to excellent, depending on the dish.  Sangria is excellent.  Cocktails- some are great and some are over-sweetened & under-boozed as is often the case in Thailand.

Risotto- The other Italian option in town.  Not as well known as Spago, but its been around a long time and has a loyal following.  They just moved to a new location on some soi (don't remember which one) off of Chaiyakong Rd (Hwy 24).  They have been closed for the build out at the new location- not sure if they're open yet or not.

Oshin- New, high-end Japanese restaurant located in the city, about 0.5 km from Thung Si Muang park.  Ate here once, food was pretty good but a questionable value as quite expensive for what you get.  They have rolls like you find in Sushi restaurants in the States and other countries (ie Dragon Roll, Volcano Roll, etc.) though they're just OK compared to home, not great, and pricey at over 300 B a roll.  Portions are fairly small too.  Had some eel that was really good, but 500 baht for a very small appetizer portion.  They have sashimi kobe steaks for prices of 6000 B & more (200 grams)- didn't try those.  Expect to spend at least 1000B per person here to get full, and possibly be underwhelmed for the amount you spent.

Cheers,  Brent

Hi bhthai,

Good for you! I think it's great you're putting this much thought and intention into your next trip to Thailand, and I wish you all the best. Given the right attitude and perspective, I think you're in for a great experience. I'm in my early 30's now and live in Ubon, but first came to live in Thailand in my early 20's- living and working in a small village about 30 minutes outside of Khon Kaen. If you come through Ubon, either to use as a base or just on a visit, come by and say hi. You'll find me at The Outside Inn (you can google it or you'll find a link to our website in my profile). I'd be happy to chat with you about my years here in Isaan, especially as my first few years were quite similar to your situation (younger, live in rural Isaan, here single and not really looking, learn the language, study the culture, etc.). Also, there's a great group of younger expats from all over the world living in and around Ubon. I can think of about 3 dozen friends in their 20's & 30's around here, most of them teachers, but some doing other things. Fun, good people who know the area well and could make a good network of friends for you- even though you're coming here to see and learn about Thailand and Thai's, there are times when its really good to take a break and have the friendship and support of other expats as well. Feel free to contact me anytime and/or stop by when you're in Ubon. Best, Brent

He actually paid 59,000 new for a Fino, according to what he posted. Unless the dealer dipped it in gold before giving it to him, he paid a lot over retail. And most 2 year old low km finos sell for mid to upper 20s (from the few transactions I've seen, but I don't pretend to be an expert). So perhaps the depreciation is being exaggerated a bit in this one example.

I think you forgot a place Larry =)

Glad to see you got your posters up in so many places. I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say we're happy to help get the word out. It was great having you and the whole crew over on Friday.

~Brent