Some good info on here, glad I posted.

So am I squire!

My sister is visiting in December and your post has drawn in a lot of detailed information on many places to visit from helpful Isaan expats.

So thanks to you, and to them. Hope you enjoy your trip.

(Would be nice if this could be pinned, up there with Ubon News and Development?)

Elwood

If I wanted to take the family (boys 10 & 12yrs) out in Ubon in the evening, is there somewhere anybody could suggest to eat WITH MUSIC possibly live music (apologies if someone suggested already and I missed it). My kids are in to music and play some instruments, so like to watch live music.

If I wanted to take the family (boys 10 & 12yrs) out in Ubon in the evening, is there somewhere anybody could suggest to eat WITH MUSIC possibly live music (apologies if someone suggested already and I missed it). My kids are in to music and play some instruments, so like to watch live music.

I'm no expert on the area but we found a really good bar/restaurant called Smile. The menu has a good mix of Thai and Western food. I had a rump steak (I needed a break from chilly and rice) which I thoroughly enjoyed, my brother had a T-bone and didn't rate it at all. Somehow we also ended up with about 5 plates of fries. The wives both had Thai/Laos food and were quite happy. As usual quality beers.

They had an OK Thai band. Their playlist was just like the menu, a mix of Thai and Western!! They also have a large TV which I timed quite well to watch Chelsea play Arsenal in the Community Shield. Not a good result for us Chelsea fans but I'm sure Santisuk enjoyed it!!!

Here is the address below. You can also find it on Google search and Trip Advisor.

Address: Smile pub and restaurant, 200/1, Srinarong Road, Tambon Nai Mueang, Amphoe Mueang Ubon Ratchathani, Ubon Ratchathani, 34000, 34000, Thailand

Phone:+66 45 262 407

We also found a tiny burger joint maybe 500 to 800m East of central park in the city. The guy has his grill out in the street opposite a temple. They cook burgers to order (89bt) and I think they do spaghetti bolognaise as well. I was quite impressed with the burgers and they had some bassy reggae playing so quite a cool place. All the Thai clientele were sat on their iphones or smart phones and were obviously professional people so quite a chilled little joint IMO.

check them out, I hope they suit you!

Trip

Can I ask how's the weather in that part of isaan currently. Here in Samut Prakarn its BIG storms early evening and early morning every day.

The rain here in Ubon seems to be dependent on weather I go out on my motorbike or in the car!

3 weeks ago it was big storms every night but it eased off the past 2 weeks, hardly any rain. Rained a bit last two nights tho

Sandyf

He must be one of those with stories to tell I keep hearing about. I suppose no relationship is without the possibility of failure.

Strangely enough, no. He took her back to the UK but carried on like he was still single. She got fed up and came back to Thailand, end of story. I bumped into her a couple of times in Pattaya, she had gone back to working bars.

There has been some great information posted on this thread, credit to those who have taken the time to share their knowledge.

Much appreciated.

Cheer's

If I wanted to take the family (boys 10 & 12yrs) out in Ubon in the evening, is there somewhere anybody could suggest to eat WITH MUSIC possibly live music (apologies if someone suggested already and I missed it). My kids are in to music and play some instruments, so like to watch live music.

Also Tawang Daeng. It's one of a chain of Isaan country music dance halls with food, playing traditional Isaan Morlam music. For an idea see the write up here for the Bangkok 'branch' http://www.afana.org/tawan.htm.

It's located on the northern section of the Ubon Ring Road (highway 231) - see map attached.

I haven't been there before 11:00 pm and you would not get the full on Isaan party atmosphere early in the evening, but I think the band would be playing for diners around 9pmish if not before

Location of Tawan Daeng music hall.docx

There is also a Tawang Daeng branch here in Singapore, if anyone is passing.

Great food, drink and entertainment.

Is it the same company as the Tawan Daeng on Rama 3 BKK? Been and its fun.

No - I think you are referring to Tawandang German brewery. Never been but looked it up on Google search. Looks worth checking out.

The Bangkok Tawan Daeng is where Petchaburi Road changes its name to Pattanakarn Road underneath the Ram Intra to Bangna freeway in the northern fringes of Pra Khanong

Yes. Correct, Tawandang here in Singapore.

Great food and drink.

Just back at the weekend from a 10 day trip to Ubon and back. Was a great road trip, a definite success, and I thought I’d post a little in case anybody else is going that way and uses this topic.

Thanks to everybody who contributed with advice, especially to SantiSuk for all his help – the man is clearly an expert on the area.

Cheers!

Sa Kaeo Province:

Thursday, we left home via the Bangna-Trat elevated, then Chachoengsao, then the 304, then the 359 to Aranyaprathet. The 359 is a great road, fast, straight, very little traffic, and scenic – recommended route to Sa Kaeo or Aranyaprathet. We stayed at the Indochina Hotel, nice place, easy to find (on the road north out of Aranyaprathet), Thai food at dinner was excellent, breakfast was adequate, pool is very nice, downside is that it’s one of those hotels you can hear everything happening in the corridor.

We had 2 nights at the Indochina Hotel.

Visited Pang Sida National Park/Waterfall. Lovely quiet one hour drive though lovely countryside, not much on the road, not many settlements. Waterfall was very nice but weather wasn’t great to drive around the National Park so turned back.

Went to Rong Kleua Market (should call it ‘copy market’ as they have copies of all the major brands) for some cheapo sports shoes, footie shirts, etc, for the kids.

Aranyaprathet is a typical border town, kind of bustling in places, quiet in others, some poor areas near the border. Most people in the Rong Kleua market seemed to speak Khmer. It’s one of the biggest markets I’ve ever seen, very organised, kind of quiet goings on. We bought some cheap stuff (training shoes, shirts).

Buriram Province:

Saturday, we left Aranyaprathet heading north on what was supposed to be a 2hr 20 min drive to Muang Tam and Phanom Rung Khmer ruins and then on to stay in Buriram, but half way there the police shut the road (route 348) without any reason given, and sent everybody who was going north-west, on a wild detour of an extra hour in a roundabout east, then north and then west drive down rarely used dirt tracks roads through the forests bordering Cambodia…very annoying and the roads were atrocious.

Muang Tam and Phanom Rung were a success with the family; I visited them both +20 years ago when Muang Tam was partially restored so I’ve always had a soft spot for it. It is now fully restored and is quite something with its 4 internal L-shaped ponds. Saturday afternoon, so Phanom Rung was busy, which I personally didn’t like. We then drove the hour to Best Western Buriram.

Muang Tam

Phanom Rung

Best Western Buriram is an excellent hotel; definitely recommend it, B1400 per night for a deluxe, pool small but kids enjoyed it. A few too many expats staying for my liking. Food in the hotel restaurant was very good.

Liked the hotel, liked what we’d seen of Buriram town, so decided to stay another night.

Sunday in Buriram, we thought we’d drive the 10 minutes from the hotel/town centre to Buriram United’s stadium for some pictures. We were surprised to see on arrival that the place buzzing (there was no game on that weekend) so we ended up on a stadium tour, the kids become Buriram fans, they got a shirt each, all very enjoyable and impressive.

Just as we were about to leave, an official looking man walked up and offered us FREE tickets for the motorbike racing that was on that weekend…the new circuit is just behind the football area. We watched one race, it was really good, and the kids loved it. Apparently they were 600cc bikes and the rider in pole position lead from start to finish in the 13 man 12 lap race.

You have to take your hat off to what he’s been done to such a small town .Very impressive facilities. I can see us going back for a weekend some time for the football preferably, or if not, for the racing.

We then went to a local temple on the top of an extinct volcano (Khao Kradung, the only hill around) 10 minutes away from the ground. You can walk up the +300 steps or drive up. Great views over the town. There is a scenic walk there…its behind the giant Buddha and goes down the hill…worth doing.

Sisaket Province:

Monday, we planned to visit the infamous Khao Phra Viharn in Sisaket Province – scene of the ongoing border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia – via Wat Larn Kuat (Wat 1,000,000 bottles) and then on to Ubon, however it was longer journey than we thought plus we lingered at the two very impressive places too long, so ended up staying in the closest (small) town of Kantharalak.

I’ve wanted to get to Khao Phra Viharn for +20 years, but its off-the-beaten track, and I’m so happy to have been…loved it. It’s on a mountain range, there’s a cliff which is the ‘watershed’ border (international basis) – Thailand is on the cliff top, Cambodia below the cliff top - but back in 1907 when the French were surveying the border between French Cambodia and Thailand, the French plotted the border around the (landside of the) temple so that it would be in Cambodia. So you have everything along the cliff top in Thailand EXCEPT for the temple and a small area around it. The International court ruling went something like 9 to 3 in favour of Cambodia on the basis of Thailand knew since 1907 about the border plotted but they did nothing about (i.e. Thailand acquiesced to the French map), the 3 in favour of Thailand went with common sense that the watershed is internationally recognized as a border. It is nonsense really and it does not take in to account little Siam and MIGHTY France relationship in 1907. In recent years they’ve fought over it – in 2008 to 2011 about 20 soldiers from each country were killed. Cambodia has the temple as determined by the court and somehow is building a road up the cliff (apparently it takes an hour to climb/walk up from Cambodia…not clear how they’re building the road up the cliff) so that people can access it from Cambodia. Thailand has plenty of soldiers there and they are very accommodating and polite to the Thai and foreign visitors that come to look from the Thai command post. It will kick off again in the future I have no doubt. It’s such a beautiful place that it’s a shame they’re fighting over it, and parts of the temple has been hit and destroyed by artillery fire. Apparently it was stormed by the Khmer rouge when the royalist Cambodian army held it, and again was stormed by the Vietnamese when the Khmer rouge held it.

We left around 5pm as a storm swept in from Cambodia (Cambodia is below the cliff) and amazingly we could clearly see both ends of a rainbow, and as it was still over an hour’s drive to Ubon in the dark, we ended up staying in a baht 600 a night at Prasopsook Ville (its shown on Google maps) in Kantharalak, which was ok for a night; they have motel rooms behind the hotel which looked better than our room in the hotel on the main street but they were all full that night.

We found a fantastic restaurant which helped, the ‘Fa lang Fon’ (the sky after the rain) which is very close to the Kantharalak city pillar shrine – nice food and live music (think its shown as Santi Potchana or near to it on Google maps).

Wat Larn Kuat (Wat 1,000,000 bottles)…the pictures we took don’t do it justice, very ingenious (clever industrious monks)…it was a slight detour but was well worth it and so pleased we went.

Khao Phra Viharn, you drive up the hill, baht 400 for me, the wife and kids were free, park at the top, it’s the end of the road…only soldiers thereafter (guns and artillery are well hidden)…most the soldiers we saw were exercising (must be boring for them).

Khao Phra Viharn itself is a short distance from the Thai border command post…you can see it clearly using the army range-finder binoculars (we were welcome to use them)…the border here doesn’t keep to the cliff edge but goes behind the temple (i.e. to the right of the temple) and then back to the cliff edge on the far side …no wonder Thailand is unhappy …if you look closely you can see the Thai border flag. Apparently the flag was at the temple, the international court ordered it be taken down, Thailand wouldn’t lower it but dug it up still flying and resunk it still flying where it is now.

There’s not much sign below the cliff and in to the distance of life/development in Cambodia.

Also took the opportunity to see the ancient carvings down some stairs that lead below the cliff…must have been done by abseiling 10th century monks!

Ubon Province (1/2):

Tuesday, as we’d enjoyed our time at Khao Phra Viharn, plus one of the soldiers reckoned there would be morning fog in the valley over Cambodia, that we decided to get up at 5am and go for the 5.52am sunrise. We were amazed how many people were there as yesterday afternoon it wasn’t busy…bit cold for the thais at 19C, plenty of jackets and blankets seen. There was no fog but we enjoyed revisiting. Back to the hotel to shower, pack and leave to Ubon.

We drove the hour to Ubon. Was going to stay at either Sunee Grand or Baan Suan hotel and golf, but as we were driving there the wife took a call from a friend who recommended PenTaHug hotel which at B800 a night was decent.

We decided to drive out the + 1hr to Sirindhorn Dam/Reservoir close to the Laos border. The Dam which you can drive in to EGAT isn’t much to see, the reservoir is impressive. We then went to ‘Little Pattaya’ on the reservoir for the kids to swim, the wife to eat and me to relax. When arriving at ‘Little Pattaya’ all the staff from the various rafts try to tempt you in, we found it best to drive straight right to the end where it is quieter. Enjoyed our time there.

Night time I wanted to go to Tawan Daeng restaurant which was 10 minutes drive from our PenTaHug hotel (on Soi 9), the wife wasn’t having it (which made me interested to go even more) and the hotel reception recommended a nice restaurant 10 minutes walk from the hotel on soi 15 called ‘Baan Klang Soi’ (house in middle of soi)…was decent.

Ubon Province (2/2):

Wednesday, we drove via the 231, 217 to Phibun Mangsahan (couldn’t believe Udon immigration was all the way out here), the 2222 through Sai Mun (small village which is famous for producing gongs and drums for Wats) to Pha Taem National Park near Khong Chiam (pronounced Khong Jiam). Pha Taem National Park has the famous walk under the cliff top which has the most ancient paintings in Thailand plus an amazing view across the Mekong to Laos. When visiting the paintings you have the choice of a short 800m walk there and back or you keep going past the paintings further along the cliff for a 4km walk…it was brilliant. Pha Taem is about 20 minutes north of Khong Chiam. Back in Khong Chiam we visited Wat Khuha Sawan for brilliant views over Khong Chiam to the Mekong and Mun junction…the 2 coloured river.

Sai Mun

Pha Taem

As the two previous nights hotels were b600 and b800 we decided to splash out and stay at the Tohsang Khongjiam Resort at b2450 per night (we stayed 2 nights, when we checked out they told us the 2^nd night was only b1600/night promotion rate; if we’d known that we wouldn’t have checked out but stayed an extra night as we loved this hotel). Hotel is very nice, rooms excellent, fantastic view across to Laos, pool is nice, there’s two buildings 3 storeys high and there’s villas also. Isaan food was fantastic, breakfast was ok, such a relaxing stay. The staff were excellent also. I could happily have stayed here for a week!

Thursday we were up late, lingered over breakfast, then drove south 20kms to Chong Mek border crossing. The wife and kids went across on their Thai IDs while I sat in a coffee shop for an hour. Wife apparently wasn’t aware that there’d be a duty free, so she loved it there. Came back with 3 big bags of different types of Laos coffee beans, loads of chocolates, 12 bottles of Beer Laos (b30 each, b55 is Bkk), aftershave, etc. We then drove through the lovely little town of Khong Chiam (it really is a lovely place) north past Pha Taem for an hour to Sang Chan waterfall. Roads close to it were very poor. Nice enough waterfall (walk underneath it and out the other side and back to the car park). Worth going to? Not really unless you’re close to it.

Homewards bound:

Friday, having gone as far as we could east, and having visited further north to Mukdahan, etc, we set off home. A 6 hour drive, 2222, 217 back to skirt Ubon, 226 to skirt Sisaket, then 2076 (to avoid going through Surin on 226) – excellent road – to the Surin elephant village at Ban Ta Klang. Great what they do, but as a tourist attraction only worth going to if you’re in the area, in my opinion. It’s about an hour from the elephant village to Buriram – yep we stayed at the Best Western again at the kid’s request. More excellent food and Leo.

Saturday, as the resort of our choice in Khao Yai (Watermill Resort) was full, and I wanted to watch the Man City game that evening, I made myself popular by deciding we should do the 5 ½ hr drive home via Kabinburi and Chachoengsao – actually took 7hrs due to heavy traffic in Chachoengsao and close to home.

SUMMARY: A brilliant road trip, a real success. Loved all of it (apart from the detour to Buriram through the Cambodian forest). Didn’t see so many farangs (see less though further north in Isaan up near Sakon Nakon). Was surprised to see so many buffaloes and cows. Food was excellent. People were great. Wish we’d had longer to see and do more. The only problem for us, having already visited Sakon, Mukdahan and such areas was once we arrived in Khong Chiam we had no choice but to back track.

Wow.

Nice one mate.

Thanks for the write up

Thanks for taking the time to send in such a fine, detailed report BB; wonderful photos too.

Glad that you enjoyed your Isaan visit.

Nice read BB. Brought back some good memories of several places we've visited over the years. We also chose the 4km cliff walk but we thought is was longer than 4km!

What a great area it is

Great trip report. Has refreshed my memory a little on some things to do on my next trip. Cheers.

Great road trip report BB. You made some excellent choices of places and accommodation! Ok maybe not in Kantharalak, but there aren't any really good hotels in the town itself. Have to go to Khun Han or thereabouts for a couple of good resorts.

Nice read BB. Brought back some good memories of several places we've visited over the years. We also chose the 4km cliff walk but we thought is was longer than 4km!

What a great area it is

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1445550488.371552.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1445550589.241767.jpg

We (my 2 boys and me...wife was buying coffees) were stood in the park's information display room and I noticed a park official trying take a sneaky photo of us (seemed to happen a few times on our trip; the soldiers at Khao Phra Viharn also wanted to take a snap of our white faces). I told her she could take a snap and we posed for her. The wife came back and gets in to a conversation with the official who explains you can either walk tothe paintings and back which is about 800m or you keep walking for a further 4 or 4.5km (I forget the exact distance she said) past the paintings and back. It took us 75 minutes to walk from the paintings back and it definitely seemed more than 4 or 4.5km. We had to keep telling the kids we're nearly there to keep them going...they were proud of themselves when we'd done it. Under the cliff it's an easy walk, mostly shaded and in places water cascades down and you get a light shower. The hard bit is walking back along the cliff top in the sun. The long walk MADE our visit!

Since our boys got old enough to handle it (they're 10 and 12 yrs now), we've been going on one or two roadtrips per year during school holidays, of about 10 to 12 days. Recent trips have been:

Nakhon Sawan..Sukhothai..Sisatchanalai..Mae Sot..Mae Sariang. .Mae Hong Son. .Pai..Chiang Mai..Lampang..Sukhothai..home.

Khorat..Sakon Nakhon..Mukdahan..Khao Yai. .home

Rayong..Trat..Khorat. .Khai Yai..home (unusual route caused by dash to family funeral)

Khao Yai..Chaiyaphum..Loie..Phetchabun..Phitsanulok..Saraburi..home

*above are often the provinces not the town/city.

The best trip, we've all agreed, was the Mae Hong Son one. It's quite a wild drive in places, scenery is amazing, very quiet and remote in places south of Mae Sariang that you feel like an explorer, and both the wife (thai) and I thought that in places it felt more like being in a foreign country than Thailand.

Our most recent trip to Khong Jiam and back easily stood up with the other trips due mainly to cultural sites over the scenery.

Next trip will probably have to be go see down past Chumpon (we got this far on an earlier trip when one of the kids got tonsillitis so we had to turn around for home).

Best source of information I've found for road trips, apart from asking questions on here is, RideAsia.net forum (bikers website).

Cheers!

;-)

Some great information, makes me want to go for a drive. Years ago we did a trip starting at Pak Thong Chai went north and looped into the east, ended up in Ubon to return via Surin. Some highlights: Pimai ruins north of Korat, the "sausage" village north of there, the ruins between Surin and Buriram: Phnom Rung (lost my daughter there for a heartwrenching half hour while she was playing at being Indiana Jones), we also enjoyed the elephants at http://www.surinproject.org/Elephants.html

Altogether a memorable holiday. People in Issan are so nice....

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Anyone else in Thailand or outside looking for a longer holiday break that is outside the usual?

Consider a 7-day (minimum; 10 day much better) break taking in:

Ubon Ratchatani

Khong Jiam/Pha Taem/Srindhorn

Southern Laos - Champasak and Koh Pan Don (4,000 islands in the Mekong plus waterfalls - mesmerising place)

It's a knock-out itinerary. I came across a Nordic coach tour on their last day of doing it a few months ago (very very unusual to see in Ubon province) - they were wowed. If I wanted the money/time-use my wife would be setting up a tour company already!

Another one for the adventurous back-packer type. Fly into Ubon, then Southern Laos, then into Vietnam for Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta, back up through Cambodia, taking in Kampot (and/or Snooky), Phnom Penh and Siem Reap (Angkor Wat). Back to Ubon for fly out or fly out of SR. 2 weeks absolute min (cut Kampot/Snooky). 3-4 weeks ideal.

4,000 islands is actually Si Phan Don not that it really matters.