Nanda & Nathan The Travellers: Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand

July 8-12, 2014 ---- Ubon Ratchathani is a major city in Isaan or North Eastern Thailand. I always wanted to visit this province since I was young and watched the news about its world-famous Candle Festival. This year Nathan and I happened to be in Thailand in the rainy season and decided to go to Ubon Ratchathani for 4 nights to attend the Candle Festival on Khao Phansa or the Beginning of the Rains Retreat Day. We took this opportunity to visit many Buddhist temples that participated in the event and were carving the candles for the competition. It was a great fun to put our hands on the work and help some temples. (Check my previous post about the festival.)

We also took this opportunity to go sightseeing around the city and had some delicious Isaan food, my favorite type of Thai food. Tung Si Muang is the center of the city and had many activities going on at the moment, such as a fair, street markets, and exhibitions. The National Museum is also worth visiting to learn about the local history. If you have more time, try to go outside of the city and see some natural beauty, i.e. Pha Taem National Park, Mekong River, Sam Phan Bok (The Grand Canyon of Thailand), etc.

Transportation within the city of Ubon is very cheap and convenient. There is a "Song Taew" (a pickup truck with roof and seats installed in the back) running all over the city, which costs only 10 Baht per trip. You can also hire a Tuk Tuk and a motorcycle to go anywhere at low cost. If you want to travel to other provinces or to Laos, go to the Bus Terminal located at the edge of the city. The airport is also not far from the city, and a taxi can be found anywhere.

If you want to visit Ubon Ratchathani during the Candle Festival, make sure to book a hotel and air ticket in advance because those hotels that are located along the candle parade line will be booked up long in advance. Nathan and I had a lot of fun at the festival, and I highly recommend everyone to visit Ubon Ratchathani during that time.