Trip To Ubon And Four Thasand Islands Questions

[dtag]

A friend and I are mulling over driving from Chiang Mai to the four thousand islands in Laos. We would likely stay one night in Ubon Ratchathani on the way. Could anyone help me with these questions:

How long does the drive from Chinag Mai to Ubon take?

The trip from Ubon to ten thousand Islands?

How difficult is it to get a car into Laos? Or would we be better off leaving the car inn Thailand?

Where is good to stay in Ubon, where good to go for food, drink, etc.?

[jay-uk]

some useful info: on the following site:

www.weloveubon.com

jay

[jay-uk]

Directions and distance to Ubon below from google maps:

Start Chiang Mai, Changwat Chiang Mai Thailand

End Ubon Ratchathani, Changwat Ubon Ratchathani Thailand

Travel 924 km – about 14 hours 8 mins

Full-screen©2008 Google - Map data ©2008 Tele Atlas, AND - Terms of Use50 mi100 km Hide MapsAvoid highways Get reverse directions

From: Chiang Mai, Changwat Chiang Mai Thailand

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Drive: 924 km – about 14 hours 8 mins

924 km – about 14 hours 8 mins

1. Head north on Tha Phae 1 toward Tha Phae 0.1 km

2. Continue on Kuang Men 0.2 km

1 min

3. Turn right at Witchayanan 0.1 km

4. Turn left toward Wang Sing Kham 0.1 km

5. Turn right at Wang Sing Kham 0.2 km

1 min

6. Slight left at Charoen Mueang 2.6 km

5 mins

7. Continue on 1006 18 m

8. Turn right at 11 91.5 km

1 hour 17 mins

9. Turn left at Phahon Yothin 5.6 km

6 mins

10. Turn right at 11 86.6 km

1 hour 19 mins

11. Turn right to stay on 11 143 km

2 hours 0 mins

12. Exit on the left onto 12 2.8 km

3 mins

13. Slight left to stay on 12 6.7 km

6 mins

14. Turn right to stay on 12 105 km

1 hour 26 mins

15. Slight left to stay on 12 189 km

2 hours 53 mins

16. Slight left to merge onto 230 9.7 km

9 mins

17. Take the ramp on the left to Mittraphap 0.5 km

1 min

18. Turn left at Mittraphap 6.4 km

7 mins

19. Turn left at 208 55.3 km

46 mins

20. Turn right at 213 4.9 km

4 mins

21. Slight left at 23 6.1 km

5 mins

22. Turn right to stay on 23 32.3 km

37 mins

23. Slight right to stay on 23 73.7 km

1 hour 24 mins

24. Slight right to stay on 23 45.5 km

41 mins

25. Slight left to stay on 23 53.2 km

46 mins

26. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Ratcha Thani 0.4 km

1 min

27. Turn right at 212 0.7 km

2 mins

28. Turn left at Upa Li San 0.5 km

1 min

29. Turn right at Pha Daeng 86 m

To: Ubon Ratchathani, Changwat Ubon Ratchathani Thailand

[RY12]

In the south end of town near the Mun River, I've found the Montana hotel to be best for a value/cleanliness compromise- 400 baht. Sri Isan closer to the river is cleaner and newer, but 650 baht. Hat Wat Tai is good for experience for eating in bamboo huts staked in the middle of the river, and you can go swimming in the filthy water as well (i'm told 15 years ago it was clear and you could see fish). Don't know much about the rest of town, though the hip-hop club a little farther north, forgot the name, is a good alternative to Nevada. LonleyPl. book is helpful and accurate for Ubon, unlike the LP book for Laos- that one was just awful. DO NOT rely too heavily on anything you read in the Laos book. My gf, who's from Ubon and thus speaks Lao, and I used it in southern Laos and it was repeatedly just flat wrong- it would describe the location of sights like waterfalls and we'd go there, not find it, ask the local villagers, over and over no one could tell us where it was. 'clean hotels' ended up being dumps, etc. the writer must have been a thickskinned kee-nok who had some historian shuffling him around, thus the crappy descriptions.

[bergen]

A friend and I are mulling over driving from Chiang Mai to the four thousand islands in Laos. We would likely stay one night in Ubon Ratchathani on the way. Could anyone help me with these questions:

How long does the drive from Chinag Mai to Ubon take?

The trip from Ubon to ten thousand Islands?

How difficult is it to get a car into Laos? Or would we be better off leaving the car inn Thailand?

Where is good to stay in Ubon, where good to go for food, drink, etc.?

For comfortable driving, you need 2 days from CM to Ubon. If you make Khon Kaen your first stop, you are more than half way.

In Ubon there are many hotels/motels to choose from. Laithong, Tohsang, and Nevada, are 1200/1000 baht, and there is a decent motel (350/450 baht) behind WrongWay Cafe in thanon Padaeng.

WrongWay cafe, and Cozy restaurant in Chayangkul rd, have a good variety of farang food, and 2 good Thai eateries with live music, are Smile restaurant in Srinarong rd, and Jum-pa-hom near Laithong hotel.

It is approx. 100 km to Chong Mek, and it's best to leave the car on the Thai side, and hire transport on the Lao side.

Sorry, can't help you with info about distance/time from the border to the islands.

cheers